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A scientist, Maxime Lhuillier, has found out a way to convert 360-degree video files into explorable 3D worlds!
That’s 3D geometry rendered by GPU, using advanced videogrammetry algorithms. This allows “Holodeck-like” exploration in virtual reality. Click the below WebGL embed, then use mouse to look around, and WASD / arrow keys to walk around.
As amazing as this is, we are still in the “Wright Brothers” era of converting video files into true VR scenery. There are still defects; we expect artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically fix defects in these types of videos that are converted to explorable 3D worlds. See other worlds on SketchFab.
In the future, there will likely be artificial-intelligence-based video processing: “AI: That looks like bark texture, let me fix that from what I know about birch and maple trees… That looks like tree canopy above; let me fix that to look real via the leaf-and-branches geometry library… That looks like sky, I’ll put that in a skybox… That looks like a road; let me flatten it out and enhance its texture from the asphalt-texture library… That looks like a historic rock wall; I learned a similar texture from my previous cloud-learning, let me fix the wall to look real… Viola, the video is now intelligently up-converted to retina-resolution 3D geometry and should now look much better!…”
Within our lifetimes, low-resolution 360 degree video files could be upconverted to retina-resolution Holodeck-like exploration via a VR headset. Imagine visiting a vacation spot via “Google Streetview” in true retina-resolution explorable 3D worlds in a virtual tour.
This will be wonderful for future video games, game developers, being able to scan a city into a 3D game, and graphics artists fancying-up the world even further with new artwork to turn an existing city retro-style or future-style, etc.