QUANTIFYING DEPTH OF FIELD AND SHARPNESS FOR IMAGE-BASED 3D RECONSTRUCTION OF HERITAGE OBJECTS

Abstract. Image-based 3D reconstruction processing tools assume sharp focus across the entire object being imaged, but depth of field (DOF) can be a limitation when imaging small to medium sized objects resulting in variation in image sharpness with range from the camera. While DOF is well understood in the context of photographic imaging and it is considered with the acquisition for image-based 3D reconstruction, an “acceptable” level of sharpness and associated “circle of confusion” has not yet been quantified for the 3D case. The work described in this paper contributes to the understanding and quantification of acceptable sharpness by providing evidence of the influence of DOF on the 3D reconstruction of small to medium sized museum objects. Spatial frequency analysis using established collections photography imaging guidelines and targets is used to connect input image quality with 3D reconstruction output quality. Combining quantitative spatial frequency analysis with metrics from a series of comparative 3D reconstructions provides insights into the connection between DOF and output model quality. Lab-based quantification of DOF is used to investigate the influence of sharpness on the output 3D reconstruction to better understand the effects of lens aperture, camera to object surface angle, and taking distance. The outcome provides evidence of the role of DOF in image-based 3D reconstruction and it is briefly presented how masks derived from image content and depth maps can be used to remove unsharp image content and optimise structure from motion (SfM) and multiview stereo (MVS) workflows.