Images: Microsoft’s 3D photo album

Based on technology developed at the University of Washington, Microsoft’s Photosynth browser can draw from personal photos or shots culled from photo-sharing sites to create a 3D space users can “walk around” in.\r\n

\r\nHere, for instance, selected pictures of Paris’ famed Notre Dame cathedral (left) are assembled into a 3D model around a relatively simple rendering of the facade (right), based on the position the photographer was in when each shot was taken–a puzzle the program solves using various algorithms. \r\n

\r\nViewers use the interface (bottom) to move around the space: The program shuttles them to the next shot while providing renderings that create the illusion of a seamless environment.\r\n

\r\nPhotosynth also lets its users find shots that are similar to a given photo–a historical view taken from the same vantage point, for example.

A close-up look at how the browser technology creates a 3D model by distributing the photos according to the vantage point from which they were taken. The detail in the upper right shows the village from above.

A look at the interface gives a sense of the various ways people can navigate the terrain.

Invading hordes of reflective envelopes leap a great wall. Actually, it’s another 3D model.