[ptx] autopano #2, using SIFT

[alexandre jenny]

> > While one small piece of the algorithm is still lacking, most other 
> > things including the BBF search of the paper is 
> implemented. The next 
> > step is the Hough transform matching and a way to digest and output 
> > hugin stitcher files. I hope to work together with 
> Alexandre on this 
> > parts :-)

Let's go. I'm free Monday to start to study this with you.
 
> On the practical side: so far we have many different 
> languages, and no nice codebase. Is .NET really so much 
> better than C++? Is is it hard to port your code to C/C++? 
> People complain about the wxWindows dependency of hugin, so I 
> don't want to add yet another big dependency if its not 
> really needed. Actually all the project/reading writing is 
> already implemented in C++, as is an interface for the 
> remapping functions and other stuff, so I would prefer if we 
> could use the same codebase.

My opinion is that .NET is really cool for gui and interfacing beetween
Languages or anything like that. But for calculation, we should definitely
Keep C/C++. So this hugin project generator will be in this language.
Of course, using the same codebase is the good option.

> Something I'd like to see in any case is a clone of the 
> "keypoints" program, available on Dr. Lowe's site :)

Keypoints just gives keypoints : it does not the matching. And I thing this
part is
Much more interesting than the features. I suspect that the whole algorithm
from
N-space neightboor finding sheme to hough transform is free. So if any issue
arise
from the using of sift feature, we could easy switch to a haris coner
feature or
Anyelse with keeping the matching sheme and matrices calculus.

> > I plan to release it under the GPL soon, but want to 
> discuss this with 
> > Mr. Lowe first, as you all know the SIFT algorithm is patented.
> 
> Could you ask for a reference to the patent? I still haven't 
> seen it...

For patent issues, it's not Dr.Lowe you should ask but another guy which is
responsible for the university of industrial relation.

Bye
   Alexandre