Comments on event driven animation

Event driven animation provides a general method of describing controlling values for various computer animation techniques. A definition and comments are provided on genralizing motion description with events. Additional comments are also provided about the implementation of twixt

Relating Objective and Subjective Performance Measures for AAM-based Visual Speech Synthesizers

We compare two approaches for synthesizing visual speech using Active Appearance Models (AAMs): one that utilizes acoustic features as input, and one that utilizes a phonetic transcription as input. Both synthesizers are trained using the same data and the performance is measured using both objective and subjective testing. We investigate the impact of likely sources of error in the synthesized visual speech by introducing typical errors into real visual speech sequences and subjectively measuring the perceived degradation. When only a small region (e.g. a single syllable) of ground-truth visual speech is incorrect we find that the subjective score for the entire sequence is subjectively lower than sequences generated by our synthesizers. This observation motivates further consideration of an often ignored issue, which is to what extent are subjective measures correlated with objective measures of performance? Significantly, we find that the most commonly used objective measures of performance are not necessarily the best indicator of viewer perception of quality. We empirically evaluate alternatives and show that the cost of a dynamic time warp of synthesized visual speech parameters to the respective ground-truth parameters is a better indicator of subjective quality

Formal features as a design factor of video segments in interactive video programmes

Video segments may be characterized by formal design features with respect to factors such as complexity of narration, mutual influence of picture and sound, use of superimposed texts, information load due to technical terms, and animation. The paper suggests ways to operationalize these factors and reports about an experiment in which the influence of these formal features was studied with respect to perceived information load of video segments by learners. The length of a segment was thereby counted as the number of information elements it contains. An information element is defined as one uninterrupted statement of the narrator about which one factual question can be presented. The experiment was carried out by using an experimental videodisc programme about cheesemaking that contains 252 information elements which form a connected discourse of 36 min if the programme is played linearly without stopping. Subjects had the task to divide this programme into segments by deciding for themselves how often they would stop before completing the programme. At every stopping place, the subjects were questioned about the content of the just completed segment.\ud \ud The results of the experiment suggest that: (a) subjects tend to perceive narrated sentences as one whole, regardless of the number of facts implied, (b) content-related technical terms seem not to determine difficulty level, (c) superimposed texts show a trend to help subjects who prefer short segments to choose longer segments and subjects who prefer long segments to choose shorter segments, (d) animation is positively (but moderately) correlated with mean self-chosen segment length

IUPUC Spatial Innovation Lab

During the summer of 2016 the IUPUC ME Division envi-sioned the concept of an “Imagineering Lab” based largely on academic makerspace concepts. Important sub-sections of the Imagineering Lab are its “Actualization Lab” (mecha-tronics, actuators, sensors, DAQ devices etc.) and a “Spatial Innovation Lab” (SIL) based on developing “dream stations” (computer work stations) equipped with exciting new tech-nology in intuitive 2D and 3D image creation and Virtual Reality (VR) technology. The objective of the SIL is to cre-ate a work flow converting intuitively created imagery to an-imation, engineering simulation and analysis and computer driven manufacturing interfaces. This paper discusses the challenges and methods being used to create a sustainable Spatial Innovation Lab

Dynamics of multi-cored magnetic structures in the quiet Sun

We report on the dynamical interaction of quiet-Sun magnetic fields and granular convection in the solar photosphere as seen by \textsc{Sunrise}. We use high spatial resolution (0\farcs 15--0\farcs 18) and temporal cadence (33 s) spectropolarimetric Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment data, together with simultaneous CN and Ca\,\textsc{ii}\,H filtergrams from \textsc{Sunrise} Filter Imager. We apply the SIR inversion code to the polarimetric data in order to infer the line of sight velocity and vector magnetic field in the photosphere. The analysis reveals bundles of individual flux tubes evolving as a single entity during the entire 23 minute data set. The group shares a common canopy in the upper photospheric layers, while the individual tubes continually intensify, fragment and merge in the same way that chains of bright points in photometric observations have been reported to do. The evolution of the tube cores are driven by the local granular convection flows. They intensify when they are "compressed" by surrounding granules and split when they are "squeezed" between two moving granules. The resulting fragments are usually later regrouped in intergranular lanes by the granular flows. The continual intensification, fragmentation and coalescence of flux results in magnetic field oscillations of the global entity. From the observations we conclude that the magnetic field oscillations first reported by \citet{2011ApJ...730L..37M} correspond to the forcing by granular motions and not to characteristic oscillatory modes of thin flux tubes.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Accepted in ApJ. Animation 1 can be downloaded from: http://spg.iaa.es/download

On the spectroscopy of quantum dots in microcavities

At the occasion of the OECS conference in Madrid, we give a succinct account of some recent predictions in the spectroscopy of a quantum dot in a microcavity that remain to be observed experimentally, sometimes within the reach of the current state of the art.Comment: OECS11 Conference proceedings, in editor style. 4 pages, 1 figure. Animations provided separatel

Publishing Time Dependent Oceanographic Visualizations using VRML

Oceanographic simulations generate time dependent data; thus, visualizations of this data should include and realize the variable `time'. Moreover, the oceanographers are located across the world and they wish to conveniently communicate and exchange these temporal realizations. This publication of material may be achieved using different methods and languages. VRML provides one convenient publication medium that allows the visualizations to be easily viewed and exchanged between users. Using VRML as the implementation language, we describe five categories of operation. The strategies are determined by the level of calculation that is achieved at the generation stage compared to the playing of the animation. We name the methods: 2D movie, 3D spatial, 3D flipbook, key frame deformation and visualization program

Image processing mini manual

The intent is to provide an introduction to the image processing capabilities available at the Langley Research Center (LaRC) Central Scientific Computing Complex (CSCC). Various image processing software components are described. Information is given concerning the use of these components in the Data Visualization and Animation Laboratory at LaRC