Texture Mapping :: Displaying and Exploring Images (Image Processing Toolbox User's Guide)

Image Processing Toolbox User's Guide

Texture Mapping

When you use imshow or imtool to view an image, MATLAB displays the image in two dimensions. However, it is also possible to map an image onto a parametric surface, such as a sphere, or below a surface plot. The warp function creates these displays by texture mapping the image. Texture mapping is a process that maps an image onto a surface grid using interpolation.

This example texture-maps an image of a test pattern onto a cylinder.

[x,y,z] = cylinder;
I = imread('testpat1.png');
warp(x,y,z,I);

An Image Texture-Mapped onto a Cylinder

The image might not map onto the surface in the way that you expect. One way to modify the way the texture map appears is to change the settings of the Xdir, Ydir, and Zdir properties. For more information, see Changing Axis Direction in the MATLAB Graphics documentation.

For more information about texture mapping, see the reference entry for the warp function.

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