124,775 research outputs found
Interactive form creation: exploring the creation and manipulation of free form through the use of interactive multiple input interface
Most current CAD systems support only the two most common input devices: a mouse and a keyboard that impose a limit to the degree of interaction that a user can have with the system. However, it is not uncommon for users to work together on the same computer during a collaborative task. Beside that, people tend to use both hands to manipulate 3D objects; one hand is used to orient the object while the other hand is used to perform some operation on the object. The same things could be applied to computer modelling in the conceptual phase of the design process. A designer can rotate and position an object with one hand, and manipulate the shape [deform it] with the other hand. Accordingly, the 3D object can be easily and intuitively changed through interactive manipulation of both hands.The research investigates the manipulation and creation of free form geometries through the use of interactive interfaces with multiple input devices. First the creation of the 3D model will be discussed; several different types of models will be illustrated. Furthermore, different tools that allow the user to control the 3D model interactively will be presented. Three experiments were conducted using different interactive interfaces; two bi-manual techniques were compared with the conventional one-handed approach. Finally it will be demonstrated that the use of new and multiple input devices can offer many opportunities for form creation. The problem is that few, if any, systems make it easy for the user or the programmer to use new input devices
HATSouth: a global network of fully automated identical wide-field telescopes
HATSouth is the world's first network of automated and homogeneous telescopes
that is capable of year-round 24-hour monitoring of positions over an entire
hemisphere of the sky. The primary scientific goal of the network is to
discover and characterize a large number of transiting extrasolar planets,
reaching out to long periods and down to small planetary radii. HATSouth
achieves this by monitoring extended areas on the sky, deriving high precision
light curves for a large number of stars, searching for the signature of
planetary transits, and confirming planetary candidates with larger telescopes.
HATSouth employs 6 telescope units spread over 3 locations with large longitude
separation in the southern hemisphere (Las Campanas Observatory, Chile; HESS
site, Namibia; Siding Spring Observatory, Australia). Each of the HATSouth
units holds four 0.18m diameter f/2.8 focal ratio telescope tubes on a common
mount producing an 8.2x8.2 arcdeg field, imaged using four 4Kx4K CCD cameras
and Sloan r filters, to give a pixel scale of 3.7 arcsec/pixel. The HATSouth
network is capable of continuously monitoring 128 square arc-degrees. We
present the technical details of the network, summarize operations, and present
weather statistics for the 3 sites. On average each of the 6 HATSouth units has
conducted observations on ~500 nights over a 2-year time period, yielding a
total of more than 1million science frames at 4 minute integration time, and
observing ~10.65 hours per day on average. We describe the scheme of our data
transfer and reduction from raw pixel images to trend-filtered light curves and
transiting planet candidates. Photometric precision reaches ~6 mmag at 4-minute
cadence for the brightest non-saturated stars at r~10.5. We present detailed
transit recovery simulations to determine the expected yield of transiting
planets from HATSouth. (abridged)Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, submitted to PAS
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