Showing papers in "IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications in 2008"
TL;DR: The method consists of two modules: a camera-alignment module and a movement detector, which removes the ghosting effects in the HDRI created by moving objects.
Abstract: Automatic high-dynamic range image generation from low- dynamic range images offers a solution to conventional methods, which require a static scene. The method consists of two modules: a camera-alignment module and a movement detector, which removes the ghosting effects in the HDRI created by moving objects.
252 citations
TL;DR: The authors review procedural modeling, examine the CityEngine tool, and study the use of procedural urban modeling in Electronic Arts' Need for Speed games.
Abstract: Film and game studios can no longer meet audience demand for visual content by increasing production budgets. Instead they are turning to procedural modeling, particularly for modeling cities. The authors review procedural modeling, examine the CityEngine tool, and study the use of procedural urban modeling in Electronic Arts' Need for Speed games.
146 citations
TL;DR: The founders and organizers of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces reflect on the state of the art in several key aspects of 3D UIs and speculate on future research.
Abstract: Three-dimensional user interfaces (3D UIs) let users interact with virtual objects, environments, or information using direct 3D input in the physical and/or virtual space. In this article, the founders and organizers of the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces reflect on the state of the art in several key aspects of 3D UIs and speculate on future research.
141 citations
TL;DR: Visual artists and roboticists face these questions as they seek to alternately frighten and endear near-human characters in realistic replicas.
Abstract: What makes some near-human characters scary while others are merely laughable? More important, why do some human and humanlike characters fail to arouse our sympathy? Visual artists and roboticists face these questions as they seek to alternately frighten and endear. Recent attempts to create accurate human replicas have brought these questions to the fore with increased urgency.
137 citations
TL;DR: A set of ratios based on information theory and Kolmogorov complexity that can help to quantify the aesthetic experience are defined.
Abstract: The Birkhoff aesthetic measure of an object is the ratio between order and complexity. Informational aesthetics describes the interpretation of this measure from an information-theoretic perspective. From these ideas, the authors define a set of ratios based on information theory and Kolmogorov complexity that can help to quantify the aesthetic experience.
132 citations
TL;DR: A system that processes a cell-phone camera image and matches detected landmarks from the image to a building and dynamically overlays information directly on the cell phone image is developed.
Abstract: Location technologies provide a way to associate information to a user's location. The authors developed a system that processes a cell-phone camera image and matches detected landmarks from the image to a building. The system calculates camera location and dynamically overlays information directly on the cell phone image.
127 citations
TL;DR: The authors' interactive olfactory display is used to develop a cooking game in collaboration with electronic engineers and artists and to confirm the assumption that users' interactions with the system increases presence.
Abstract: It's long been possible to give users outside an actual environment that environment's visual and auditory information and thus contribute to establishing presence. However, we've yet to establish much presence when users require olfactory information - such as in environments focused on foods, flowers, perfumes, or, in some cases, more offensive smells. Recently, several VR researchers have become interested in olfaction and olfactory displays that present smells in virtual environments (VEs). In this article, we describe our interactive olfactory display. One of our development goals is to confirm the assumption that users' interactions with the system increases presence. Thus, we used our interactive olfactory display to develop a cooking game in collaboration with electronic engineers and artists.
118 citations
TL;DR: This survey of mobile graphics research describes current solutions in terms of specialized hardware, rendering and transmission, visualization, and user interfaces.
Abstract: High-quality computer graphics let mobile-device users access more compelling content. Still, the devices' limitations and requirements differ substantially from those of a PC. This survey of mobile graphics research describes current solutions in terms of specialized hardware (including 3D displays), rendering and transmission, visualization, and user interfaces.
115 citations
TL;DR: Two major trends are identified: small, user-modifiable AR games and larger-scale, event-based AR games that are interwoven with their physical environment.
Abstract: Mobile augmented reality games offer a new and rich game experience allowing players to move and interact in their physical environment with 3D content. The authors review existing approaches to mobile AR games and identify two major trends: small, user-modifiable AR games and larger-scale, event-based AR games that are interwoven with their physical environment.
101 citations
TL;DR: These issues present a great opportunity for 3D UI and VR researchers to determine how to best leverage existing research into games and to develop new interaction methodologies and strategies geared toward console and PC games and their constraints.
Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) and 3D user interface (3D UI) research has been going on for more than 20 years, with limited success in being a part of people's everyday lives.VR and 3D UIs have been useful in areas such as simulation and training, scientific visualization, medicine, and psychological rehabilitation.Our glance at video game history shows three trends that lead us to why 3D Uls and VR are starting to become so popular. First, once game consoles had better graphics and sound, had more interesting stories, and let users play much longer, arcade games had to give players something that they couldn't get on consoles: innovative interfaces that provided more natural means of expression. Second, more complicated video games and video game controllers gave users more expressive power but alienated casual gamers.Third, the technology to make 3D spatial interaction mainstream and not just a gimmick has arrived. Console games had previously incorporated advanced game interfaces (in the late '80s and early '90s) with devices such as the Nintento U-Force, Mattel PowerGlove, and Sega 3D glasses. Popularity of the Wii and games such as Guitar Hero, 3D Uls have finally hit mainstream society, and gamers appear to be thirsty for more. These issues present a great opportunity for 3D UI and VR researchers to determine how to best leverage existing research into games and to develop new interaction methodologies and strategies geared toward console and PC games and their constraints.
101 citations
TL;DR: New techniques to improve blur rendering are described and experimental results from a prototype video game implementation are reported, showing improvement in depth-of-field blur effects.
Abstract: Depth-of-field blur effects are well-known depth cues in human vision Computer graphics pipelines added DOF effects early to enhance imagery realism, but real-time VR applications haven't yet introduced visual blur effects The authors describe new techniques to improve blur rendering and report experimental results from a prototype video game implementation
TL;DR: This article has modeled a real IEN building in 3D to perform preliminary evacuation tests, prior to real ones, and thus support evacuation planning and presents the use of a game engine for virtual simulations of building evacuations in emergency situations.
Abstract: Researchers who want to use virtual reality-based simulations in their work must address some important requirements. Simulations require a good 3D graphical rendering capability. For realistic results, they must also consider the effects of physical laws, such as gravity and collision forces. A software platform that meets these requirements can serve a broad range of science and technology applications, but developing an entire platform is hard work itself. In this article, we present our use of a game engine for virtual simulations of building evacuations in emergency situations. We have modeled a real IEN building in 3D to perform preliminary evacuation tests, prior to real ones, and thus support evacuation planning. Nuclear plants represent just one of many environments where virtual simulations might be the best or only means of evaluating situations that are too dangerous to simulate in real environments-for example, in the presence of fire and smoke or radioactive or chemical contamination.
TL;DR: This paper presents a new color-conversion method that offers users an intuitive, one-click interface for style conversion, rather than having to supply a reference image, and achieves more accurate and justifiable color conversion results, while also preserving spatial coherence.
Abstract: This paper presents a new color-conversion method that offers users an intuitive, one-click interface for style conversion. So, rather than having to supply a reference image, users simply select a color mood with a mouse click. To address the color-transfer quality problem, we associate each color mood with a set of up to 10 images from our image database. After selecting their color mood, users choose one associated image. Our histogram matching algorithm then uses the selected image to determine the input image's color distribution. We thereby achieve more accurate and justifiable color conversion results, while also preserving spatial coherence. Here, we further describe our solutions and their results and compare them to existing approaches.
TL;DR: A simple but effective way for authoring a crowd scene with a governing tool that is fast enough to allow on-the-fly modification of vector fields.
Abstract: Providing interactive control is a hot topic in crowd-navigation research. Here, the authors propose a simple but effective way for authoring a crowd scene. With their governing tool, users can easily drive the flow of crowds by sketching velocities on anchor points in the scene. This approach is fast enough to allow on-the-fly modification of vector fields.
TL;DR: The Serious Games Initiative focuses on all sectors, but after surveying many usage areas for games, it was felt that health and healthcare had special opportunities for games.
Abstract: Healthcare offers special opportunities for the application of game research and technology. This was evident in the presentations at the 2007 Games for Health Conference.One of the most important sectors seeing the impact of games is health. In 2004, with support from the Lounsberry Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Serious Games Initiative started the Games for Health Project. The Serious Games Initiative focuses on all sectors, but after surveying many usage areas for games, we felt that health and healthcare had special opportunities for games.
TL;DR: A strong interdisciplinary approach, including the disciplines of perception, design, and computer science will produce better science and better design in that empirically and theoretically validated visual display techniques will result.
Abstract: Currently, most researchers in visualization pay very little attention to vision science. The exception is when the effective use of color is the subject. Little research in flow visualization includes a discussion of the related perceptual theory. Nor does it include an evaluation of effectiveness of the display techniques that are generated. This is so, despite Laidlaw's paper showing that such an evaluation is relatively straightforward. Of course, it's not always necessary to relate visualization research to perceptual theory. If the purpose of the research is to increase the efficiency of an algorithm, then the proper test is one of efficiency, not of perceptual validity. But when a new representation of data is the subject of research, addressing how perceptually effective it is - either by means of a straightforward empirical comparison with existing methods or analytically, relating the new mapping to perceptual theory - should be a matter of course. A strong interdisciplinary approach, including the disciplines of perception, design, and computer science will produce better science and better design in that empirically and theoretically validated visual display techniques will result.
TL;DR: An overview of the adaptive museum guidance system called PhoneGuide, which uses camera-equipped mobile phones for on-device object recognition in ad-hoc sensor networks and provides location and object aware multimedia content to museum visitors is presented.
Abstract: We present an overview of our adaptive museum guidance system called PhoneGuide. It uses camera-equipped mobile phones for on-device object recognition in ad-hoc sensor networks and provides location and object aware multimedia content to museum visitors.
TL;DR: By combining semantic scene-graph markups with generative modeling, this framework retains semantic information late in the rendering pipeline that can enhance visualization effects and interactive behavior without compromising interactive frame rates.
Abstract: By combining semantic scene-graph markups with generative modeling, this framework retains semantic information late in the rendering pipeline. It can thus enhance visualization effects and interactive behavior without compromising interactive frame rates. Large geospatial databases are populated with the results of hundreds of person-years of surveying effort. Utility workers access these databases during fieldwork to help them determine asset location. Real-time rendering engines are highly advanced and optimized software toolkits that interactively display 3D information to users.To connect geospatial databases and rendering engines, we must transcode raw 2D geospatial data into 3D models suitable for standard rendering engines. Thus, transcoding isn't simply a one-to-one conversion from one format to another; we obtain 3D models from 2D information through procedural 3D modeling. Transcoding the geospatial database information's semantic attributes into visual primitives entails information loss. We must therefore find the right point in the pipeline to perform transcoding.
TL;DR: This work developed a mesh-simplification algorithm that incorporates concepts from architecture and city planning, which relies on the concept of urban legibility, which segments a city into paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks.
Abstract: Most of the algorithms used for research in mesh simplification and discrete levels of detail (LOD) work well for simplifying single objects with a large number of polygons. For a city-sized collection of simple buildings, using these traditional algorithms could mean the disappearance of an entire residential area in which the buildings tend to be smaller than those in commercial regions. To solve this problem, we developed a mesh-simplification algorithm that incorporates concepts from architecture and city planning. Specifically, we rely on the concept of urban legibility, which segments a city into paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. If we preserve these elements of legibility during the simplification process, we can maintain the city's image and create urban models that users can understand more effectively. To accomplish this goal, we divide our algorithm into five steps. During preprocessing, it performs hierarchical clustering, cluster merging, model simplification, and hierarchical texturing, at runtime, it employs LOD to select the appropriate models for rendering.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare texture stippling in hand-drawn and computer-generated illustrations, using image-processing analysis techniques, and find that the two kinds of images follow different aesthetic principles.
Abstract: When people compare a computer-generated illustration to a hand-drawn illustration of the same object, they usually perceive differences. This seems to indicate that the two kinds of images follow different aesthetic principles. To explore and explain these differences, the authors compare texture stippling in hand-drawn and computer-generated illustrations, using image-processing analysis techniques.
TL;DR: The contest's data set and tasks, the judging criteria, the winning tools, and the overall lessons learned in the competition are reported on.
Abstract: In this article, we report on the contest's data set and tasks, the judging criteria, the winning tools, and the overall lessons learned in the competition. We believe that by organizing these contests, we're creating useful resources for researchers and are beginning to understand how to better evaluate VA tools. Competitions encourage the community to work on difficult problems, improve their tools, and develop baselines for others to build or improve upon. We continue to evolve a collection of data sets, scenarios, and evaluation methodologies that reflect the richness of the many VA tasks and applications.
TL;DR: Visual analytics must augment analyst and decision-maker capabilities to assimilate complex situations and reach informed decisions through integrated and highly interactive visualization of complex and dynamic data and situations.
Abstract: Visual analytics is an emerging discipline that helps connect dots. It facilitates analytical reasoning and decision making through integrated and highly interactive visualization of complex and dynamic data and situations. Solving mysteries is only part of the game. Visual analytics must augment analyst and decision-maker capabilities to assimilate complex situations and reach informed decisions. In information theory, the information value carried by a message is the difference in information entropy before and after receipt of the message. Information entropy is a macroscopic measure of uncertainty defined on a frequency or probability distribution. The information-theoretical approach attempts to quantify discrepancies of the information content of distributions.
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TL;DR: A living mobile 3D city was created by lightweight modeling and 3D optimizations, and implemented an efficient, scalable dynamic entity management solution that was designed and verified by field experiments.
Abstract: In this paper, the author discusses a living mobile 3D city. It was created by lightweight modeling and 3D optimizations, and implemented an efficient, scalable dynamic entity management solution. A mobile 3D navigation interface was designed and verified the system by field experiments. Based on the results, implications for future research are also discussed.
TL;DR: This article argues that as a component of the simulation science pipeline, visualization must be explicitly considered as part of the validation and verification (V&V) process, and presents arguments for the need for verifiable visualization.
Abstract: Visualization is often employed as part of the simulation science pipeline, it's the window through which scientists examine their data for deriving new science, and the lens used to view modeling and discretization interactions within their simulations. We advocate that as a component of the simulation science pipeline, visualization must be explicitly considered as part of the validation and verification (V&V) process. In this article, the authors define V&V in the context of computational science, discuss the role of V&V in the scientific process, and present arguments for the need for verifiable visualization.
TL;DR: Co Coordinate-free geometric programming and affine geometry, which makes a distinction between points and vectors and defines operations for combining them, inspires this approach.
Abstract: This article provides a useful perspective of understanding, representing, and manipulating 3D orientation and rotation for geometric computing. Coordinate-free geometric programming and affine geometry, which makes a distinction between points and vectors and defines operations for combining them, inspires our approach. Based upon affine geometry, Goldman and DeRose pioneered a method of writing graphics programs that are independent of the choice of reference coordinate frames. The study on geometric algebra pursues a similar goal with various geometric primitives rather than just vectors and points.
TL;DR: The annotation of a distorted city map alleviates this deficiency and improves further the usability of schematic transportation maps by merging two different navigational spaces.
Abstract: Schematic transportation maps usually contain little or no detail describing the environment of stations or their embedding in the surrounding area. The annotation of a distorted city map alleviates this deficiency and further improves the usability of schematic transportation maps by merging two different navigational spaces. Schematic maps are designed to preserve stations' relative positions, it seems natural to use these positions for aligning a street-level map with a metro map.
TL;DR: Methods and techniques for rapid modeling and modifying of detailed building facades that adapt to geometry automatically so that designers can then modify the facade's outline, window placement, and different styles on an abstract level.
Abstract: Many virtual environments require architectural settings, which often prove time consuming and tedious to model. Here the author introduces methods and techniques for rapid modeling and modifying of detailed building facades that adapt to geometry automatically. Designers can then modify the facade's outline, window placement, and different styles on an abstract level.
TL;DR: Guest Editors Bruce Gooch and Brian Wyvill discuss computational aesthetics and the articles that comprise their special issue of Computational aesthetics.
Abstract: Guest Editors Bruce Gooch and Brian Wyvill discuss computational aesthetics and the articles that comprise their special issue.
TL;DR: This framework lets users easily and effectively use desktop applications on mobile devices without any redesign and allows the original application to be recreated and migrated to nomadic scenarios.
Abstract: This framework lets users easily and effectively use desktop applications on mobile devices without any redesign. An automatically generated description of the original interface lets the original application be recreated and migrated to nomadic scenarios. Users can also customize interfaces to suit their needs and match a device's capabilities.
TL;DR: This work presents a data-driven 3D facial motion capture editing system that uses the automated construction of an orthogonal-blendshape face model and constrained weight propagation to modify the blendshape weights of the underlying motion capture sequence.
Abstract: In this work, we present a data-driven 3D facial motion capture editing system that uses the automated construction of an orthogonal-blendshape face model and constrained weight propagation. Given a collected facial motion capture data set, we start by performing a region-based principal component analysis (PCA) decomposition and constructing a truncated PCA space spanned by the largest eigenvector for each anatomical region of the human face ( for example, the left eyebrow). We then construct an orthogonal-blendshape face model as follows: each eigenvector of an anatomical region corresponds to a blendshape basis, so we regard its PCA coefficient as its blendshape weight. Our orthogonal model also minimizes the blendshape interference issue that can affect the efficiency of the overall approach.Finally, we transform each frame of a new facial motion capture sequence into blendshape weights by projecting it into the PCA spaces mentioned earlier on a per-region basis. As such, modifying the blendshape weights (PCA coefficients) is equivalent to editing the underlying motion capture sequence.