Joe Geigel

Using genetic algorithms for album page layouts

We describe a system that uses a genetic algorithm to interactively generate personalized album pages for visual content collections on the Internet. The system has three modules: preprocessing, page creation, and page layout. We focus on the details of the genetic algorithm used in the page-layout task.

Theatrical storytelling in a virtual space

In this paper, we explore the uniqueness of storytelling in a theatrical context. From this exploration, we present a theoretical structure for classifying theatrical performance and describe a technical framework for creating such performances in a virtual space. The framework allows for interplay between human actors, virtual performers and live audience members cohabitating both physical and virtual spaces. We describe a prototype implementation of the framework and provide the details of a distributed performance given in the spring of 2004 as a proof of concept for the system.

knowledge base for the emerging discipline of computer graphics

Computer Graphics is evolving as a discipline characterized by the fusion of artistic and technical theories and skills. The goal of the SIGGRAPH Curriculum Working Group has been to create a knowledge base that defines this discipline. This knowledge base is presented as a palette of subject areas and skills that forms the necessary educational framework for creation of undergraduate curricula that specialize in computer graphics. It facilitates the development of attributes that will create paths toward professional work, graduate studies, and lifelong skills-development and learning. The knowledge base is offered for faculty members designing new computer graphics programs or those evolving existing ones, students crafting their own programs of study, and administrators and accreditors seeking guidance for framing and assessing computer graphics programs.

Motion capture for realtime control of virtual actors in live, distributed, theatrical performances

In this paper, we explore the use of motion capture for controlling virtual actors in a theatrical performance. We present a general and flexible framework for achieving such control and provide examples of the application of the framework based on our work in virtual theatre over the past five years.

Adapting a Virtual World for Theatrical Performance

Virtual reality technology now makes it possible to completely realize theatrical performances in a virtual space, but existing virtual world interfaces are too cumbersome for this purpose. Researchers are working to develop virtual theatre systems with more natural and intuitive interfaces.

Teaching animation in Second Life

In the Spring of 2009, the Computer Science Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology gave an experimental offering of their course: Computer Animation: Algorithm and Techniques, entirely in the virtual world of Second Life. The goal of the experiment was to discover whether worlds like Second Life could be used effectively to teach computer graphics in a distance learning environment.

Virtual theatre: a collaborative curriculum for artists and technologists

Computer graphics research and applications have involved collaborations between professionals in both technical and artistic areas from the beginning. Theatre is a field where collaboration between technicians and artists has been an inherent component for centuries. Virtual Theatre merges these two collaborative arenas with the goal of providing a springboard for learning through interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork. The project is geared toward those looking to enter the electronic entertainment industries where successful collaboration between artists and technologists is crucial to the success of a project. In the spring of 2004, students in three courses worked together to create a virtual theatre production at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In this paper we describe the collaborative learning approach taken in these courses and discuss our impressions of the results and issues that emerged.

Gaze and gesture based object manipulation in virtual worlds

In this work we present a framework for enabling the use of both eye gaze and hand gestures for interaction within a 3D virtual world. We define a set of natural interaction mechanisms for manipulation of objects within the 3D space and describe a prototype implementation based on Second Life that allows these mechanisms to be used in that world. We also explore how these mechanisms can be extended to other spatial tasks such as camera positioning and motion.

Sensor-based Methodological Observations for Studying Online Learning

Online learning has gained increased popularity in recent years. However, with online learning, teacher observation and intervention is lost, creating a need for technologically observable characteristics that can compensate for this limitation. The present study used a wide array of sensing mechanisms including eye tracking, galvanic skin response (GSR) recording, facial expression analysis, and summary note-taking to monitor participants while they watched and recalled an online video lecture. We explored the link between these human-elicited responses and learning outcomes as measured by quiz questions. Results revealed GSR to be the best indicator of the challenge level of the lecture material. Yet, eye tracking and GSR remain difficult to capture when monitoring online learning as the requirement to remain still impacts natural behavior and leads to more stoic and unexpressive faces. Continued work on methods ensuring naturalistic capture are critical for broadening the use of sensor technology in online learning, as are ways to fuse these data with other input, such as structured and unstructured data from peer-to-peer or student-teacher interactions.

Using photography as a metaphor for teaching image synthesis

The camera has long served as a metaphor for teaching three-dimensional graphics in introductory computer graphics courses. We extend this metaphor to include the complete photographic pipeline as a framework for teaching image synthesis in a second graphics course. We present the correspondence between photographic processes and areas of study in image synthesis, and discuss the success of using this framework in an image synthesis course at our university for the past 3 years.