3D Desktop + Organizational Tools

I ran across the following research projects demonstrating a new level of engagement with our digital media. Increasing the overall experience, while demonstrating the unique relationships between our data will open up the doors for new possibilities. I am sure we will see this implemented for commerce sometime soon.

Real-Time Gradient-Domain Painting

The following research is done by James McCann and Nancy S. Pollard. Real-time Gradient-domain Painting, ACM Transactions on Graphics (SIGGRAPH 2008), August 2008, Vol 27. No. 3.

Abstract

We present an image editing program which allows artists to paint in the gradient domain with real-time feedback on megapixel-sized images. Along with a pedestrian, though powerful, gradient-painting brush and gradient-clone tool, we introduce an edge brush designed for edge selection and replay. These brushes, coupled with special blending modes, allow users to accomplish global lighting and contrast adjustments using only local image manipulations -- e.g. strengthening a given edge or removing a shadow boundary. Such operations would be tedious in a conventional intensity-based paint program and hard for users to get right in the gradient domain without real-time feedback. The core of our paint program is a simple-to-implement GPU multigrid method which allows integration of megapixel-sized full-color gradient fields at over 20 frames per second on modest hardware. By way of evaluation, we present example images produced with our program and characterize the iteration time and convergence rate of our integration method.



Portraits sketched by M. Mahler using Gradient-Domain Painting Program

Link to website
Link to PDF research paper
Link to video

Shading Based Surface Editing

The following research is by Yotam Gingold and Denis Zorin In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2008, Los Angeles, USA, Aug.'08

Abstract

We present a system for free-form surface modeling that allows a user to modify a shape by changing its rendered, shaded image using stroke-based drawing tools. User input is translated into a set of tangent and positional constraints on the surface. A new shape, whose rendered image closely approximates user input, is computed using an efficient and stable surface optimization procedure. We demonstrate how several types of free-form surface edits which may be difficult to cast in terms of standard deformation approaches can be easily performed using our system.

Link to website
Link to PDF research paper (14MB)

Free-Form Sketch

Another unique approach for 3D sketch modeling byHaixiong Wang and Lee Markosian can be found here



Link to website
Link to PDF research paper

Real-Time Shape Deformation

The following video showcases new development of shape deformation. I can see this technology make real-time computer animation interaction fun and entertaining.

T. Igarashi, T. Moscovich, J.F. Hughes, "As-Rigid-As-Possible Shape Manipulation",
ACM Transactions on Computer Graphics, Vol.24, No.3, 2005

Link to website

Link to PDF

Link to MovingSketch software