An Introduction to Computer Graphics for Artists


Book Description

An Introduction to Computer Graphics for Artists is an application-independent, reader-friendly primer for anyone with a serious desire to understand 3D Computer Graphics. Written by a veteran of the computer graphics industry whose previous career included film animation and various spells as Art Director for video games, Andrew Paquette draws on his experiences both as an artist and a manager. Far too often artists, even professionals, lack a basic understanding of the principles of computer graphics. The result is inefficiency and lower quality of work. This book addresses these issues by providing fundamental information in a university course format, with theoretical material, detailed illustrations, and projects to test the reader’s understanding of the concepts covered. Opening with the first and most basic elements of computer graphics, the book rapidly advances into progressively more complex concepts. Each of the elements, however simple, are important to understand because each is an essential link in a chain that allows an artist to master any computer graphics application. With this accomplished, the artist can use technology to satisfy his goals, instead of the technology being master of the artist. All students wanting to learn more about computer graphics from an artistic viewpoint, particularly those intending to pursue a career in computer game design or film animation, will find this book invaluable.




Graphical Simulation of Deformable Models


Book Description

This book covers dynamic simulation of deformable objects, which is one of the most challenging tasks in computer graphics and visualization. It focuses on the simulation of deformable models with anisotropic materials, one of the less common approaches in the existing research. Both physically-based and geometrically-based approaches are examined. The authors start with transversely isotropic materials for the simulation of deformable objects with fibrous structures. Next, they introduce a fiber-field incorporated corotational finite element model (CLFEM) that works directly with a constitutive model of transversely isotropic material. A smooth fiber-field is used to establish the local frames for each element. To introduce deformation simulation for orthotropic materials, an orthotropic deformation controlling frame-field is conceptualized and a frame construction tool is developed for users to define the desired material properties. The orthotropic frame-field is coupled with the CLFEM model to complete an orthotropic deformable model. Finally, the authors present an integrated real-time system for animation of skeletal characters with anisotropic tissues. To solve the problems of volume distortion and high computational costs, a strain-based PBD framework for skeletal animation is explained; natural secondary motion of soft tissues is another benefit. The book is written for those researchers who would like to develop their own algorithms. The key mathematical and computational concepts are presented together with illustrations and working examples. It can also be used as a reference book for graduate students and senior undergraduates in the areas of computer graphics, computer animation, and virtual reality. Academics, researchers, and professionals will find this to be an exceptional resource.




GPU Pro 5


Book Description

In GPU Pro5: Advanced Rendering Techniques, section editors Wolfgang Engel, Christopher Oat, Carsten Dachsbacher, Michal Valient, Wessam Bahnassi, and Marius Bjorge have once again assembled a high-quality collection of cutting-edge techniques for advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) programming. Divided into six sections, the book covers render




Advances in Visual Computing


Book Description

The two volume sets LNCS 8033 and 8034 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Visual Computing, ISVC 2013, held in Rethymnon, Crete, Greece, in July 2013. The 63 revised full papers and 35 poster papers presented together with 32 special track papers were carefully reviewed and selected from more than 220 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections: Part I (LNCS 8033) comprises computational bioimaging; computer graphics; motion, tracking and recognition; segmentation; visualization; 3D mapping, modeling and surface reconstruction; feature extraction, matching and recognition; sparse methods for computer vision, graphics and medical imaging; face processing and recognition. Part II (LNCS 8034) comprises topics such as visualization; visual computing with multimodal data streams; visual computing in digital cultural heritage; intelligent environments: algorithms and applications; applications; virtual reality.




Statistical Atlases and Computational Models of the Heart: Imaging and Modelling Challenges


Book Description

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Statistical Atlases and Computational Models of the Heart: Imaging and Modelling Challenges, STACOM 2014, held in conjunction with MICCAI 2014, in Boston, MA, USA, in September 2014. The 30 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover a wide range of topics such as sections on cardiac image processing; atlas construction; statistical modelling of cardiac function across different patient populations; cardiac mapping; cardiac computational physiology; model customization; atlas based functional analysis; ontological schemata for data and results; integrated functional and structural analyses; as well as the pre-clinical and clinical applicability of these methods.




Mathematical Tools for Shape Analysis and Description


Book Description

This book is a guide for researchers and practitioners to the new frontiers of 3D shape analysis and the complex mathematical tools most methods rely on. The target reader includes students, researchers and professionals with an undergraduate mathematics background, who wish to understand the mathematics behind shape analysis. The authors begin with a quick review of basic concepts in geometry, topology, differential geometry, and proceed to advanced notions of algebraic topology, always keeping an eye on the application of the theory, through examples of shape analysis methods such as 3D segmentation, correspondence, and retrieval. A number of research solutions in the field come from advances in pure and applied mathematics, as well as from the re-reading of classical theories and their adaptation to the discrete setting. In a world where disciplines (fortunately) have blurred boundaries, the authors believe that this guide will help to bridge the distance between theory and practice. Table of Contents: Acknowledgments / Figure Credits / About this Book / 3D Shape Analysis in a Nutshell / Geometry, Topology, and Shape Representation / Differential Geometry and Shape Analysis / Spectral Methods for Shape Analysis / Maps and Distances between Spaces / Algebraic Topology and Topology Invariants / Differential Topology and Shape Analysis / Reeb Graphs / Morse and Morse-Smale Complexes / Topological Persistence / Beyond Geometry and Topology / Resources / Bibliography / Authors' Biographies




Production Volume Rendering


Book Description

Due to limited publicly available software and lack of documentation, those involved with production volume rendering often have to start from scratch creating the necessary elements to make their system work. Production Volume Rendering: Design and Implementation provides the first full account of volume rendering techniques used for feature animation and visual effects production. It covers the theoretical underpinnings as well as the implementation of a working renderer. The book offers two paths toward understanding production volume rendering. It describes: Modern production volume rendering techniques in a generic context, explaining how the techniques fit together and how the modules are used to achieve real-world goals Implementation of the techniques, showing how to translate abstract concepts into concrete, working code and how the ideas work together to create a complete system As an introduction to the field and an overview of current techniques and algorithms, this book is a valuable source of information for programmers, technical directors, artists, and anyone else interested in how production volume rendering works. Web Resource The scripts, data, and source code for the book’s renderer are freely available at https://github.com/pvrbook/pvr. Readers can see how the code is implemented and acquire a practical understanding of how various design considerations impact scalability, extensibility, generality, and performance.




GPU Pro 360 Guide to Lighting


Book Description

Wolfgang Engel’s GPU Pro 360 Guide to Lighting gathers all the cutting-edge information from his previous seven GPU Pro volumes into a convenient single source anthology on lighting. This volume is complete with 24 articles by leading programmers that describes rendering techniques of global illumination effects suited for direct rendering applications in real time. GPU Pro 360 Guide to Lighting is comprised of ready-to-use ideas and efficient procedures that can help solve many computer graphics programming challenges that may arise. Key Features: Presents tips and tricks on real-time rendering of special effects and visualization data on common consumer software platforms such as PCs, video consoles, and mobile devices Covers specific challenges involved in creating games on various platforms Explores the latest developments in the rapidly evolving field of real-time rendering Takes a practical approach that helps graphics programmers solve their daily challenges




Handbook of Digital Image Synthesis


Book Description

The Handbook of Digital Image Synthesis is the most up-to-date reference guide in the rapidly developing field of computer graphics. A wide range of topics, such as, applied mathematics, data structures, and optical perception and imaging help to provide a well-rounded view of the necessary formulas for computer rendering. In addition to this diverse approach, the presentation of the material is substantiated by numerous figures and computer-generated images. From basic principles to advanced theories, this book, provides the reader with a strong foundation of computer formulas and rendering through a step-by-step process. . Key Features: Provides unified coverage of the broad range of fundamental topics in rendering Gives in-depth treatment of the basic and advanced concepts in each topic Presents a step-by-step derivation of the theoretical results needed for implementation Illustrates the concepts with numerous figures and computer-generated images Illustrates the core algorithms using platform-independent pseudo-code




Finite Element Method Simulation of 3D Deformable Solids


Book Description

This book serves as a practical guide to simulation of 3D deformable solids using the Finite Element Method (FEM). It reviews a number of topics related to the theory and implementation of FEM approaches: measures of deformation, constitutive laws of nonlinear materials, tetrahedral discretizations, and model reduction techniques for real-time simulation. Simulations of deformable solids are important in many applications in computer graphics, including film special effects, computer games, and virtual surgery. The Finite Element Method has become a popular tool in many such applications. Variants of FEM catering to both offline and real-time simulation have had a mature presence in computer graphics literature. This book is designed for readers familiar with numerical simulation in computer graphics, who would like to obtain a cohesive picture of the various FEM simulation methods available, their strengths and weaknesses, and their applicability in various simulation scenarios. The book is also a practical implementation guide for the visual effects developer, offering a lean yet adequate synopsis of the underlying mathematical theory. Chapter 1 introduces the quantitative descriptions used to capture the deformation of elastic solids, the concept of strain energy, and discusses how force and stress result as a response to deformation. Chapter 2 reviews a number of constitutive models, i.e., analytical laws linking deformation to the resulting force that has successfully been used in various graphics-oriented simulation tasks. Chapter 3 summarizes how deformation and force can be computed discretely on a tetrahedral mesh, and how an implicit integrator can be structured around this discretization. Finally, chapter 4 presents the state of the art in model reduction techniques for real-time FEM solid simulation and discusses which techniques are suitable for which applications. Topics discussed in this chapter include linear modal analysis, modal warping, subspace simulation, and domain decomposition.