Shape from projecting a stripe pattern

This paper presents a simple method which determines the surface properties of an object by projecting a stripe pattern on to it. Assuming orthographical projection as a camera model and parallel light projection of the stripe pattern, the method obtains a 2(1/2)D representation of objects by estimating surface normals from the slopes and intervals of the stripes in the image. The 2(1/2)D image is further divided into planar or singly curved surfaces by examining the distribution of the surface normals in gradient space. Evaluation of the error in surface orientation is also described.