EG2001
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Item 3dml: A Language for 3D Interaction Techniques(Eurographics Association, 2001) Figueroa, Pablo; Green, Mark; Hoover, H. JamesWe present 3dml, a markup language for 3D interaction techniques and virtual environment applications that involve non-traditional devices. 3dml has two main purposes: readability and rapid development. Designers can read 3dml-based representations of 3D interaction techniques, compare them, and understand them. 3dml can also be used as a front end for any VR toolkit, so designerswithout programming skills can create VR applications as 3dml documents that plug together interaction techniques, VR objects, and devices. This paper focuses on the language features and presentation scheme designed in our website (http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~pfiguero/3dml).Item A Simple Validity Condition for B-Spline Hyperpatches(Eurographics Association, 2001) Conde Rodriguez, Francisco de Asis; Torres Cantero, Juan CarlosThe use of hyperpatches as a method for solid modelling has a problem: the validity of the model is not guaranteed. The problem of ensuring the validity of hyperpatch representations of solids is discussed in this work, and a validity condition for cubic uniform b-spline hyperpatches is presented. Our validity condition is based on comparisons among points, and it is robust and easy to implement.Item Free-Form Deformation of Solid Models in CSR(Eurographics Association, 2001) Hui, K. C.; Lai, C.F.Existing free-form deformation (FFD) techniques deform an object by deforming the space enclosing the object. Points on the object are thus deformed relative to the undeformed space (or world space). The deformed object is visualized by sampling points on the object surfaces, or by approximating the object with a polyhedral model. This provides good visual effect for the deformed objects. However, the deformed solid is represented in terms of the lattice of the FFD and the undeformed solid. There is no precise explicit representation of the deformed object so that existing solid modeling techniques, such as Boolean operations, on the deformed object may not be applied. This paper is concerned with the techniques of applying free-form deformation on solid models represented by the Constructive Shell Representation (CSR). By applying free-form deformation on the surface points of the trunctets of a CSR object so that the vertices and the quadric patch polynomial of the trunctets are changed, the shape of the object can be modified. This technique can be used to deform globally smooth solid models or general solid models with sharp edges. The deformation can be applied either globally or locally. Techniques for the deformation are discussed in detail. Experiments are conducted and the results are also presented.Item Complexity Reduction of Catmull-Clark/Loop Subdivision Surfaces(Eurographics Association, 2001) Steenberg, EskilBy applying a filter this algorithm can reduce the number of polygons generated by subdividing a mesh dynamically. This algorithm is designed especially for real-time engines where the geometrical complexity is critical. It also avoids edge cracks and is generally more efficient than a general-purpose polygon reduction algorithm.Item Artist Driven Expressive Graphics(Eurographics Association, 2001) Mason, Kaye; Carpendale, SheelaghCurrent methods in non-photorealistic graphics can place a heavy emphasis on the algorithm, as opposed to the artist. In this paper, we analyse these trends, and present a conceptual framework for putting control back in the hands of the artist. Combining ideas from non-photorealistic graphics and artificial intelligence, we present new methods of supporting alternative artistic styles. Details of our implementation of this model are described, as well as methods for interaction. Finally, we create a simulation under this framework, and show preliminary results.Item Metaprogramming for the Generation of Nonparametric Curves(Eurographics Association, 2001) Boyer, VincentOne of the most important functions of paintboxes is drawing curves. These primitives have been programmed and the user can never add a new program which computes the discrete points of a given function. Using metaprogramming and the Jordan’s method, our program CAPC automatically generates, for a given function, a new program which computes the discrete points for this function and adds it to our paintbox tool.Item Local Versus Global Triangulations(Eurographics Association, 2001) Linsen, Lars; Prautzsch, HartmutFree form surfaces are commonly represented by triangular or quadrilateral meshes. Often these meshes are obtained from unorganized point sets sampled from some object’s surface. We show that local rather than global triangulations of point sets are equally well suited for object representations and that the local triangulations proposed in this paper may even lead to fast triangulation routines.Item Mesh Morphing(Eurographics Association, 2001) Alexa, MarcMeshes have become a widespread and popular representation of models in computer graphics. Morphing techniques aim at transforming a given source shape into a target shape. Morphing techniques have various applications ranging from special effects in television and movies to medical imaging and scientific visualization. Not surprisingly, morphing techniques for meshes have received a lot of interest lately. This state of the art report sums up recent developments in the area of mesh morphing. It presents a consistent framework to classify and compare various techniques approaching the same underlying problems from different angles.Item Approximated Phong Shading by using the Euler Method(Eurographics Association, 2001) Hast, Anders; Barrera, Tony; Bengtsson, EwertAfter almost three decades and several improvements, Gouraud shading is still more often used for interactive computer graphics than Phong shading. One of the main reasons for this is of course that Phong shading is computationally more expensive. Quadratic polynomial approximation techniques like Bishop’s method could reduce the amount of computation in the inner loop to just the double of what is done in Gouraud shading. By using Euler’s method we get another quadratic polynomial approximation technique which is just as fast in the inner loop, but it will also give correct intensities on the edges, which we will not get with Bishop’s method. By computing the maximum difference over a scan line between Gouraud shading and the proposed method, we could decide if Gouraud will suffice. It is also shown that linearly interpolated normals are normalized by a symmetric function. This means that we could reduce the amount of square roots by the half in Phong shading.Item Parametric Motion Blending through Wavelet Analysis(Eurographics Association, 2001) Ahmed, Amr; Mokhtarian, Farzin; Hilton, AdrianThis paper shows how multiresolution blending can be employed with time-warping for realistic parametric motion generation from pre-stored motion data. The goal is to allow the animator to define the desired motion using its natural parameters such as speed. Generation of a realistic motion is achieved using pre-stored captured animations. Analysis has been carried out to investigate the relationship between the walking speed and blending factor to remove the burden of trial and errors from the animator. As a result, realistic walking motion with the speed specified by the user can be generated. This desired speed should be between the minimum and maximum speeds of the available motion data. Analysis to generalise these results to other motions are in progress. Generating the desired motion for different scaled avatars is also discussed.Item Proxy Simulations for Efficient Dynamics(Eurographics Association, 2001) Chenney, Stephen; Arikan, Okan; Forsyth, D. A.Proxy simulations reduce the cost of simulation in large virtual worlds, such as those used in training simulations or computer games. A proxy takes the place of an accurate simulation for objects that are out of view, while the accurate model continues to manage visible objects. A proxy must ensure that objects enter the view at reasonable times throughout the simulation and in states that reffect their time spent out of view. The quality of a proxy simulation is measured by how well it maintains reasonable behaviors, where the deffinition of reasonable depends on the environment and its application. We present two examples of proxy simulations based on discrete event models: one for city traffic simulation and another for multi-agent path planning and motion. For these examples, we demonstrate dynamics computation speedups of over two orders of magnitude as the environments grow in size and complexity.Item Web 2D Graphics: State-of-the-Art(Eurographics Association, 2001) Duce, David; Herman, Ivan; Hopgood, BobThe early browsers for the Web were predominantly aimed at retrieval of textual information. Tim Berners-Lee's original browser for the NeXT computer did allow images to be viewed but they popped up in a separate window and were not an integral part of the Web page. In January 1993, the Mosaic browser was released by NCSA. The browser was simple to download and, by the Autumn of 1993, was available for X workstations, PCs and the Mac. From 50 Web servers at the start of 1993, Web traffic had risen to 1% of internet traffic by October and 2.5% by the end of the year. About a million downloads of the Mosaic browser took place that year. In February of 1993, Mark Andreessen proposed the element as an extension to Mosaic's HTML to provide a way of adding images to Web pages. In 1994, Dave Raggett developed an X-browser that allowed text to flow around images and tables and from then on images were an accepted part of the Web page. Web pages became glossier and the enormous growth of the Web started [1] [2]. Organisations could customise their home pages with the company logo. Maps, albeit images, could be added to show how to reach the organisation. Its products could be displayed on the Web. Eventually, the Web would become a major commercial outlet.Item A Visualization System for the Clinical Evaluation of Cerebral Aneurysms from MRA Data(Eurographics Association, 2001) Perrin, James S.; Lacey, A.; Laitt, R.; Jackson, A.; John, Nigel W.This paper details a work-in-progress application under development as part of a clinical visualization project. The software has been designed to meet the specific needs of interventional neuro-radiologists evaluating the suitability of intracranial aneurysms for endovascular coiling and also when planning the procedure. Providing rapid (real-time) interaction with high resolution iso-surfaces derived from Time-of Flight (ToF) Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) data will enable the clinician to quickly assess the ability of the aneurysm to accept a coil, with greater reliability than exisiting, 2D film techniques. Simulating the interface of the C-arm angiography system, used during the procedure, allows the clinician to evaluate various surgical strategies, potentially reducing procedure times and therefore patient radiation dosage. The first release of the software is currently under-going clinical evaluation.Item Collision Detection for Continuously Deforming Bodies(Eurographics Association, 2001) Larsson, Thomas; Akenine-Möller, TomasFast and accurate collision detection between geometric bodies is essential in application areas like virtual reality, animation, simulation, games and robotics. In this work, we address the collision detection problem in applications where deformable bodies are used, which change their overall shape every time step of the simulation. We propose and evaluate suitable bounding volume trees for deforming bodies that can be pre-built and then updated very efficiently during simulation. Several heuristics for updating the trees due to deformations are compared to each other. By combining a top-down and a bottom-up update strategy into a hybrid tree update method, promising results were achieved. Experiments show that our approach is four to five times faster than a previously leading method.Item Item A Microfacet Based Coupled Specular-Matte BRDF Model with Importance Sampling(Eurographics Association, 2001) Kelemen, Csaba; Szirmay-Kalos, LaszloThis paper presents a BRDF model based on the analysis of the photon collisions with the microfacets of the surface. The new model is not only physically plausible, i.e. symmetric and energy conserving, but provides other important features of real materials, including the off-specular peak and the mirroring limit case. Using theoretical considerations the reflected light is broken down to a specular component representing single reflections and a matte component accounting for multiple reflections and re-emissions of previously absorbed photons. Unlike most of the previous models, the proportion of the matte and specular components is not constant but varies with the viewing angle. In order to keep the resulting formulae simple, several approximations are made, which are quite accurate but allow for tabulation, fast calculation and even for accurate importance sampling.Item Volumetric Model Repair for Virtual Reality Applications(Eurographics Association, 2001) Kolb, Andreas; John, LarsRepairing Virtual Reality (VR) models is a challenge for productive applications. This paper describes a fast implementation of Nooruddin and Turk’s ray-stabbing method 14 based on standard graphics hardware. Raystabbing is used to convert a polygonal model into a volume model (also called voxelization). The volume model is back-converted into a polygonal model using the marching cubes (MC) algorithm 12 and the QSlim algorithm 7 for reducing the extracted polygon model. The overall process yields a properly closed polygonal model with no visual unimportant features like nested or overlapping geometries or unwanted cracks. The voxelization process is the key part of the reparation process. We discuss implementation details and essential problems of ray-stabbing not addressed by Nooruddin and Turk 14.We focus on the generation of the volume model utilizing OpenGL hardware support. The current implementation is a snapshot of an ongoing work at EADS Airbus, Europes leading commercial aircraft company. The final goal is a fast model repair and reduction workflow for generating VR-models and various levels of detail. Problems erase from the fact, that the polygonalization of the volume model using the MC-algorithm generates a far too fine tessellated model which then has to be reduced again. We also discuss possible approaches to overcome this drawback.Item Deformable Terrain Generation for Real-time Strategy Game(Eurographics Association, 2001) Davison, Christopher; Tang, WenIn this paper, we present a system that has the ability to deform terrain for Real-time Strategy Game with general PC hardware specifications. Various effects could be simulated in real-time such as raising and lowering the ground, creating a large chasm, or levelling the terrain. Effects such as ordering a unit to fire that then destroys part of a mountain could also be replicated. We present our implementations and techniques in using terrain deformation algorithms, Real-time Optimally Adapting Meshes, texture design and terrain generations. An analysis of the speed and memory usage of the system with respect to different PC hardware systems is also presented.Item Animation of Facial Expressions by Physical Modeling(Eurographics Association, 2001) Zhang, Yu; Prakash, Edmond C.; Sung, EricIn this paper, we propose a physically-based 3D dynamic facial model based on anatomical knowledge for realistic facial expression animation. The facial model incorporates a physically-based approximation to facial skin tissue and a set of anatomically-motivated facial muscle actuators. The tissue model has multilayered mass-spring structure which approximates different types of facial tissue. Two kinds of biphasic springs, structural springs and shear springs, are included in our model to simulate nonlinear elastic behavior of the skin. Facial muscle models are presented to emulate facial muscle contraction. In the muscle model, two factors, the muscle force scaling factor and muscle strength factor provide us macro and micro control of the muscle influence respectively. Based on the facial anatomy, these contractile muscles are inserted at anatomically correct position within the dynamic skin model. Lagrangian mechanics governs the dynamics, dictating the deformation of facial surface in response to muscle forces. The dynamic facial animation algorithm runs at interactive rate with continuous 3D display on a graphics workstation.Item Rendering and Visualization in Parallel Environments(Eurographics Association, 2001) Bartz, Dirk; Silva, ClaudioThe continuing commoditization of the computer market has precipitated a qualitative change. Increasingly powerful processors, large memories, big harddisk, high-speed networks, and fast 3D rendering hardware are now affordable without a large capital outlay. Clusters of workstations and SMP-servers are utilizing these technologies to drive interactive applications like large graphical display walls (i.e., Powerwall or CAVE systems). In this tutorial, attendees will learn how to understand and leverage (technical and personal) workstation- and serverbased systems as components for parallel rendering. The goal of the tutorial is twofold: Attendees will thoroughly understand the important characteristics workstations architectures. We will present an overview of different workstation (Intel-based and others) and server architectures (including graphics hardware), addressing both single-processors as well as SMP architectures. We will also introduce important methods of programming in parallel environment with special attention how such techniques apply to developing cluster-based parallel renderers. Attendees will learn about different approaches to implement parallel renderers. The tutorial will cover parallel polygon and volume rendering. We will explain the underlying concepts of workload characterization, workload partitioning, and static, dynamic, and adaptive load balancing. We will then apply these concepts to characterize various parallelization strategies reported in the literature for polygon and volume rendering. We abstract from the actual implementation of these strategies and instead focus on a comparison of their benefits and drawbacks. Case studies will provide additional material to explain the use of these techniques. The tutorial will be structured into three main sections: We will first discuss the fundamentals of parallel programming and parallel machine architectures. Topics include message passing vs. shared memory, thread programming, a review of different SMP architectures, clustering techniques, PC architectures for personal workstations, and graphics hardware architectures. The second section builds on this foundation to describe key concepts and particular algorithms for parallel polygon and volume rendering. These concepts are supplemented with concrete parallel rendering implementations