概要

This invention provides an apparatus and the like, which render an object from a predetermined view direction by a method using microfacet billboarding using 2D images obtained by photographing an object to be rendered from a plurality of photographing directions, and a depth image of the object to be rendered. This method obtains the geometrical shape of the object to be rendered on the basis of the depth image and the like, and approximates the geometrical shape using a set of microfacets whose directions change depending on the view direction. By mapping 2D images selected based on the view direction and photographing directions onto the respective microfacets as texture images, an arbitrary shaped object and landscape can be efficiently rendered.