Environment maps are used to simulate reflections off curved objects. We present a technique to reflect a user, or a group of users, in a real environment, onto a virtual object, in a virtual reality application, using the live video feeds from a set of cameras, in real-time. Our setup can be used in a variety of environments ranging from outdoor or indoor scenes.
The need for such a technique becomes obvious under the definition of replacement reality: the ability to interact with highly credible digital models in a natural and intuitive manner, unencumbered by intrusive equipment, using your senses of touch and hearing, as well as vision, offering the user an enhanced and personalised immersive experience. Consider a virtual car showroom. Confronting a user with a virtual customization toolset for a car, providing a high-fidelity virtual representation, enhanced by a sense of immersion including both surrounding environment and the user within the same scene, is an invaluable marketing tool.