8 research outputs found
J M Barrie and the ballets russes
Barrie’s playlet The Truth about the Russian Dancers (written as a direct response to the impact upon British cultural life of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes) has been hardly discussed in the literary scholarship dedicated to his writings. By placing the playlet in the social and political context of the age, as well as focusing on close analysis of the textual variants of the manuscript, the paper discusses Barrie’s exploration of the impressionistic notion of the unfamiliar and the exotic. It is shown that as a searching piece of dramatic criticism, the work provides a penetrating reflection on cultural dialogism produced within the framework of a modernist, rather than Edwardian platform, and thus puts into new perspective certain aspects of the British perception of what was notoriously categorised as the Russian myth
Real-time Realistic Rain Rendering
Artistic outdoor filming and rendering need to choose specific weather conditions in order to
properly trigger the audience reaction; for instance, rain, one of the most common conditions, is
usually employed to transmit a sense of unrest. Synthetic methods to recreate weather are an
important avenue to simplify and cheapen filming, but simulations are a challenging problem due
to the variety of different phenomena that need to be computed. Rain alone involves raindrops,
splashes on the ground, fog, clouds, lightnings, etc. We propose a new rain rendering algorithm
that uses and extends present state of the art approaches in this field. The scope of our method is
to achieve real-time renders of rain streaks and splashes on the ground, while considering complex
illumination effects and allowing an artistic direction for the drops placement.
Our algorithm takes as input an artist-defined rain distribution and density, and then creates
particles in the scene following these indications. No restrictions are imposed on the dimensions
of the rain area, thus direct rendering approaches could rapidly overwhelm current computational
capabilities with huge particle amounts. To solve this situation, we propose techniques that, in
rendering time, adaptively sample the particles generated in order to only select the ones in the
regions that really need to be simulated and rendered.
Particle simulation is executed entirely in the graphics hardware. The algorithm proceeds by
placing the particles in their updated coordinates. It then checks whether a particle is falling as a
rain streak, it has reached the ground and it is a splash or, finally, if it should be discarded because
it has entered a solid object of the scene. Different rendering techniques are used for each case.
Complex illumination parameters are computed for rain streaks to select textures matching them.
These textures are generated in a preprocess step and realistically simulate light when interacting
with the optical properties of the water drops
Fifth Freedom, 1982-02-01
Making Love In Buffalo: pg1
Media Watch: pg1
Editorial: pg2
How Does Your Garden Grow: pg3
As The World Queers: A Sad, Sad Tale: pg4
The Aural Column: pg5
MCC: Why We Are A Fellowship : pg7
Gay Press Association To Meet: pg7
Rosie\u27s Reviews: pg9
Cheryl of M.C. Compton\u27s: pg9
Community Center Calendar: pg11
Bob Damron: pg12
Captain Kink: pg13
SELections by Sam: pg14
Gay Directory: pg15
Want Ads: pg15https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/fifthfreedom/1082/thumbnail.jp
Real-time Realistic Rain Rendering
Artistic outdoor filming and rendering need to choose specific weather conditions in order to
properly trigger the audience reaction; for instance, rain, one of the most common conditions, is
usually employed to transmit a sense of unrest. Synthetic methods to recreate weather are an
important avenue to simplify and cheapen filming, but simulations are a challenging problem due
to the variety of different phenomena that need to be computed. Rain alone involves raindrops,
splashes on the ground, fog, clouds, lightnings, etc. We propose a new rain rendering algorithm
that uses and extends present state of the art approaches in this field. The scope of our method is
to achieve real-time renders of rain streaks and splashes on the ground, while considering complex
illumination effects and allowing an artistic direction for the drops placement.
Our algorithm takes as input an artist-defined rain distribution and density, and then creates
particles in the scene following these indications. No restrictions are imposed on the dimensions
of the rain area, thus direct rendering approaches could rapidly overwhelm current computational
capabilities with huge particle amounts. To solve this situation, we propose techniques that, in
rendering time, adaptively sample the particles generated in order to only select the ones in the
regions that really need to be simulated and rendered.
Particle simulation is executed entirely in the graphics hardware. The algorithm proceeds by
placing the particles in their updated coordinates. It then checks whether a particle is falling as a
rain streak, it has reached the ground and it is a splash or, finally, if it should be discarded because
it has entered a solid object of the scene. Different rendering techniques are used for each case.
Complex illumination parameters are computed for rain streaks to select textures matching them.
These textures are generated in a preprocess step and realistically simulate light when interacting
with the optical properties of the water drops
Physically Based Forehead Modelling and Animation including Wrinkles
There has been a vast amount of research on the production of realistic facial models and animations, which is one of the most challenging areas of computer graphics. Recently, there has been an increased interest in the use of physically based approaches for facial animation, whereby the effects of muscle contractions are propagated through facial soft-tissue models to automatically deform them in a more realistic and anatomically accurate manner. Presented in this thesis is a fully physically based approach for efficiently producing realistic-looking animations of facial movement, including animation of expressive wrinkles, focussing on the forehead. This is done by modelling more physics-based behaviour than current computer graphics approaches.
The presented research has two major components. The first is a novel model creation process to automatically create animatable non-conforming hexahedral finite element (FE) simulation models of facial soft tissue from any surface mesh that contains hole-free volumes. The generated multi-layered voxel-based models are immediately ready for simulation, with skin layers and element material properties, muscle properties, and boundary conditions being automatically computed. The second major component is an advanced optimised GPU-based process to simulate and visualise these models over time using the total Lagrangian explicit dynamic (TLED) formulation of the FE method. An anatomical muscle contraction model computes active and transversely isotropic passive muscle stresses, while advanced boundary conditions enable the sliding effect between the superficial and deep soft-tissue layers to be simulated.
Soft-tissue models and animations with varying complexity are presented, from a simple soft-tissue-block model with uniform layers of skin and muscle, to a complex forehead model. These demonstrate the flexibility of the animation approach to produce detailed animations of realistic gross- and fine-scale soft-tissue movement, including wrinkles, with different muscle structures and material parameters, for example, to animate different-aged skin. Owing to the detail and accuracy of the models and simulations, the animation approach could also be used for applications outside of computer graphics, such as surgical applications. Furthermore, the animation approach can be used to animate any multi-layered soft body (not just soft tissue)
Convergência entre o cinema e a realidade virtual
Doutoramento em Ciências e Tecnologias da ComunicaçãoEsta tese tem como objectivos centrais apontar hipóteses sobre a origem dos
problemas de criação e desenvolvimento emocional em plataformas de
entretenimento interactivo e na sequência da comprovação dessas hipóteses
apontar possíveis soluções. Nesse sentido este projecto assume relevância na
discussão centrada sobre o desenvolvimento de elementos emocionais para
narrativas interactivas estruturadas em ambientes virtuais.
A forma de enquadrar o conhecimento a trabalhar foi concretizado no estudo
sobre aspectos da resposta emocional na convergência entre o Cinema e a
Realidade Virtual (RV). Procurou-se definir similaridades e diferenças não apenas
nos artefactos criativos mas também nos aspectos comunicacionais entre o
artefacto e os receptores. Foi a partir desta primeira abordagem que
desenvolvemos a nossa hipótese principal: que a RV sofre de um deficit de
estimulação de diversidade emocional nos seus receptores quando comparada
com o Cinema.
Com esta hipótese foi necessário proceder a estudos empíricos no sentido de
determinar a veracidade das nossas conjecturas teóricas. Assim testámos 14
artefactos de RV em termos emocionais e depois comparámos os resultados com
testes prévios realizados sobre segmentos fílmicos. Deste estudo empírico
retirámos a confirmação da nossa hipótese mas determinámos também a
(provável) dificuldade que as nossas hipóteses teriam de enfrentar. A um nível
emocional mais profundo, descobrimos que a provável causa da falta de
diversidade deriva de um paradoxo, entre a interactividade necessária ao artefacto
e a inactividade necessária ao receptor para que este possa sentir determinadas
emoções. Estamos assim perante um paradoxo da emoção inter(activa).
Partindo deste paradoxo, desenvolvemos um estudo de análise de conteúdos
sobre um grupo de sequências fílmicas previamente testadas por nós e em outros
testes psicológicos, em termos da especificidade das emoções despoletadas por
cada sequência. A análise foi realizada com base em critérios da linguagem
formal fílmica mas em vez de realizar um estudo subjectivo de cada sequência,
desenvolvemos uma abordagem empírica tendo como grupo alvo, realizadores e
argumentistas de cinema. A análise dos excertos produziu uma base de dados de
técnicas estilísticas que serviriam ao desenvolvimento da nossa metodologia de
design de emoção geral assim como para responder ao caso específico levantado
pelo paradoxo anterior. Para este caso específico desenvolvemos uma nova
técnica de interacção a que chamámos de toque físico-virtual.
Com os estudos empíricos realizados e as metodologias de design de emoção
geral e específica estabelecidas, avançámos para a primeira aproximação à
prototipagem, ou seja para a conversão das semânticas fílmicas em semânticas
RV e por fim procedeu-se à implementação do protótipo. O protótipo foi depois
submetido a um conjunto de testes para determinar da sua suficiência, usabilidade
e facilidade de uso. Os resultados obtidos indicam que foi atingindo um nível
satisfatório na estimulação da diversidade emocional.This thesis has as its central objectives the identification of the source of problems
in the elicitation of emotion within interactive platforms, followed by the advancing of
possible solutions to the hypotheses thus arrived at. In this regard, the dissertation
seeks to make a valid contribution to discussions related with the development of
emotional elements in interactive narratives built into virtual environments.
The conceptual framework has been grounded in research on aspects of emotional
response in the convergence between Film and Virtual Reality, looking for
similarities and differences not only in creative artefacts but also in the
communication between those artefacts and their consumers. From this first
approach, we have stated our main hypothesis: that VR suffers from a deficit in the
emotional diversity elicited in receivers when compared with that of Film.
With this hypothesis, it was necessary to proceed first with empirical studies in
order to ascertain the veracity of our theoretical conjectures. So we have tested 14
VR pieces in emotional terms through self-reports and then we compared the
results with previous studies carried out in the analysis of film. From this empirical
study we find our hypothesis confirmed but we have also determined the (probable)
main difficulty with the reliability of the hypotheses. At a deeper emotional level, we
have discovered that the probable cause of lack of diversity derives from a paradox,
between the interactivity needed by the artefact and the inactivity needed by the
user to feel certain emotions. We are therefore faced with a paradox of emotion
inter(activity).
Taking our lead from this paradox, we developed a content-analysis study of a
selected group of film sequences previously tested by us and in other psychological
studies, in terms of the specificity of the emotions elicited by each film clip. The
analysis was made following objective film stylistics criteria but instead of doing a
subjective analysis of each sequence, we developed an empirical approach
grounded in the ideas of a group of filmmakers and film writers, analysing our
excerpts in order to produce a database of possible formal film techniques. The
database would serve as our main design methodology for emotional diversity and
for dealing with the specific problematic areas we had found previously in our
interactive artefacts study. For this specific problem, we developed a new
interactive technique that we named virtual body touch.
With the empirical studies carried out and the methodologies for the general and
specific design of emotional diversity established, we moved on to the first stages in
prototyping, mainly the conversion of film semantics methodologies into VR
semantics. The prototyping then used these converted interactive categories and
parameters to produce results in respect of scenery and characterization. Finally,
we have submitted the prototype to a series of validation tests to determine the
sufficiency, usability and easiness of the tool. This validation process obtained
results which indicate a satisfactory level of appraisal by the experimenters.
Finally, we present possible suggestions to be taken up and explored in further
research work
Emoções interactivas, do cinema para os videojogos
Coleção : Comunicação e Sociedade n.º 1