Scott Schaefer

Mean value coordinates for closed triangular meshes

Constructing a function that interpolates a set of values defined at vertices of a mesh is a fundamental operation in computer graphics. Such an interpolant has many uses in applications such as shading, parameterization and deformation. For closed polygons, mean value coordinates have been proven to be an excellent method for constructing such an interpolant. In this paper, we generalize mean value coordinates from closed 2D polygons to closed triangular meshes. Given such a mesh P, we show that these coordinates are continuous everywhere and smooth on the interior of P. The coordinates are linear on the triangles of P and can reproduce linear functions on the interior of P. To illustrate their usefulness, we conclude by considering several interesting applications including constructing volumetric textures and surface deformation.

Image deformation using moving least squares

We provide an image deformation method based on Moving Least Squares using various classes of linear functions including affine, similarity and rigid transformations. These deformations are realistic and give the user the impression of manipulating real-world objects. We also allow the user to specify the deformations using either sets of points or line segments, the later useful for controlling curves and profiles present in the image. For each of these techniques, we provide simple closed-form solutions that yield fast deformations, which can be performed in real-time.

Barycentric coordinates for convex sets

In this paper we provide an extension of barycentric coordinates from simplices to arbitrary convex sets. Barycentric coordinates over convex 2D polygons have found numerous applications in various fields as they allow smooth interpolation of data located on vertices. However, no explicit formulation valid for arbitrary convex polytopes has been proposed to extend this interpolation in higher dimensions. Moreover, there has been no attempt to extend these functions into the continuous domain, where barycentric coordinates are related to Green’s functions and construct functions that satisfy a boundary value problem. First, we review the properties and construction of barycentric coordinates in the discrete domain for convex polytopes. Next, we show how these concepts extend into the continuous domain to yield barycentric coordinates for continuous functions. We then provide a proof that our functions satisfy all the desirable properties of barycentric coordinates in arbitrary dimensions. Finally, we provide an example of constructing such barycentric functions over regions bounded by parametric curves and show how they can be used to perform freeform deformations.

Approximating Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces with bicubic patches

We present a simple and computationally efficient algorithm for approximating Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces using a minimal set of bicubic patches. For each quadrilateral face of the control mesh, we construct a geometry patch and a pair of tangent patches. The geometry patches approximate the shape and silhouette of the Catmull-Clark surface and are smooth everywhere except along patch edges containing an extraordinary vertex where the patches are C0. To make the patch surface appear smooth, we provide a pair of tangent patches that approximate the tangent fields of the Catmull-Clark surface. These tangent patches are used to construct a continuous normal field (through their cross-product) for shading and displacement mapping. Using this bifurcated representation, we are able to define an accurate proxy for Catmull-Clark surfaces that is efficient to evaluate on next-generation GPU architectures that expose a programmable tessellation unit.

Dual marching cubes: primal contouring of dual grids

We present a method for contouring an implicit function using a grid topologically dual to structured grids such as octrees. By aligning the vertices of the dual grid with the features of the implicit function, we are able to reproduce thin features of the extracted surface without excessive subdivision required by methods such as marching cubes or dual contouring. Dual marching cubes produces a crack-free, adaptive polygonalization of the surface that reproduces sharp features. Our approach maintains the advantage of using structured grids for operations such as CSG while being able to conform to the relevant features of the implicit function yielding much sparser polygonalizations than has been possible using structured grids.

Example-based skeleton extraction

We present a method for extracting a hierarchical, rigid skeleton from a set of example poses. We then use this skeleton to not only reproduce the example poses, but create new deformations in the same style as the examples. Since rigid skeletons are used by most 3D modeling software, this skeleton and the corresponding vertex weights can be inserted directly into existing production pipelines. To create the skeleton, we first estimate the rigid transformations of the bones using a fast, face clustering approach. We present an efficient method for clustering by providing a Rigid Error Function that finds the best rigid transformation from a set of points in a robust, space efficient manner and supports fast clustering operations. Next, we solve for the vertex weights and enforce locality in the resulting weight distributions. Finally, we use these weights to determine the connectivity and joint locations of the skeleton.

Smooth geometry images

Previous parametric representations of smooth genus-zero surfaces require a collection of abutting patches (e.g. plines, NURBS, recursively subdivided polygons). We introduce a simple construction for these surfaces using a single uniform bi-cubic B-spline. Due to its tensor-product structure, the spline control points are conveniently stored as a geometry image with simple boundary symmetries. The bicubic surface is evaluated using subdivision, and the regular structure of the geometry image makes this computation ideally suited for graphics hardware. Specifically, we let the fragment shader pipeline perform subdivision by applying a sequence of masks (splitting, averaging, limit, and tangent) uniformly to the geometry image. We then extend this scheme to provide smooth level-of-detail transitions from a subsampled base octahedron all the way to a finely subdivided, smooth model. Finally, we show how the framework easily supports scalar displacement mapping.

Approximating subdivision surfaces with Gregory patches for hardware tessellation

We present a new method for approximating subdivision surfaces with hardware accelerated parametric patches. Our method improves the memory bandwidth requirements for patch control points, translating into superior performance compared to existing methods. Our input is general, allowing for meshes that contain both quadrilateral and triangular faces in the input control mesh, as well as control meshes with boundary. We present two implementations of our scheme designed to run on Direct3D 11 class hardware equipped with a tessellator unit.

Streaming surface reconstruction using wavelets

We present a streaming method for reconstructing surfaces from large data sets generated by a laser range scanner using wavelets. Wavelets provide a localized, multiresolution representation of functions and this makes them ideal candidates for streaming surface reconstruction algorithms. We show how wavelets can be used to reconstruct the indicator function of a shape from a cloud of points with associated normals. Our method proceeds in several steps. We first compute a low‐resolution approximation of the indicator function using an octree followed by a second pass that incrementally adds fine resolution details. The indicator function is then smoothed using a modified octree convolution step and contoured to produce the final surface. Due to the local, multiresolution nature of wavelets, our approach results in an algorithm over 10 times faster than previous methods and can process extremely large data sets in the order of several hundred million points in only an hour.

Mesh denoising via L 0 minimization

We present an algorithm for denoising triangulated models based on L0 minimization. Our method maximizes the flat regions of the model and gradually removes noise while preserving sharp features. As part of this process, we build a discrete differential operator for arbitrary triangle meshes that is robust with respect to degenerate triangulations. We compare our method versus other anisotropic denoising algorithms and demonstrate that our method is more robust and produces good results even in the presence of high noise.