Charles A. Csuri

Towards an interactive high visual complexity animation system

A computer animation system is discussed which employs interactive techniques and presents a unified approach to the graphical display of complex three dimensional data. The system facilitates the generation, manipulation and display of highly detailed data with the aid of interactive devices and a video interface to a standard color TV monitor. The system enables the animator to create a variety of objects (including texture) and to specify the necessary transformations for animation sequences. A run length processing technique combined with a brute force Z-buffer algorithm has been newly designed and implemented that can handle the intersection of several million faces, lines and points. This makes possible a full range of visual cues to simulate fire, smoke, water and complex 3-D texture such as grass, hair and bark. Basic concepts and approaches are described. The display algorithm and the procedure model to generate texture are presented and the implications of the system for computer animation are discussed. Extensions to the system are outlined which include a unique graphics display processor currently under construction that includes a partial implementation of the display algorithm in hardware.

Computer graphics and art

A survey of basic ideas and approaches to computer art is given. Statements are presented by several computer artists as well as illustrations of their work. Comments are made about the relationship of computer graphics to art including a brief historical sketch of developments in this area. A conceptual framework is presented for interactive art objects as an art form. Suggestions are made about the future of computer art and the importance of a relationship between art and science.

Art, computers and mathematics

the computer is having an implosive effect upon the way we deal with a variety of problems. As an extension of mans senses, computer technology can provide an exciting new potential for the creation of art. The frontiers of knowledge in computer research suggest a new approach to problem solving in the arts. With a computer the artist can now deal with different variables in his decision making process than with conventional methods. For example, it is possible to put into the memory of the computer a color representation of a landscape. This landscape can be simulated on a graphic console. Then with computer programs which implement mathematical functions, the artist can watch the effects of wind velocity, temperature and factors which involve the amount of daylight upon his landscape. He can also observe data which are generally unavailable such as the effects of molecular structure, weight, mass and time upon the landscape. In his decision making process, the artist can rely on non-visual cues as well as visual cues. He can modify many more parameters in the total landscape environment to create a work of art than by conventional methods.

Art and animation

The growing use of computer graphics by artists and animators is examined. The factors responsible for this trend are discussed. Advances in animation are described. These include the use of more live action film with image processing techniques to modify the images and improved rendering, animation systems, and geometric modelers. Algorithms for animation are discussed. Interactive art objects are considered, and the emergence of computer folk art is predicted.<<ETX>>

3-D Computer Animation

Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes the ideas and concepts that give 3-D computer animation its special character and quality. 3-D computer animation system is a complex subject that not only includes computer graphics but other branches of computer technology, such as operating systems, programming languages, information structures, and hardware design. The chapter discusses the importance of visual perception phenomena to using CRT graphic displays. The perception of moving images on a CRT display is possible because of a phenomenon known as the persistence of vision. A well-known example of 3-D picture generation is the Evans and Sutherland Picture System, which does the transformations, clipping, and perspective in hardware. This approach represents an extremely powerful and useful technique for many applications, such as real-time simulations of an aircraft landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier or airstrip at night. The chapter describes the technique of using a refresh buffer to display pictures in computer graphics. The chapter also discusses the application of three animation systems: the case western reserve system, the graphics symbiosis system, and anima II.

Displays on Display

The accompanying images are the work of two computer graphics specialists working individually. Cubicomp software engineer Jim Dixon did “Lunar Explorer” and “Pipes.” The other four images were done by Cubicomp artist Wilson Burrows. All were created on the Cubicomp Poly-cad-10 system, consisting of the companys 3-D solid modeling software and frame buffer, which displays 4096 colors out of a possible 16.7 million at a resolution of 512 × 512.

The simulation of natural phenomena (Panel Session)

This panel will discuss the issues and the problems associated with the simulation of natural phenomena. This is a difficult area of research since it generally involves complex data bases and in many instances time variant phenomena. The computational loads can become enormous as one considers the physics or the mathematical modeling of structures. Most items in nature, trees, clouds, fire and comets being some examples, have not been displayed realistically in computer graphics. This lack stems from a few different problems, all of which are significant. The first is the fact that realistic portrayals require large amounts of storage and consequently large compute time. Nature is able to create diverse detail at the most minute levels within an object of grandoise scale. The second problem is that of diversity of design within a given framework. For example, if a scene requires two dozen poplar trees, how does the designer construct trees that look different but are undeniably poplars? Humans typically become tired after the first few iterations of such a design process, with a resulting degradation in the subsequent models. Clearly, this problem applies to all of the phenomena mentioned above. Finally, there is a lack of models. First, second and third order representations are commonly used in computer graphics to model various kinds of surfaces and their boolean combinations. However, their applications to objects, which do not lend themselves well to being described as surfaces has not been addressed sufficiently. Previous attempts at realism have dealt with the appearances of the surfaces being modeled, in terms of their illumination or relief. More recently, fractal methods have introduced a new degree of realism into terrain modeling systems. However, it appears that natural phenomena will require more research into the fundamental way things occur in nature, and in terms of computer graphics, their representation will build on previous work, but will still require new modeling techniques.

The Use of Color and 3-D Temporal and Spatial Data Management Techniques in Computer-Aided Design

An interactive system has been developed that facilitates closer interaction by a designer in the design process through the use of shaded color three-dimensional computer graphics to display appropriate design data. The use of traditional computer animation techniques allows for more efficient analysis of time dependent data, and advanced interactive methods of storing and retrieving spatial data offers help in displaying and evaluating the objects being designed. The system is planned to interface with an existing computer-aided design project that emphasizes the structural analysis phase of the design process. The fundamental goal of the project was to incorporate color graphics into the design system while maintaining a high degree of user interaction. Descriptions are included of the operating system environment and the necessary supporting software and hardware components. Modules of the display system are discussed and sample images are presented with examples of user interaction.

Lifetime Achievement Award in Digital Art

The 2011 ACM SIGGRAPH Lifetime Achievement Award in Digital Art is awarded to Charles Csuri, for his visionary and creative blending of Art and Technology.

Queenly Gestures: A Living Art Object

The sculpture functions in the following ways: 1. The BBUs can be physically manipulated in the museum or telerobotically over the Internet. 2. Movement of the BBUs produces corresponding, shifting perspectives within the virtual world. 3. Attached to the BBUs are digital cameras that capture an image of the museum visitor and transform it into a numbered avatar. This number can later be used to call the avatar up from its final resting place (the archive) at any point in time. 4. Viewers are attracted to the piece by a cyber screen-saver that beckons them. Up to 45 avatars can float simultaneously through the virtual museum during their 1-hour life span. On their way to the final archival resting place, they are suspended in a purgatorial space, which can be seen on the large LCD screen at the entrance to the museum. A dedicated web site hosts information about the project’s development and provides views into the real and virtual spaces. It is via this site that the virtual visitor is afforded telerobotic control over the BBU.