Shufang Lu

Mathematical Marbling

In this paper, the proposed method takes a mathematical approach with closed-form expressions to simulate marbling. This method improves control, ease of implementation, parallelism, and speed, enabling real-time visual feedback and creation of vivid flowing animations. Users can start designs from a blank sheet, raster images, or videos.

AtelierM++: a fast and accurate marbling system

We present AtelierM++, a new interactive marbling image rendering system which allows artists to create marbling textures with real-time visual feedback on mega-pixel sized images. Marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to marble or other stone, hence the name. The system is based on the physical model of the traditional marbling process. We simulate real marbling by solving the Navier-Stokes equations on the graphics processing unit. We employ a third-order accurate but fast Unsplit semi-Lagragian Constrained Interpolation Profile method to reduce the numerical dissipation while retaining the stability. To simulate very sharp interface lines among different paints, a simple yet effective transformation function is applied to the paint concentrations. Several intuitive interfaces are implemented to provide flexible control for users. Extensive experimental results are shown to demonstrate both the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.

Hidden message in a deformation-based texture

We present stego-texture, a unique texture synthesis method that allows users to deliver personalized messages with beautiful, decorative textures. Our approach was inspired by the success of recent work generating marbling textures using mathematical functions. We were able to transform an input image or a text message into an intricate texture by combining the seven basic, reversible functions provided in the system. Later, the input image or message could be recovered by reversing the process of these functions. During the design process, the parameters of operations were automatically recorded, encrypted and invisibly embedded into the final pattern to create a stego-texture. In this way, the receiver could extract the hidden message from the stego-texture without the need for extra information from the sender. To ensure that the delivered message is unnoticeably covered by the texture, we propose a new technique for automatically creating a background that is harmonious with the message based on a set of visual perception cues.

Real-time image-based chinese ink painting rendering

Chinese ink painting, also known as ink and wash painting, is a technically demanding art form. Creating Chinese ink paintings usually requires great skill, concentration, and years of training. This paper presents a novel real-time, automatic framework to convert images into Chinese ink painting style. Given an input image, we first construct its saliency map which captures the visual contents in perceptually salient regions. Next, the image is abstracted and its salient edges are calculated with the help of the saliency map. Then, the abstracted image is diffused by a non-physical ink diffusion process. After that, we combine the diffused image and the salient edges to obtain a composition image. Finally, the composition image is decolorized and texture advected to synthesize the resulting image with Chinese ink painting style. The whole pipeline is implemented on the GPU, enabling a real-time performance. We also propose some optional steps (foreground segmentation and image inversion) to improve the rendering quality. Experimental results show that our model is two to three orders of magnitude faster, while producing results comparable the ones obtained with the current image-based Chinese ink painting rendering method.

From design methodology to evolutionary design: An interactive creation of marble-like textile patterns

Abstract In this paper, by the integration of design methodology theories with evolutionary computation, a new design system is developed to evolve preferred designs on complex marbling patterns using interactive ‘perceptual selection’. The system is formulated in a way to assist the productive–deductive–inductive design reasoning process of the users. Therefore, complex mathematical functions do not cognitively overload the designers, who are released for more critical tasks of aesthetic assessment and new design rules induction. With the implementation on a graphics-processing unit (GPU), real-time complex marbling patterns can be created by the system. The system encourages creativity in the design process and accelerates new design generation. In addition, the resulting patterns fulfil the textile industry requirements of repeat and can be output as vector images.

Fast and reliable mouse picking using graphics hardware

Mouse picking is the most commonly used intuitive operation to interact with 3D scenes in a variety of 3D graphics applications. High performance for such operation is necessary in order to provide users with fast responses. This paper proposes a fast and reliable mouse picking algorithm using graphics hardware for 3D triangular scenes. Our approach uses a multi-layer rendering algorithm to perform the picking operation in linear time complexity. The objectspace based ray-triangle intersection test is implemented in a highly parallelized geometry shader. After applying the hardware-supported occlusion queries, only a small number of objects (or sub-objects) are rendered in subsequent layers, which accelerates the picking efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate the high performance of our novel approach. Due to its simplicity, our algorithm can be easily integrated into existing real-time rendering systems.

Marbling-based creative modelling

Most mathematical marbling simulations generate patterns for texture mapping and surface decoration. We explore the application of three-dimensional deformations inspired by mathematical marbling as a suite of tools to enable creative shape design. Our tools are expressed as analytical functions of space and are volume-preserving vector fields, meaning that the modelling process preserves volumes and avoids self-intersections. Complicated deformations are easily combined to create complex objects from simple ones. To achieve smooth and high-quality shapes, we also present a mesh refinement and simplification algorithm adapted to our deformations. We show a number of examples of shapes created with our technique in order to demonstrate its power and expressiveness.

Solid Mathematical Marbling

Years of research have been devoted to computer-generated 2D marbling, whereas 3D marbling has yet to be explored. The proposed mathematical marbling of 3D solids supports a compact random-access vector representation, creating solid marbling textures by composing closed-form 3D pattern tool functions. The resulting representation is feature-preserving and resolution-independent, and it consumes very little memory. To facilitate the solid-marbling texture authoring process, the authors also developed an intuitive user interface and a genetic algorithm.

A new design concept

The word fashion is synonymous with the word change. Fashion begins with fabrics and fabrics begin with colour. This famous remark/definition of fashion must now be revised in the era of digital technology. In this paper, we propose a novel print design concept, from 3D garments to 2D textiles. By taking advantage of the cutting-edge developments in surface parameterisation, cloth simulation and texture assignment, we develop a computer system that allows designers to create figure-flattering prints directly onto 3D garments, and will output 2D pattern pieces with matched texture that are ready for digital printing and garment production. It reverses the traditional design process from 2D fabrics to 3D garments. The results produced by the proposed method guarantee textural continuity in both garment and pattern pieces. It not only releases apparel makers from the tedious work of matching texture along seams, but also provides users with a new tool to create one-of-a-kind fashion products by designing personalised prints. A computer system reversing the textile and fashion design process is proposed.Creating prints directly on 3D garments and obtaining 2D pattern pieces with matched prints for later garment production.Creating fashion products with figure-flattering prints for individual customers.Unbroken continuity of design eliminates tedious pattern placement.Low-distortion surface parameterisation occurs between 3D garment and 2D patterns.

Stego-Marbling-Texture

We present stego-marbling-texture, a new and unique texture design method which allows users to deliver personalized messages with beautiful marbling textures. Our approach is inspired by the success of the recent work on modeling traditional marbling operations as mathematical functions. The encrypter transforms an input image or a text message into an intricate marbling pattern using marbling operations defined as reversible functions, and the decrypter recovers the input image or message through reversing the process of marbling operations. When applying marbling operations, the parameters of operations are automatically recorded, encrypted, and then invisibly embedded into the marbling pattern to create a stego-marbling-texture. In this way, the decrypter can be implemented as a stand along software, enabling the receiver to extract the hidden message from the stego-marbling-texture without requiring any extra information from the sender. To ensure that the message is unnoticeably and beautifully covered by the marbling texture, we propose a new technique for automatically creating a background which is harmonious with the input message based on a set of visual perception cues.