20,807 research outputs found
Tools for linking modeling and experiments to enable materials design at the mesoscale
There have been substantial advances in modeling and simulation of microstructure in 3D. These have been accompanied by equally significant advances in characterization techniques, with serial sectioning, synthetic microstructure generation, and synchrotron radiation all contributing strongly. Image-based methods for solving elastic, viscoplastic and elasto-viscoplastic problems are now available to complement finite element methods. The image-based methods sidestep the difficulty of generating meshes that conform to 3D microstructures while preserving mesh quality. The resolution available permits many aspects of heterogeneity in deformation to be investigated. Materials can also be orientation mapped nondestructively in 3D thanks to penetrating radiation at synchrotrons, which permits microstructural evolution to be characterized. Synthetic microstructure generation now accounts for distributions of orientation, grain boundary character, and grain morphology, even fitting the tails of distributions. Software packages such as Dream3D substantially facilitate the exchange of 3D data between experimental systems and simulation programs. Examples of applications are drawn from a number of different projects including one on understanding the origins of void nucleation under dynamic loading
Embedded Implicit Stand-ins for Animated Meshes: a Case of Hybrid Modelling
In this paper we address shape modelling problems, encountered in computer animation and computer games development that are difficult to solve just using polygonal meshes. Our approach is based on a hybrid modelling concept that combines polygonal meshes with implicit surfaces. A hybrid model consists of an animated polygonal mesh and an approximation of this mesh by a convolution surface stand-in that is embedded within it or is attached to it. The motions of both objects are synchronised using a rigging skeleton. This approach is used to model the interaction between an animated mesh object and a viscoelastic substance, normally modelled in implicit form. The adhesive behaviour of the viscous object is modelled using geometric blending operations on the corresponding implicit surfaces. Another application of this approach is the creation of metamorphosing implicit surface parts that are attached to an animated mesh. A prototype implementation of the proposed approach and several examples of modelling and animation with near real-time preview times are presented
Sketching-out virtual humans: A smart interface for human modelling and animation
In this paper, we present a fast and intuitive interface for sketching out
3D virtual humans and animation. The user draws stick figure key frames first and
chooses one for âfleshing-outâ with freehand body contours. The system
automatically constructs a plausible 3D skin surface from the rendered figure, and
maps it onto the posed stick figures to produce the 3D character animation. A
âcreative model-based methodâ is developed, which performs a human perception
process to generate 3D human bodies of various body sizes, shapes and fat
distributions. In this approach, an anatomical 3D generic model has been created with
three distinct layers: skeleton, fat tissue, and skin. It can be transformed sequentially
through rigid morphing, fatness morphing, and surface fitting to match the original
2D sketch. An auto-beautification function is also offered to regularise the 3D
asymmetrical bodies from usersâ imperfect figure sketches. Our current system
delivers character animation in various forms, including articulated figure animation,
3D mesh model animation, 2D contour figure animation, and even 2D NPR animation
with personalised drawing styles. The system has been formally tested by various
users on Tablet PC. After minimal training, even a beginner can create vivid virtual
humans and animate them within minutes
Automatic 3D facial model and texture reconstruction from range scans
This paper presents a fully automatic approach to fitting a generic facial model to detailed range scans of human faces to reconstruct 3D facial models and textures with no manual intervention (such as specifying landmarks). A Scaling Iterative Closest Points (SICP) algorithm is introduced to compute the optimal rigid registrations between the generic model and the range scans with different sizes. And then a new template-fitting method, formulated in an optmization framework of minimizing the physically based elastic energy derived from thin shells, faithfully reconstructs the surfaces and the textures from the range scans and yields dense point correspondences across the reconstructed facial models. Finally, we demonstrate a facial expression transfer method to clone facial expressions from the generic model onto the reconstructed facial models by using the deformation transfer technique
Sketching-out virtual humans: From 2d storyboarding to immediate 3d character animation
Virtual beings are playing a remarkable role in todayâs public entertainment, while ordinary users are still treated as audiences due to the lack of appropriate expertise, equipment, and computer skills. In this paper, we present a fast and intuitive storyboarding interface, which enables users to sketch-out 3D virtual humans, 2D/3D animations, and character intercommunication. We devised an intuitive âstick figurefleshing-outskin mappingâ graphical animation pipeline, which realises the whole process of key framing, 3D pose reconstruction, virtual human modelling, motion path/timing control, and the final animation synthesis by almost pure 2D sketching. A âcreative model-based methodâ is developed, which emulates a human perception process, to generate the 3D human bodies of variational sizes, shapes, and fat distributions. Meanwhile, our current system also supports the sketch-based crowd animation and the storyboarding of the 3D multiple character intercommunication. This system has been formally tested by various users on Tablet PC. After minimal training, even a beginner can create vivid virtual humans and animate them within minutes
Sketch-based virtual human modelling and animation
Animated virtual humans created by skilled artists play a remarkable role in todayâs public entertainment. However, ordinary users are still treated as audiences due to the lack of appropriate expertise, equipment, and computer skills. We developed a new method and a novel sketching interface, which enable anyone who can draw to âsketch-outâ 3D virtual humans and animation.
We devised a âStick FigureFleshing-outSkin Mappingâ graphical pipeline, which decomposes the complexity of figure drawing and considerably boosts the modelling and animation efficiency. We developed a gesture-based method for 3D pose reconstruction from 2D stick figure drawings. We investigated a âCreative Model-based Methodâ, which performs a human perception process to transfer usersâ 2D freehand sketches into 3D human bodies of various body sizes, shapes and fat distributions. Our current system supports character animation in various forms including articulated figure animation, 3D mesh model animation, and 2D contour/NPR animation with personalised drawing styles. Moreover, this interface also supports sketch-based crowd animation and 2D storyboarding of 3D multiple character interactions. A preliminary user study was conducted to support the overall system design. Our system has been formally tested by various users on Tablet PC. After minimal training, even a beginner can create vivid virtual humans and animate them within minutes
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