New Method of 3D Graphic Creation Speeds Up Rendering and Accuracy

 Computer Graphics  

Using new methods for developing triangle meshes based on particles, Gaussian energy and the embedded space theory of John Forbes Nash Jr., computer scientists have been able to create more realistic 3D computer graphics that are also faster to render.

C omputer scientists at UT Dallas have developed a technique to make 3D images faster and with more accuracy.

The method uses anisotropic (irregular) triangles — triangles with sides that vary in length depending on their direction — to create 3D “mesh” computer graphics that more accurately approximate the shapes of the original objects, and in a shorter amount of time than current techniques.

The team's results were made available at the SIGGRAPH 2013 Conference. 

These types of images are used in movies, video games, 3D scanning and computer modeling of various phenomena, such as the flow of water or air across the Earth, the deformation and wrinkles of clothes on the human body, or in mechanical and other types of engineering designs.

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The researchers also hope this technique will also lead to greater accuracy in models of human organs to more effectively treat human diseases, such as cancer.

“Anisotropic mesh can provide better simulation results for certain types of problems, for example, in fluid dynamics,” said Dr. Xiaohu Guo, associate professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science whose team created the technique.

The technique finds a practical application of the Nash embedding theorem, which was named after mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., subject of the film A Beautiful Mind.

Anisotropic meshing of surface with 50,000 particles Image Source: Zichun Zhong et al./SIGGRAPH)

In computer graphics shapes are three dimensionally represented shapes with triangle meshes. Traditionally, it is believed that isotropic triangles — where each side of the triangle has the same length regardless of direction — are the best representation of shapes.

However, the aggregate of these uniform triangles can create edges or bumps that are not on the original objects. Because triangle sides can differ in anisotrophic images, creating images with this technique would allow the user flexibility to more accurately represent object edges or folds.

Guo and his team found that replacing isotropic triangles with anisotropic triangles in the particle-based method of creating images resulted in smoother representations of objects. Depending on the curvature of the objects, the technique can generate the image up to 125 times faster than common approaches.

Objects using anisotropic triangles are of a more accurate quality, and most noticeable to the human eye when it comes to wrinkles and movement of clothes on human representatives.

Up next for this research is moving from representing the surface of 3D objects to representing 3D volume. “If we are going to create accurate representations of human organs, we need to account for the movement of cells below the organ’s surface,” Guo said.

“These types of images are used in movies, video games, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fields, scientific visualization, architecture design, etc.,” Zichun Zhong, research assistant in computer science and PhD candidate at UT Dallas, was also involved in this research told to KurzweilAI.



SOURCE  KurzweilAI.net

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