3D containers overview

A container is an Aurora Imaging Library object that can contain buffers, called its components. A 3D container is a container that holds information for a single 3D scene, whereby each component stores a different piece of information of that 3D scene. For example, a 3D-processable point cloud or depth map container contains a range component (which stores coordinate information of the points), a confidence component (which stores the validity of each point and is optional for a depth map container), and might also contain an intensity component (which stores the intensity or color of each point). Containers should be used as a destination when grabbing from 3D sensors or importing 3D data, and containers with the appropriate components can be displayed and processed using Aurora Imaging Library 3D functions.

[Image: buf_point_cloud_container.png]

[Image: buf_depth_map_container.png]

You can allocate a container usingMbufAllocContainer. Typically, you will not need to manually allocate or free components for a container; they will be allocated and freed automatically when the container is used as a destination for a grabbing or 3D processing function. If necessary, you can allocate a component using MbufAllocComponent, copy a buffer to an existing or new (automatically allocated) component using MbufCopyComponent, or create a component mapped onto previously allocated memory usingMbufCreateComponent.

When allocating a container, you must specify the Aurora Imaging Library system on which to allocate it and the attributes it should have (such as M_GRAB). All image buffer components of the container will be allocated with the same attributes.

When a container is no longer required, you should release it using MbufFree.

If a container has components that prevent it from being used as a source for a 3D processing function (for example, because a 3D sensor transmitted multiple range and confidence components during a grab into the container), you can create a child container with only the required components using MbufChildContainer. The components in a child container are in the same memory as those in its parent container, so any changes made to those components will appear in both containers.

Note: You cannot directly allocate or free components of a child container. A child container therefore cannot be passed as a destination for a grab, copy, or processing function; it can, however, be passed as a source to relevant functions.