Comprehensive Calibration and Registration Procedures for Augmented Reality

Abstract

Augmented Reality - best described as adding computer-generated virtual content to the real environment – needs more adjustments to work properly than immersive virtual environments. To be perceived as an augmentation of reality, the virtual environment has to be properly aligned to the real world. This registration process has to be done at least once for every hardware set-up, but may have to be repeated in part or completely for each user, prop or device to be included both in the real and the virtual world. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive process for registration and calibration tasks necessary to implement correct augmentation. This includes procedures for calibrating projective and head-mounted displays, tracking systems, tracked input devices and props. Our method unifies the necessary tasks of world-to-augmentation alignment, display calibration and registration of tracked and static props in one, interactive set-up process, which can easily be conducted by the untrained user.