Computer Graphics. Developments in Virtual Environments PDF
Preview Computer Graphics. Developments in Virtual Environments
Computer Graphics: Developments in Virtual Environments Edited by Rae Earnshaw Head of Graphics, University of Leeds, UK and John Vince Thomson CSF, Crawley, UK In cooperation with Silicon Graphics Inc ACADEMIC PRESS Harcourt Brace & Company, Publishers London San Diego New York Boston Sydney Tokyo Toronto ACADEMIC PRESS LIMITED 24/28 Oval Road LONDON NW1 7DX United States Edition published by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. San Diego, CA 92101 Copyright © 1995, by ACADEMIC PRESS LIMITED This book is printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photostat, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publishers A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-12-227741-4 Typeset by Phoenix Photosetting, Chatham, Kent Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge List of Contributors Klaus H. Ahlers, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabellastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Simon Alexander, School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Teeside, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland TS1 3BA, UK [email protected] Elena V. Anoshkina, Computer Science and Engineering Laboratory, The University of Aizu, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected]. Alexei G. Basnakian, Visiting Scientist, National Center for Toxicological Research, Division of Nutritional Toxicology, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson AR 72079, USA [email protected] [email protected].,goc Colin Beardon, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK Salim Belblidia, CRAI/Ecole d' Architecture de Nancy, Chateau de Montet, 54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France [email protected] Alexander G. Belyaev, Center for Mathematical Sciences, The University of Aizu, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected] Ivor Benjamin, Centre for Human-Computer Interface Design, Department of Business Computing, City University, Northampton Square, London EC IV 0ΗΒ, UK D. Bickerstaff, Directorate of Surgical Sciences, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK Eric Bittar, TIMB-TIMC/IMAG, Institut Albert Bonniot, Faculte de Medecine de Grenoble, 38 706 La Tronche, France [email protected] Kadi Bouatouch, IRISA, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France X List of Contributors Ronan Boulic, LIG - Computer Graphics Lab, Swiss Federal Institute of Lausanne, CH-1015 Switzerland [email protected] David Breen, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabelastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Christine Chevrier, INRIA - Campus Scientifique, rue du Jardin Botanique BP101, 54602 Villers-les-Nancy Cedex, France cchevrie @ loria.fr Tat-Seng Chua, Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 0511 Karin Coninx, Applied Computer Science Laboratory, Limburg University Center, Universitaire Campus, B 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium Maggie Cooper, Centre for Human-Computer Interface Design, Department of Business Computing, City University, Northampton Square, London EC IV OHB, UK Chris Crampton, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabellastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Murali Damodaran, Centre for Graphics and Imaging Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263 [email protected] J.B. Edwards, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Gershon Elber, Computer Science Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel Pierre-Jean Erard, Institut d'Informatique et d'Intelligence Artificielle, Universite de Nauchätel, 11 rue Emile-Argand, CH-2007 Neuchätel, Switzerland erard. @ info.unine.cn Eddy Flerackers, Applied Computer Science Laboratory, Limburg University Center, Universitaire Campus, B 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium Jean-Loup Florens, ACROE, INPG-46 av.Felix Viallet - 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France [email protected] Farshad Fotouhi, Department of Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit MI 48202, USA [email protected] List of Contributors XI Claude Fuhrer, Institut d'Informatique et d'Intelligence Artificielle, Universite de Neuchätel, 11 rue Emile-Argand, CH-2007 Neuchätel, Switzerland fuhrer. @ info.unine.ch Tetsuya Fujii, Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nagoya University, Japan [email protected] Marie-Paul Gascuel, iMAGIS/IMAG, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble Cedex 09, France Marie-Paule.Gascuel @ imag.fr Robert Kheng Leng Gay, Centre for Graphics and Imaging Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263 grobertgay @ ntuvax.ntu.ac. sg Craig Gotsman, Department of Computer Science, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200, Israel Douglas Greer, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabellastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany R.J. Hollands, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Matthew David Holton, School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Teeside, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland TS1 3BA, UK [email protected] Runhe Huang, Computer Science and Engineering Laboratory, The University of Aizu, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected]. Zhiyong Huang, LIG - Computer Graphics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, CH-1015 Switzerland [email protected] Laurent Iff, Institut d'Informatique et d'Intelligence Artificielle, Universite de Neuchätel, 11, rue Emile-Argand, CH-2007 Neuchätel, Switzerland iff. ©info.unine.ch Kazuhiko Imamura, Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nagoya University, Japan [email protected] Masa Inakage, The Media Studio, Inc, 2-24-7 Shichirigahama-Higashi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248, Japan Masao Ishiguro, Systems Development Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd, Japan xii List of Contributors Callan Jay, Department of Computer Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand [email protected] Mikael Jern, Vice President Technology, AVS/UNIRAS, Copenhagen, Denmark Andrew Johnson, Department of Computer Science, Wayne State University, Detroit MI 48202, USA aej @ cs.wayne.edu Myung-Soo Kim, Department of Computer Science, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784, South Korea Tosiyasu L. Kunii, Computer Science and Engineering, The University of Aizu, Fukushima 965-80, Japan Li Ling, Centre for Graphics and Imaging Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263 [email protected] Annie Luciani, ACROE, INPG-46 av.Felix Viallet-38031, Grenoble Cedex, France [email protected] Dean McRobie, Animation Research Ltd, 450 Moray Place, Dunedin, New Zealand [email protected] Michael Margaliot, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200, Israel Lamine Melkemi, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon, 43 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, Bätiment 710, 69622 Villeurbanne, France melkemi @ .ligia.univlyon 1 .fr Mahmoud Melkemi, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon, 43 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, Bätiment 710, 69622 Villeurbanne, France melkemi @ .ligia.univlyon 1 .fr Slimane Merzouk, INRIA - Campus Scientifique 615, Rue du Jardin Botanique BP 101, 54602 Villers-les-Nancy Cedex, France merzouk @ loria.fr Sachie Minato, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1, Toyota-cho, Toyota, AICHI, 471 Japan Shin-ya Miyazaki, School of Computer and Cognitive Sciences, Chukyo University, 101 Tokodate, Kaizu-cho, Toyota 470-03, Japan [email protected] List of Contributors XIII N. Mort, Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Jean-Claude Moussaly, Miralab, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Eihachiro Nakamae, Faculty of Business, Hiroshima Prefectural University, Japan Kee-Won Nam, Department of Computer Science, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784, South Korea Yoshinori Ogata, Information Systems Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1, Toyota- cho, Toyota, AICHI, 471 Japan Tetsuya Oshima, Information Systems Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1, Toyota- cho, Toyota, AICHI, 471 Japan Toru Ozeki, Design Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1, Toyota-cho, Toyota, AICHI, 471 Japan Derek Paddon, Kaleidoscope Computer Graphics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK [email protected] Igor Sunday Pandzic, MIRAlab, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Alexander A. Pasko, Shape Modeling Laboratory, University of Aizu, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected] Nicholas M. Patrikalakis, Design Laboratory, MIT Department of Ocean Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA Sumant N. Pattanaik, IRISA, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France Jean Claude Paul, INRIA - Campus Scientifique 615, Rue du Jardin Botanique BP 101, 54602 Villers-les-Nancy Cedex, France [email protected] Eric Rose, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabelastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Bruno Salque, Universite Henri Poincare, Institut Elie Cartan BP 239, 54506 Vandoeuvre- les Nancy Cedex, France Vladimir V. Savchenko, Shape Modeling Laboratory, University of Aizu, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected] XIV List of Contributors Jianhua Shen, Computer Graphics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland David Stuttard, Kaleidoscope Computer Graphics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK Katsumi Tadamura, Faculty of Business, Hiroshima Prefectural University, Japan Atsushi Takaghi, Information Systems Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, 1, Toyota- cho, Toyota, AICHI, 471 Japan Sergey V. Ten, Distributed Parallel Processing Laboratory, University of Aizu, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima 965-80, Japan [email protected] Daniel Thalmann, Computer Graphics Laboratory (EPFL-LIG), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, MIRALab-CUI, University of Geneva, 24, rue du General- Dufour, CH 1211, Geneva, Switzerland thalmann @ cui.unige.ch Shogo Tokai, Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-01, Japan tokai @ toriwaki.nuie.nagoya-u. ac .jp Jun-ichiro Toriwaki, Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nagoya University, Japan [email protected] E.A. Trowbridge, Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Nicolas Tsingos, iMAGIS/IMAG, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble cedex 09, France [email protected] Mihran T\iceryan, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabelastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Seamus T. T\iohy, Design Laboratory, MIT Department of Ocean Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA Russell Turner, Computer Science Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 5401 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore MD, USA [email protected] Claude Uhl, ACROE, INPG-46 av.Felix Viallet - 38031, Grenoble Cedex, France List of Contributors xv Frank Van Reeth, Applied Computer Science Laboratory, Limburg University Center, Universitaire Campus, B 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium Ross Whitaker, European Computer-Industry Research Centre, Arabelastrasse 17, D-81925 Munich, Germany Claire Willis, Kaleidoscope Computer Graphics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK Adam Worrall, Kaleidoscope Computer Graphics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK Yi Wu, Computer Graphics Laboratory (EPEL-LIG), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Geoff Wyvill, Department of Computer Science, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand [email protected] Takami Yasuda, School of Informatics and Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan [email protected] Victor Ye, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK Shigeki Yokoi, School of Informatics and Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan [email protected] John W. Yoon, Design Laboratory, MIT Department of Ocean Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02139-4307, USA Introduction Anyone who has followed the progress of computer graphics during the 1970s and the 1980s will know that it was a very exciting period of discovery. It was a time when new rendering algorithms, different modelling strategies, clever animation techniques, and significant advances in photorealism were being made. Complementing these software developments, hardware systems were dominated by raster technology, and programmers had access to some excellent work stations to develop their graphics systems. Towards the end of this period, the disciplines of image processing, computer animation, scientific visualization and multimedia reached a maturity that allowed them to pursue their independence. But this was not to be the end of computer graphics. Virtual reality systems were emerging, and although they had been viewed by many with some degree of scepticism, the first years of the 1990s assured them a promising future, and there was every possibility that they would play a significant role in human-computer interaction. Virtual reality systems, however, pose many problems: to begin with, they move computers into the real-time domain, and direct the design of interactive interfaces into totally new directions. The real-time operation of computers is not in itself difficult - simulation and process control have used real-time computers for many years. What is difficult is the rendering of stereo views simultaneous with 3D tracking, physical simulation, collision detection, force feedback and the integration of 3D sound. What makes the task even more difficult is to achieve this on a workstation or a PC! Head-mounted display technology is still unable to provide a cost-effective and ergonomic device for viewing virtual worlds, but as more VR systems are installed, we are discovering when to employ immersive displays, and when other display modalities should be used. But apart from the technology, the subject that has rejuvenated computer graphics is that of virtual environments. A virtual environment is at the heart of any virtual reality system. It is a domain, be it abstract, artificial or based upon a real-world model, with which a user needs to interact. Whether or not it was ever appreciated by computer users, computers have always been a medium for creating all sorts of virtual environments. Computer programs do not really exist in a computer as they are imagined in the brains of their creators. Likewise, a 2D CAD schematic is stored as files of coordinates, tables, matrix operations and ASCII strings, which, when processed by suitable software, reveal a meaningful collection of annotated lines. The similarity between the computer-generated image and its real-world counterpart is not accidental: it is the result of considerable effort in making the computer's virtual environment familiar to their human users. Virtual environments that simulate 3D worlds can be visually very compelling. Right simulator manufacturers, for example, abandoned scale models of airports and dynamic video cameras many years ago. Today, they rely upon real-time image generators to create stunning
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