How to See a Simple World: An Exegesis of Some Computer Programs for Scene Analysis
Alan K. Mackworth · 2013
This is not a comprehensive survey of machine vision which, in its broadest sense, includes all computer programs that process pictures. Restricting attention to scene analysis programs that interpret line data as polyhedral scenes makes it possible to examine those programs in depth, comment on revealing mistakes, explore the interrelationships and exhibit the thematic development of the field. Starting with Roberts' seminal work which established the paradigm, there has been an evolutionary succession of programs and proposals each approaching the problem with a different emphasis. In addition to Roberts' program this paper expounds in detail work done by Guzman, Falk, Huffman, Clowes, Mackworth, and Waltz. These programs are presented, compared, contrasted and, sometimes, criticized in order to exhibit the development of a variety of themes including the representation of the picture-formation process, segmentation, support, occlusion, lighting, the scene description, picture cues and models of the world.