SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC ALIGNMENT AND PROJECTION MAPPING

A system and method for automatic alignment and projection mapping are provided. A projector and at least two cameras are mounted with fields of view that overlap a projection area on a three-dimensional environment. A computing device: controls the projector to project structured light patterns that uniquely illuminate portions of the environment; acquires images of the patterns from the cameras; generates a two-dimensional mapping of the portions between projector and camera space and by processing the images and correlated patterns; generates a cloud of points representing the environment using the mapping and camera positions; determines a projector location, orientation and lens characteristics from the cloud; positions a virtual camera relative to a virtual three-dimensional environment, corresponding to the environment, parameters of the virtual camera respectively matching parameters of the projector; and, controls the projector to project based on a virtual location, orientation and characteristics of the virtual camera.