Remote and collaborative 3D interactions

We present a framework for new 3D tele-immersion applications that allows collaborative and remote 3D interactions. This framework is based on a multiple-camera platform that builds, in real-time, 3D models of users. Such models are embedded into a shared virtual environment where they can interact with other users or purely virtual objects. 3D models encode geometric information that is plugged into a physical simulation for interactive purposes. They also encode photometric information through the use of mapped textures to ensure a good sense of presence. Experiments were conducted with two multiple-camera platforms, and the preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of such environments.