Virtual photogrammetry

Multiple snapshots of a scene are captured within an executing application (e.g., a video game). When each snapshot is captured, associated color values per pixel and a distance or depth value z per pixel are stored. The depth information from the snapshots is accessed, and a point cloud representing the depth information is constructed. A mesh structure is constructed from the point cloud. The light field(s) on the surface(s) of the mesh structure are calculated. A surface light field is represented as a texture. A renderer uses the surface light field with geometry information to reproduce the scene captured in the snapshots. The reproduced scene can be manipulated and viewed from different perspectives.