Color segmentation-based stereo 3D reconstruction system and process

A system and process for computing a 3D reconstruction of a scene from multiple images thereof, which is based on a color segmentation-based approach, is presented. First, each image is independently segmented. Second, an initial disparity space distribution (DSD) is computed for each segment, using the assumption that all pixels within a segment have the same disparity. Next, each segment's DSD is refined using neighboring segments and its projection into other images. The assumption that each segment has a single disparity is then relaxed during a disparity smoothing stage. The result is a disparity map for each image, which in turn can be used to compute a per pixel depth map if the reconstruction application calls for it.