VVG03
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Item Enhanced Texture Editing using Self Similarity(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Brooks, S.; Cardle, M.; Dodgson, N.A.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisTexture mapping is an indispensable tool for achieving realism in computer graphics. Significant progress has been made in recent years with regards to the synthesis and editing of 2D texture images. However, the exploration of user control for semi-automatic texture editing remains an open area of research. We present methods that partially address the semantic and technical limitations of Self-Similarity Based Editing. This is achieved by providing the user with more control over the similarity metric during editing and over spatial rearrangement during cloning.Item Parameter Acquisition of Geometric Primitives within Virtual Environments for Internet-Based Telerobotics(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Tan, J.; Clapworthy, G.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisWith the aim of improving the efficiency of on-line modelling of virtual environments (VEs) in Internet-based telerobotics (IBT), this paper addresses the modelling of geometric primitives using only a single view of them. By studying the properties and constraints of the primitives under perspective projection, we propose a modelling framework that uses virtual features as matching templates for the parameter acquisition of 3D objects, the analytical descriptions of which are hard to find.Item Semi-Automated Logging for Professional Media Applications(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Mateer, J.W.; Robinson, J.A.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisWe report a novel method for logging and annotating video footage specifically for professional post-production and archivist end users. SALSA - Semi-Automated Logging with Semantic Annotation - is a hybrid system that utilises automated footage analysis for cut detection and camera movement classification, in conjunction with a stenographic-like keyboard input system to enable the logging of higher-level semantic information. Output is presented in both standard printed log form, with the addition of mosaic visual representations of shots, and in a fully searchable database. Results from preliminary experiments are reported.Item On the Editing of Images: Selecting, Cutting and Filling-in(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Labrosse, F.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThis paper is two-fold. On the one hand, we present a system using qualitative spatial reasoning to help a user choose parts of an image that form interesting objects. The system then allows the user to cut these parts as if unwanted in the original image. On the other hand, we propose a modi cation of existing texture synthesis methods to create texture in the holes left by the cutting of previously selected areas of the image. This texture synthesis is constrained so that it creates boundaries between regions that are similar to existing ones and lls-in the created regions, yet producing random enough textures so that the new image looks realistic. The context of this work is post-production special e ects in cinema or image manipulation where one often wants to remove parts of an image, e.g. when they correspond to props needed for the lming or objects inadvertently included in the shot.Item Investigating Occlusion and Discretization Problems in Image-Based Blurring Techniques(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Barsky, Brian; Peter Hall and Philip WillisTraditional computer graphics methods render images that appear sharp at all depths. Adding blur can add realism to a scene, provide a sense of scale, and draw a viewer's attention to a particular region of a scene. Our image based blur algorithm needs to distinguish whether a portion of an image is either from a single object or is part of more than one object. This motivates two approaches to identify objects after an image has been rendered. We illustrate how these techniques can be used in conjunction with our image space method to add blur to a scene.Item A Flexible and Versatile Studio for Synchronized Multi-View Video Recording(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Theobalt, C.; Li, M.; Magnor, M.A.; Seidel, H.-P.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisIn recent years, the convergence of computer vision and computer graphics has put forth new research areas that work on scene reconstruction from and analysis of multi-view video footage. In free-viewpoint video, for example, new views of a scene are generated from an arbitrary viewpoint in real-time using a set of multi-view video streams as inputs. The analysis of real-world scenes from multi-view video to extract motion information or reflection models is another field of research that greatly benefits from high-quality input data. Building a recording setup for multi-view video involves a great effort on the hardware as well as the software side. The amount of image data to be processed is huge, a decent lighting and camera setup is essential for a naturalistic scene appearance and robust background subtraction, and the computing infrastructure has to enable real-time processing of the recorded material. This paper describes our recording setup for multi-view video acquisition that enables the synchronized recording of dynamic scenes from multiple camera positions under controlled conditions. The requirements to the room and their implementation in the separate components of the studio are described in detail. The efficiency and flexibility of the room is demonstrated on the basis of the results that we obtain with a real-time 3D scene reconstruction system, a system for non-intrusive optical motion capture and a model-based free-viewpoint video system for human actors.Item Real-Time Per-pixel Rendering of Bump-mapped Textures Captured using Photometric Stereo(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Robb, M.; Spence, A.D.; Chantler, M.J.; Timmins, M.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisWe present recent results from an EPSRC funded project VirTex (Virtual Textile Catalogues). The goal of this project is to develop graphics and image-processing software for the capture, storage, search, retrieval and visualisation of 3D textile samples. The ultimate objective is to develop a web-based application that allows the user to search a database for suitable textiles and to visualise selected samples using real-time photorealistic 3D animation. The innovation in this work is the combined use of photometric stereo and real-time per-pixel rendering for the capture and visualisation of textile samples. Photometric stereo is a simple method that allows both the bump map and the albedo map of a surface texture to be captured digitally. When imported into a standard graphics program these images can be used to provide 3D models with a photorealistic appearance. We have developed software that takes advantage of the advanced rendering features of consumer graphics accelerators to produce bump mapped models in real-time. The viewer can manipulate both viewpoint and lighting to gain a deeper perception of the properties of the textile sample.Item Studying the Fidelity Requirements for a Virtual Ballet Dancer(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Neagle, R.J.; Ng, K.; Ruddle, R.A.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisTeaching dance, especially ballet, usually involves the phrase: 'watch, copy and learn' and improvement is made by emulation. This involves not only how to achieve the steps but also the quality of the movement. In this paper, we present research into the fidelity that is required for a virtual ballet dancer driven by dance notation and its affect on the users ability to distinguish between expressive movement. The overall aim is to create a visualisation system that professionals could use to understand not only the choreography, but the expressive movement when resurrecting ballet scores and would be of benefit to teaching dance at all levels. Using Laban's effort theory to characterise the motion, this paper highlights the importance of the time factor to differentiate emotions. Two experiments are discussed that were designed to identify the accuracy of distinguishing emotions in ballet at lower levels of fidelity. The first experiment analyses the affect of the visual appearance on a 2D display and the second experiment looks into aspect of realism in the movement between keyframes defined by a dance notation. This paper explores understanding the quality of movement required for a virtual dancer, specifically, the expressivity encapsulated in the motion between key poses.Item Prometheus: Facial Modelling, Tracking and Puppetry(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Thorne, J.M.; Chatting, D.J.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThe Prometheus project sought to create a real-time production chain for 3D content. This paper summarises the techniques that were developed for facial modelling, tracking and puppetry. The process used for creating photo-realistic models from images of the face is discussed along with the creation of a real-time markerless facial feature tracker, highlighting the methods for extracting pose, detecting the shape of the mouth and interpreting the occurrence of skin wrinkling. The conversion of tracking data to useable animation is also addressed.Item Models from Image Triplets using Epipolar Gradient Features(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Vincent, É.; Laganière, R.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisIn an application where sparse matching of feature points is used towards fast scene reconstruction, the choice of the type of features to be matched has an important impact on the quality of the resulting model. In this work, a method is presented for quickly and reliably selecting and matching points from three views of a scene. The selected points are based on epipolar gradients, and consist in stable image features relevant to reconstruction. Then, the selected points are matched using edge transfer, a measure of geometric consistency for point triplets and the edges on which they lie. This matching scheme is invariant to image deformations due to changes in viewpoint. Models drawn from matches obtained by the proposed technique are shown to demonstrate its usefulness.Item Towards A 3D Virtual Studio for Human Appearance Capture(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Starck, J.; Hilton, A.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThis paper introduces the concept of a ''3D Virtual Studio'' for human appearance capture, akin to the motion capture studio for human motion tracking. Ultimately the 3D Virtual Studio should enable video-realistic reconstruction of a moving person from any viewpoint. A mesh-based stereo technique is presented to reconstruct a moving person from multiple camera views. This technique optimises a surface mesh to match stereo and silhouette data in a constrained coarse-to-fine framework, recovering sub-pixel image correspondence in the presence of inexact camera calibration. We compare this approach for scene reconstruction to conventional shape from silhouette and multiple view stereo. We then demonstrate view-dependent rendering and show improved resolution with the recovered image correspondence. We then demonstrate how this approach can be used to capture the dynamic shape and appearance of a computer graphics model of a person.Item Cartoon-Style Rendering of Motion from Video(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Collomosse, J.P.; Hall, P.M.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThe contribution of this paper is a novel non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) system capable of rendering motion within a video sequence in artistic styles. A variety of cartoon-style motion cues may be inserted into a video sequence, including augmentation cues (such as streak lines, ghosting, or blurring) and deformation cues (such as squash and stretch or drag effects). Users may select from the gamut of available styles by setting parameters which in uence the placement and appearance of motion cues. Our system draws upon techniques from both the vision and the graphics communities to analyse and render motion and is entirely automatic, aside from minimal user interaction to bootstrap a feature tracker. We demonstrate successful application of our system to a variety of subjects with complexities ranging from simple oscillatory to articulated motion, under both static and moving camera conditions with occlusion present. We conclude with a critical appraisal of the system and discuss directions for future work.Item Iterative Multi-Planar Camera Calibration: Improving Stability using Model Selection(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Vigueras, J.F.; Berger, M.-O.; Simon, G.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisTracking, or camera pose determination, is the main technical challenge in numerous applications in computer vision and especially in Augmented Reality. However, pose computation processes commonly exhibit some fluctuations and lack of precision in the estimation of the parameters. This leads to unpleasant visual impressions when augmented scenes are considered. In this paper, we propose an efficient and reliable method for real time camera tracking which avoid unpleasant statistical fluctuations. This method is based on the knowledge of a piecewise planar structure in the scene and makes use of model selection to reduce fluctuations. Videos are attached to this paper which prove the effectiveness of our approach.Item Collaborative Vision and Interactive Mosaicing(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Robinson, J.A.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisI propose criteria for collaborative vision applications where a camera user/operator and a computer work together to analyse a scene. An example of how these may be fulfilled is provided in IMP - an interactive mosaicing program.IMP generates mosaics in real-time, interacting with the user to cue camera movement and relay performance in-formation.Item A Vision-Based Location System using Fiducials(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Johnston, D.J.; Clark, A.F.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisA system for vision-based ego location using 'targets' or 'fiducials' is described. The system is robust and operates on commodity hardware in real time. The accuracy of the system is assessed and found to be good enough to support some augmented reality applications. Two example applications are described: the control of an avatar in a shared virtual environment and a video 'joystick' for manipulating 3D models.Item Extending Natural Textures with Multi-Scale Synthesis(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Stahlhut, O.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThis paper presents a texture synthesis algorithm that was designed for the tile-less generation of large images of arbitrary size from small sample images. The synthesised texture shows features that are visually similar to the sample over a wide frequency range. The development of the algorithm aimed at achieving high quality results for a large range of natural textures, incorporation of the original samples in the synthesis product, ease of use and good texturing speed even with input sample data two magnitudes larger than used by previous techniques. Like other algorithms we utilise an implicit texture model by copying arbitrary shaped texture patches from the sample to the destination over a multi-scale image pyramid. Our method combines the advantages of different previous techniques with respect to quality. A mixture of exhaustive searching, massive parallel computing and the well-known LBG-algorithm ensures a good balance between texturing quality and speed.Item User Interfaces for Mobile Augmented Reality Systems(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Feiner, Steve; Peter Hall and Philip WillisWhat should user interfaces look like when they become an integral part of how we experience the world around us? This talk provides an overview of work that explores user interface design issues for mobile augmented reality systems, which use tracked see-through and hear-through displays to overlay virtual graphics and sound on the real world.Item Visualising Video Sequences using Direct Volume Rendering(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Daniel, G.; Chen, M.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisIt is evident that more and more video data is being generated everyday, for example, by TV broadcast companies and security cameras. However, whilst we are overwhelmed by the huge amount of imagery data, machine vision is generally not yet ready to replace us in most of the everyday visual tasks. In this paper we present a novel approach to the handling of video data. We propose to employ volume visualisation techniques for ''summarising'' video sequences, and to render video volumes into appropriate visual representations. Such visualisations can be used to assist in a decision making process, for instance, to determine if there is any unusual level of activity recorded in a video. In the paper, we present a prototype system, called V3, for capturing, managing, processing and visualising video data sets. We highlight the conceptual similarity between video visualisation and the traditional volume visualisation, and describe the deployment of conventional transfer functions and spatial transfer functions in video visualisation. We examine several statistical image comparison metrics and discuss their effectiveness in extracting meaningful information from video sequences. This work demonstrates the importance and the potential of combining graphics, video and vision technologies.Item Lambertian Correction for Rough and Specular Surfaces(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Robles-Kelly, A.; Hancock, E.R.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisThis paper describes a method for performing Lambertian reflectance for rough and specular surfaces. Rather than using an existing reflectance model, we present a method for estimating the reflectance function from image data. The method makes use of the Gauss map between a surface and a unit sphere. Under conditions in which the light source direction and the viewer direction are identical, we show how the reflectance function can be represented by a polar function on the unit sphere. We pose the problem of recovering the reflectance function as that of estimating a tabular representation of the polar function. A simple analysis shows how the tabular representation of the reflectance function can be obtained using the accumulative distribution of image gradients. By modifying the reflectance function and back-projecting, we can render the surface with alternative lighting models. Here, we choose to back-project a Lambertian reflectance model. This allows us to be remove specularities from shiny surfaces and compensate from boundary ''flattening'' for rough surfaces. We illustrate the utility of the method on a variety of real world imagery.Item A Region Adjacency Tree Approach to the Detection and Design of Fiducials(The Eurographics Association, 2003) Costanza, E.; Robinson, J.; Peter Hall and Philip WillisWe report a topological approach to fiducial recognition for real-time applications. Independence from geometry makes the system tolerant to severe distortion, and allows encoding of extra information. The method is based on region adjacency trees. After describing the mathematical foundations, we present a set of simulations to evaluate the algorithm and optimise the fiducial design.