What natural textures convey 3-D shape?
” Perception 28 ECVP Abstract Supplement What natural textures convey 3-D shape? A Li, Q Zaidi Li and Zaidi (Visual Research in press) used synthetic texture patterns on a corrugated surface to show that 3-D shape is only conveyed when the retinal image contains visible energy along projected lines of maximum curvature on the surface. This pattern of energy arises from visible energy in the pre-corrugated pattern in the direction along which the surface is to be maximally curved. The oriented energy is visible in the pre-corrugated pattern if it is dominant or discrete in the amplitude spectrum. To see if this rule generalises to natural textures, we computed the amplitude spectra of the Brodatz collection [1966 Textures: A Photographic Album for Artists and Designers (New York: Dover)]. Each pattern was then corrugated in depth and projected in perspective onto an image plane. The perceived shape of the surface was reconstructed from a series of local depth estimates between pairs of
