Rendering avatars in virtual reality: integrating a 3D model with 2D images

Image-based rendering uses images or photographs to replace geometric models. This technique achieves shorter modeling time, faster rendering speed, and more realism. It also addresses different approaches for turning images into models and then into renderings - including panoramas, image warping, and light fields. In this article, we introduce a hybrid approach that integrates a 3D avatar geometric model with 2D images to achieve more realistic avatars as well as speed up avatar rendering in realtime virtual environments.