MULTI-IMAGE COMPOSITING

Image compositing apparatus and methodology for the creation, in a defined volume of three-dimensional space, of a composite organization of plural images/visual phenomena, including at least one projected real image (104), displayed in formats including (a) front-to-rear, (b) side-by-side and (c) overlapping and intersecting, adjacency. The apparatus incorporates different unique arrangements of visual sources (110, 112), and optical elements including concave reflectors (114), beam splitters (116) and image-forming/image-transmissive scrim/screen structures (334). In one important modification of the system, which does not necessarily require compositing, a projected real image is derived from an image-producing data stream containing three-dimensional image cues selected from the group consisting of shading, occlusion, perspective, motion parallax, size vs. depth, light (chroma value) vs. depth and definition vs. depth. In a further important modification of the invention, a system (620) is proposed which allows a viewer/user to interact directly with a projected real image, in a manner allowing the manipulation of one or more characteristics or aspects of the image.