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 Adaptive Progressive Vertex Tracing for Interactive Reflections(Eurographics Association, 2001) Ullmann, Thomas; Schmidt, Alexander; Beier, Daniel; Bruderlin, BeatThis paper presents an approach for real-time rendering of physically accurate reflection effects in virtual environments. We apply a hybrid rendering of an OpenGL-generated scene, blended with correct reflection characteristics of selected scene objects. The core of the approach consists of a special type of ray tracing, the so-called vertex tracing. Real-time performance, even for complex CAD scenes, is achieved by progressive adaptive refinement, (derived from the geometry in object space) as well as by parallelization of the algorithm. A mesh-based load balancing yields a uniform distribution of the computing load in a heterogeneous network with resources with widely varying performance. The performance of the overall system is demonstrated using a truck interior in a Virtual Reality simulator.Item Animating cuts with on-the-fly re-meshing(Eurographics Association, 2001) Ganovelli, Fabio; O’Sullivan, C.The problem of defining a model for deformable objects which allows the user to perform cuts is still open. Generally speaking, the reason is that such a task affects the connectivity and the topology of the mesh, while the assumption that they never change is the basis of most algorithms for both computation of deformation and collision detection. The drawback of approaching this problem as one of cutting based on re-meshing, is that the mesh exhibits a higher density where it has been cut than elsewhere. This paper proposes an on-the-fly tetrahedral simplification scheme to cope with such a fragmentation problem.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 Answering to What is the criterion? questions using integral geometry tools(Eurographics Association, 2001) Jones, A.; Zhukov, S.; Krupkin, A.; Sbert, M.-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 Approximated View Reconstruction Using Precomputed ID-Bitfields(Eurographics Association, 2001) Meruvia Pastor, Oscar E.; Strothotte, ThomasA technique is presented to construct arbitrary views of a model by using previously computed views. The technique is simple to implement, completely general for polygonal models and can be used within object hierarchies or scene graphs. During a preprocessing step images of a model are taken from different viewpoints. These images are saved using long bitfields (ID-bitfields) which encode the visibility information according to an array of the model’s primitives used as the base for the bitfield. These ID-bitfield encodings, together with the primitive array, are then used by a viewer which selects and joins them to provide an approximated (not conservative) reconstruction of the visible elements of the object for a new viewpoint. The technique implicitly performs occlusion culling, since a minimal set of visible polygons is the result of the reconstruction. Results show how interaction can be improved when working with high depth complexity models. Satisfactory reconstructions are achieved by taking as few as 25 images around an object. This paper suggests how the technique can be extended to other applications such as virtual walkthroughs and visualization of non-realistic images, and how graphics libraries and hardware could be enhanced by allowing the application to pass an ID-bitfield. Key words: view reconstruction, interactive display, visibility preprocessing, occlusion culling, polygon reduction.Item Are Points the Better Graphics Primitives?(Eurographics Association, 2001) Gross, MarkusSince the early days of graphics the computer based representation of three-dimensional geometry has been one of the core research fields. Today, various sophisticated geometric modelling techniques including NURBS or implicit surfaces allow the creation of 3D graphics models with increasingly complex shape. In spite of these methods the triangle has survived over decades as the king of graphics primitives meeting the right balance between descriptive power and computational burden. As a consequence, today's consumer graphics hardware is heavily tailored for high performance triangle processing. In addition, a new generation of geometry processing methods including hierarchical representations, geometric filtering, or feature detection fosters the concept of triangle meshes for graphics modelling. Unlike triangles, points have amazingly been neglected as a graphics primitive. Although being included in APIs since many years, it is only recently that point samples experience a renaissance in computer graphics. Conceptually, points provide a mere discretization of geometry without explicit storage of topology. Thus, point samples reduce the representation to the essentials needed for rendering and enable us to generate highly optimized object representations. Although the loss of topology poses great challenges for graphics processing, the latest generation of algorithms features high performance rendering, point/pixel shading, anisotropic texture mapping, and advanced signal processing of point sampled geometry. This talk will give an overview of how recent research results in the processing of triangles and points are changing our traditional way of thinking of surface representations in computer graphics - and will discuss the question: Are Points the Better Graphics Primitives?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 Automatic Animated Face Modeling Using Multiview Video(Eurographics Association, 2001) Wu, Fu-Che; Murphy, Chien-Chang Ho; Ouhyoung, MingAn image-based 3-D modeling system is presented in this paper. Our modeling system consists of three main stages: camera calibration, depth estimation and 3-D geometry reconstruction. All of these steps are executed automatically. In the camera calibration stage, some patterns are used that help to determine the camera’s position in an environment. The camera’s intrinsic and external parameters are determined using epipolar geometry. After the camera parameters are determined, the camera’s location in each projected frame is determined. The depth for each pixel in a base image is estimated from the camera’s focus to the object’s surface by measuring the similarity between the base image and the neighboring images. The object’s 3-D geometry is reconstructed with texture from the base image using the depth information.Item Clifford Algebra, Clifford Analysis and Applications in Physics and Visualization(Eurographics Association, 2001) Scheuermann, Gerik; Hagen, Hans-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 Collision Handling for Virtual Environments(Eurographics Association, 2001) O’Sullivan, Carol; Dingliana, John; Ganovelli, Fabio; Bradshaw, GarethAn efficient and realistic collision handling mechanism is fundamental to any physically plausible Virtual Environment. In this tutorial, we will first examine the applications of collision handling, and introduce the open problems in this area. We will then provide a detailed introduction to the many different approaches, past and current, to the problems of collision detection and contact modelling. The construction and evaluation of the wide range of bounding volume hierarchies used for collision detection will be discussed, as will the particular problems associated with deformable object animation. The next issue to be addressed is the problem of collision response, and finally we will discuss perceptual issues relating to this topic.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 Constructive Hypervolume Textures(Eurographics Association, 2001) Schmitt, B.; Pasko, A.; Adzhiev, V.; Schlick, C.The concept of solid texturing is extended in two directions: constructive modeling of space partitions for texturing and modeling of multidimensional textured objects called hypervolumes. A hypervolume is considered as a point set with attributes of both physical (density, temperature, etc.) and photometric (color, transparency, diffuse and specular reflections, etc.) nature. The point set geometry and attributes are modeled independently using real-valued scalar functions of several variables. Each real-valued function defining geometry or an attribute is evaluated in the given point by a procedure traversing a constructive tree structure with primitives in the leaves and operations in the nodes of the tree. This approach provides a framework for modeling, texturing and visualization of 3D solids, time- dependent and multidimensional objects in a completely uniform manner. We introduced a special modeling language and implemented software tools supporting the proposed approach. The concept of constructive hypervolume textures is independent of the geometry representation. We provide examples of textured Frep and BRep objects as illustrations.Item CORBA Visualization Platform(Eurographics Association, 2001) Benoist, Thierry; Hewitt, W. T.; John, Nigel W.-Item Data driven motion transitions for interactive games(Eurographics Association, 2001) Mizuguchi, Mark; Buchanan, John; Calvert, TomIn 3D video games that employ human characters, a series of animations is required to display a character’s motion. The current approach is to use stored animation sequences, either motion captured or hand animated, and play them back as required. Unlike a sequence for film or video the motion needs to change according to the user’s interaction with the game. There are constant unpredictable transitions from one animation into another. This paper presents the design and analysis of a framework for supporting data driven transitions that have been pre-specified by animators. This approach frees the programmers from having to determine the details of each transition and gives control to the animators. This takes advantage of the animators’ skill at evaluating and tweaking the motion to produce better aesthetic results and lets the animators and programmers work in parallel.Item Data Mining and Visualization of High Dimensional Datasets(Eurographics Association, 2001) Inselberg, Alfred-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 Fractal approximation of surfaces based on projected IFS attractors(Eurographics Association, 2001) Guerin, Eric; Tosan, Eric; Baskurt, AtillaA method for approximating smooth or rough surfaces defined in R3 is introduced. A fractal model called projected IFS model allows the extension of the iteration space to a barycentric space Rn2 by enriching the classical IFS model with a set of control points (m2 points). This flexible model has good fitting properties for recovering surfaces. The input for the model is single viewpoint range data defined on a fixed grid and also 2D grey-level images considered as surfaces. The model recovery is formulated as a non-linear fitting problem and resolved using a modified LEVENBERG-MARQUARDT minimization method. During the iterative fitting algorithm, all the parameters of the projected IFS model are adjusted simultaneously in order to minimize the overall distance between the models surface and the original data. The final model is very compact and gives satisfactory results on synthetic range data and real geological surfaces. The main applications are surface modeling, shape description and geometric surface compression.