Abstract: We are building a system that can automatically
acquire 3D range scans and 2D images to build geometrically and photometrically
correct 3D models of urban environments. A major bottleneck in the process
is the automated registration of a large number of geometrically complex
3D range scans in a common frame of reference. In this paper we provide a
novel method for the accurate and efficient registration of a large
number of complex range scans. The method utilizes range segmentation and
feature extraction algorithms. Our algorithm automatically computes pairwise
registrations between individual scans, builds a topological graph, and places
the scans in the same frame of reference.We present results for building
large scale 3D models of historic sites and urban structures.