Designing a visual component of communication within 3D avatar virtual worlds

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2600 on 08.20.2017 by CS (TIS)Over the last few years 3D avatar virtual worlds (AVW) have emerged on the Internet. These are computer generated, multi-user, graphical spaces within which people meet, form social groups and interact with each other in real time, typically through the exchange of text or audio messages. Each user is represented within the space by a digital image known as an avatar, which is usually humanoid in form, and is predominantly under the control of the person it represents. This thesisd escribesa creativep roject that is concernedw ith aspectso f social communication between users of "Ws. In particular, an avatar is designed that is capable of performing body language, and a set of useful gestures are implemented that support aspects of social interaction and integrate with verbal discourse in a meaningful way. In addition to this, a number of scenic properties are derived that enable better comprehension of the non verbal communication, e. g. spatial arrangement, camera position and lighting effects. The research consists of a number of interrelated design activities which include reviewing the literature on avatar design in order to locate goals and variety of the project, therefore building on the on the work of others; a comparative review of three popular 3D AVWs to explore the design problem; a study that aims to gain an understanding of the social dynamics involved; the adaptation of a diagrammatic technique for the purpose of modelling social interaction; the development of 2D and 3D prototype techniques exploring the application of the social interaction modelling technique; a body of creative work developing ideas for conveying non verbal communication and the appraisal of the effectiveness of this creative work. The research contributes to the field of avatar design in a number of ways. Firstly, it develops our understanding of social dynamics in virtual worlds. Secondly, it postulates modes of non verbal communication for both individuals and social groups that supports multi-participatory social discourse. Additionally, a number of useful research techniques have been devised, such as a linear diagramming technique that can be used to represent the structure of conversation thereby facilitating the exploration and understanding of the dynamics of AVW social discourse. The work is of interest to those working in the field of avatar and multi-user virtual world design. It may also be of interest to anyone thinking of using an avatar virtual world for the application of collaborative leaming, collaborative games and conferencing

Axiom

Axiom is a short narrative video, using live-action and 3D computer graphics to re-interpret the Greek myth of Persephone through the framework of contemporary science-fiction. The aim of the video is to use narrative, approached from a design strategy that thematizes the representational role of 3D computer generated graphics, to raise questions in the minds of thoughtful viewers about the use of genetics and computer simulated worlds in the context of the vulnerable natural environment. The conceptualization of the video is explained, followed by a summary of the production pipeline, and finally an evaluation of the finished piece

Predicting and auralizing acoustics in classrooms

Although classrooms have fairly simple geometries, this type of room is known to cause problems when trying to predict their acoustics using room acoustics computer modeling. Some typical features from a room acoustics point of view are: Parallel walls, low ceilings (the rooms are flat), uneven distribution of absorption, and most of the floor being covered with furniture which at long distances act as scattering elements, and at short distance provide strong specular components. The importance of diffraction and scattering is illustrated in numbers and by means of auralization, using ODEON 8 Beta

Optimal use of computing equipment in an automated industrial inspection context

This thesis deals with automatic defect detection. The objective was to develop the techniques required by a small manufacturing business to make cost-efficient use of inspection technology. In our work on inspection techniques we discuss image acquisition and the choice between custom and general-purpose processing hardware. We examine the classes of general-purpose computer available and study popular operating systems in detail. We highlight the advantages of a hybrid system interconnected via a local area network and develop a sophisticated suite of image-processing software based on it. We quantitatively study the performance of elements of the TCP/IP networking protocol suite and comment on appropriate protocol selection for parallel distributed applications. We implement our own distributed application based on these findings. In our work on inspection algorithms we investigate the potential uses of iterated function series and Fourier transform operators when preprocessing images of defects in aluminium plate acquired using a linescan camera. We employ a multi-layer perceptron neural network trained by backpropagation as a classifier. We examine the effect on the training process of the number of nodes in the hidden layer and the ability of the network to identify faults in images of aluminium plate. We investigate techniques for introducing positional independence into the network's behaviour. We analyse the pattern of weights induced in the network after training in order to gain insight into the logic of its internal representation. We conclude that the backpropagation training process is sufficiently computationally intensive so as to present a real barrier to further development in practical neural network techniques and seek ways to achieve a speed-up. Weconsider the training process as a search problem and arrive at a process involving multiple, parallel search "vectors" and aspects of genetic algorithms. We implement the system as the mentioned distributed application and comment on its performance

Every shade is a light

Künstler_innen stehen zwei grundlegenden Problemen gegenüber, wenn sie die Tonwerte einer natürlichen Szene in ein Gemälde übersetzen wollen. Zuerst müssen sie mit dem Phänomen der Helligkeitskonstanz umgehen, also der Tatsache dass wir Tonwerte nicht objektiv wahrnehmen, sondern diese von unserem visuellen System interpretiert werden, und zweitens müssen sie die den hohen Tonwertumfang komprimieren, sodass dieser auf der Leinwand, dargestellt werden kann. Wenn Künstler_innen eine natürliche Szene abbilden wollen, müssen sie ein Bild schaffen, das dem Bild der natürlichen Szene auf der Netzhaut nahe kommt, damit uns das Bild korrekt erscheint. In Bezug auf Helligkeiten müssen sie die Wirkung der Helligkeitskonstanz unterbinden, entweder, indem sie auf frühe Verarbeitungsstufen des Perzepts zugreifen können, oder indem sie ihre eigenen wahrnemungsgebundenen Fehler in einem zweiten Schritt zu korrigieren vermögen. Tatsächlich ist bekannt, dass Künstler_innen bessere Wahrnehmungsfähigkeiten haben, z.B. schnitten sie besser bei einem Formkonstanz-Test ab (Cohen & Jones, 2008). Wenn Künstler_innen tatsächlich die Wirkung der Helligkeitskonstanz über Prozesse der Wahrnehmung abwenden können, so sollten sie besser darin sein, Helligkeiten objektiv zu beurteilen. Um diese Annahme zu testen, nahmen Testpersonen an einer Aufgabe teil, in welcher sie Helligkeiten beurteilen sollten. Sie mussten entscheiden, welcher von zwei Stimuli einen größeren Unterschied zeigte: einer, der einen tatsächlichem Kontrast beinhaltete oder einer, welcher lediglich die Illusion eines Kontrasts bot. Die Höhe der jeweiligen echten oder illusiorischen Kontraste variierte. Nicht-Künstler_innen (n=11) und Künstler_innen (n=11) zeigten keinen Unterschied in ihren Fähigkeiten der Beurteilung von Helligkeiten. Zusätzlich zeigte sich kein Zusammenhang zwischen der künstlerischen Erfahrung und der Fähigkeit zur Helligkeitenbewertung. Die Ergebnisse weisen nicht daraufhin, dass Künstler_innen die Helligkeitenkonstanz durch spezielle Wahrnehmungsprozesse überwinden können. In einer zweiten Studie präsentiere ich die Strategien zur Helligkeitenkomprimierung einer Gruppe von Maler_innen (n=10). Alle diese Strategien fußen in der selben natürlichen Szene, welche unter den selben Lichtverhältnissen gemalt wurde. Ich zeige ein Modell, welches die umfassenden Helligkeitskomprimierungs- Strategien eines Malers oder einer Malerin veranschaulicht – der “artist’s look-up table” (Graham, 2009). Dieser scheint grundlegende stilistische Komponenten 81 erfassen zu können. Unterscheidliche “artist’s look-up tables” scheinen sich systematisch über verschiedene Techniken hinweg zu unterscheiden (z.B. Aquarell oder Tusche). In dem Maße wie manche Maler_innen oder Gruppen von Gemälden durch eine gewisse Helligkeiten-Komprimierungs-Strategie beschreibbar sind, ist der “artist’s look-up table” ein nützliches Werkzeug in der Stilforschung oder auch in Autor_innenschaftsdebatten.Artists face two major problems when they render luminances from a natural scene onto a painting. First, they have to overcome lightness constancy, i.e. the fact that we don´t perceive luminances objectively but rather “interpret” them, and second, they must compress the high dynamic range luminances so that they fit on the restricted range the canvas presents. When artists render a natural scene, they must create an image, which is close to the retinal image of the scene in order to appear correct to us. In terms of luminances, they must therefore undo lightness constancy, either by accessing early visual processing stages, or by correcting their own perceptual errors in a second step. Indeed we find evidence for better perceptual abilities in artists, like better performance on a shape constancy task (Cohen & Jones, 2008). If artists were able to overcome lightness constancy perceptually, they should also be better at judging luminances objectively. To test this assumption, subjects were involved in a luminance judgment test. They had to choose whether real contrast stimuli or illusory contrast stimuli at varying contrast levels showed greater luminance difference. Non-artists (n=11) and artists (n=11) showed no difference in their luminance judgmental abilities; furthermore, artistic expertise was not correlated to luminance judgmental abilities, suggesting that artists when painting, cannot undo lightness constancy through more accurate perceptual processes. In a second study I present a group of painter´s (n=10) luminance compression strategies, all originating in the same natural scene, which was painted under the same lighting conditions. I show a model that visualizes a given artist´s global luminance compression strategy — the “artist’s look-up table” – which seems to reflect fundamental stylistic components (Graham, 2009). The different “Artist’s look-up tables” appear to vary systematically across different techniques (such as aquarelle or ink painting). To the degree that certain luminance compression strategies are also a fundamental property of a given painter or grouping of paintings, the “Artist’s look-up table” can be a helpful tool in authorship debates and in stylometry

Logic and intuition in architectural modelling: philosophy of mathematics for computational design

This dissertation investigates the relationship between the shift in the focus of architectural modelling from object to system and philosophical shifts in the history of mathematics that are relevant to that change. Particularly in the wake of the adoption of digital computation, design model spaces are more complex, multidimensional, arguably more logical, less intuitive spaces to navigate, less accessible to perception and visual comprehension. Such spatial issues were encountered much earlier in mathematics than in architectural modelling, with the growth of analytical geometry, a transition from Classical axiomatic proofs in geometry as the basis of mathematics, to analysis as the underpinning of geometry. Can the computational design modeller learn from the changing modern history, philosophy and psychology of mathematics about the construction and navigation of computational geometrical architectural system model space? The research is conducted through a review of recent architectural project examples and reference to three more detailed architectural modelling case studies. The spatial questions these examples and case studies raise are examined in the context of selected historical writing in the history, philosophy and psychology of mathematics and space. This leads to conclusions about changes in the relationship of architecture and mathematics, and reflections on the opportunities and limitations for architectural system models using computation geometry in the light of this historical survey. This line of questioning was motivated as a response to the experience of constructing digital associative geometry models and encountering the apparent limits of their flexibility as the graph of dependencies grew and the messiness of the digital modelling space increased. The questions were inspired particularly by working on the Narthex model for the Sagrada Família church, which extends to many tens of thousands of relationships and constraints, and which was modelled and repeatedly partially remodelled over a very long period. This experience led to the realisation that the limitations of the model were not necessarily the consequence of poor logical schema definition, but could be inevitable limitations of the geometry as defined, regardless of the means of defining it, the ‘shape’ of the multidimensional space being created. This led to more fundamental questions about the nature of Space, its relationship to geometry and the extent to which the latter can be considered simply as an operational and notational system. This dissertation offers a purely inductive journey, offering evidence through very selective examples in architecture, architectural modelling and in the philosophy of mathematics. The journey starts with some questions about the tendency of the model space to break out and exhibit unpredictable and not always desirable behaviour and the opportunities for geometrical construction to solve these questions is not conclusively answered. Many very productive questions about computational architectural modelling are raised in the process of looking for answers

A survey on personal computer applications in industrial design process

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Industrial Design, Izmir, 1999Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 157-162)Text in English, Abstract: Turkish and Englishxii, 194 leavesIn this thesis, computer aided design systems are studied from the industrial designer's point of view. The study includes industrial design processes, computer aided design systems and the integration aspects.The technical issues are priorly studied, including current hardware and software technologies. The pure technical concepts are tried to be supported with real-world examples and graphics. Several important design software are examined, whether by personal practice or by literature research, depending on the availability of the software.Finally, the thesis include a case study, a 17" LCD computer monitor designed with a set of graphic programs including two-dimensional and three-dimensional packages.Keywords: Computers, industrial design methods, design software, computer aided design

Procedural Films: Algorithmic Affect in Research Media Art Practice

This thesis explores the political aesthetics of ‘procedural films’—media works that use generative algorithmic procedures and manifest as moving images. In contrast to long-held techno-positivist understandings of generative art, the thesis reframes procedural films as a critical media art practice aiming to understand the ‘procedure’ as an affective engine of moving image experience. It employs an interdisciplinary approach that borrows from materialist theories of media, experimental film, artificial life and computational culture, and draws on my practices as artist and curator. These processes of making, curating and experiencing serve as enacted research, as a scalable architecture of thinking through and thinking with the technical media. The thesis proposes a conceptual framework for exploring procedural films as techno-cultural artefacts, addressing the ‘apparatus’, the affective space-time of their viewing and their sociopolitical operation. It proposes that algorithmic autonomy brings an affective renegotiation of the traditional roles of the spectator and the moving image, instead seeing it as a complex entanglement of human and non-human agencies, computational temporalities and generative procedures. Furthermore, it addresses procedural mediation and automation as a part of the political aesthetics of media art, exploring the techno-capitalist commodification of attention, time and images. The thesis investigates two case studies—screensaver and game engine—as procedural apparatuses. It explores these media artefacts as sites of labour, design, affect and experience, addressing their techno-cultural construction, as well as their processes of liveness and emergence