Freeform User Interfaces for Graphical Computing

報告番号: 甲15222 ; 学位授与年月日: 2000-03-29 ; 学位の種別: 課程博士 ; 学位の種類: 博士(工学) ; 学位記番号: 博工第4717号 ; 研究科・専攻: 工学系研究科情報工学専

Stereoscopic Sketchpad: 3D Digital Ink

--Context-- This project looked at the development of a stereoscopic 3D environment in which a user is able to draw freely in all three dimensions. The main focus was on the storage and manipulation of the ‘digital ink’ with which the user draws. For a drawing and sketching package to be effective it must not only have an easy to use user interface, it must be able to handle all input data quickly and efficiently so that the user is able to focus fully on their drawing. --Background-- When it comes to sketching in three dimensions the majority of applications currently available rely on vector based drawing methods. This is primarily because the applications are designed to take a users two dimensional input and transform this into a three dimensional model. Having the sketch represented as vectors makes it simpler for the program to act upon its geometry and thus convert it to a model. There are a number of methods to achieve this aim including Gesture Based Modelling, Reconstruction and Blobby Inflation. Other vector based applications focus on the creation of curves allowing the user to draw within or on existing 3D models. They also allow the user to create wire frame type models. These stroke based applications bring the user closer to traditional sketching rather than the more structured modelling methods detailed. While at present the field is inundated with vector based applications mainly focused upon sketch-based modelling there are significantly less voxel based applications. The majority of these applications focus on the deformation and sculpting of voxmaps, almost the opposite of drawing and sketching, and the creation of three dimensional voxmaps from standard two dimensional pixmaps. How to actually sketch freely within a scene represented by a voxmap has rarely been explored. This comes as a surprise when so many of the standard 2D drawing programs in use today are pixel based. --Method-- As part of this project a simple three dimensional drawing program was designed and implemented using C and C++. This tool is known as Sketch3D and was created using a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. Due to the modular nature of Sketch3Ds system architecture it is possible to plug a range of different data structures into the program to represent the ink in a variety of ways. A series of data structures have been implemented and were tested for efficiency. These structures were a simple list, a 3D array, and an octree. They have been tested for: the time it takes to insert or remove points from the structure; how easy it is to manipulate points once they are stored; and also how the number of points stored effects the draw and rendering times. One of the key issues brought up by this project was devising a means by which a user is able to draw in three dimensions while using only two dimensional input devices. The method settled upon and implemented involves using the mouse or a digital pen to sketch as one would in a standard 2D drawing package but also linking the up and down keyboard keys to the current depth. This allows the user to move in and out of the scene as they draw. A couple of user interface tools were also developed to assist the user. A 3D cursor was implemented and also a toggle, which when on, highlights all of the points intersecting the depth plane on which the cursor currently resides. These tools allow the user to see exactly where they are drawing in relation to previously drawn lines. --Results-- The tests conducted on the data structures clearly revealed that the octree was the most effective data structure. While not the most efficient in every area, it manages to avoid the major pitfalls of the other structures. The list was extremely quick to render and draw to the screen but suffered severely when it comes to finding and manipulating points already stored. In contrast the three dimensional array was able to erase or manipulate points effectively while the draw time rendered the structure effectively useless, taking huge amounts of time to draw each frame. The focus of this research was on how a 3D sketching package would go about storing and accessing the digital ink. This is just a basis for further research in this area and many issues touched upon in this paper will require a more in depth analysis. The primary area of this future research would be the creation of an effective user interface and the introduction of regular sketching package features such as the saving and loading of images

Physical sketching tools and techniques for customized sensate surfaces

Sensate surfaces are a promising avenue for enhancing human interaction with digital systems due to their inherent intuitiveness and natural user interface. Recent technological advancements have enabled sensate surfaces to surpass the constraints of conventional touchscreens by integrating them into everyday objects, creating interactive interfaces that can detect various inputs such as touch, pressure, and gestures. This allows for more natural and intuitive control of digital systems. However, prototyping interactive surfaces that are customized to users' requirements using conventional techniques remains technically challenging due to limitations in accommodating complex geometric shapes and varying sizes. Furthermore, it is crucial to consider the context in which customized surfaces are utilized, as relocating them to fabrication labs may lead to the loss of their original design context. Additionally, prototyping high-resolution sensate surfaces presents challenges due to the complex signal processing requirements involved. This thesis investigates the design and fabrication of customized sensate surfaces that meet the diverse requirements of different users and contexts. The research aims to develop novel tools and techniques that overcome the technical limitations of current methods and enable the creation of sensate surfaces that enhance human interaction with digital systems.Sensorische Oberflächen sind aufgrund ihrer inhärenten Intuitivität und natürlichen Benutzeroberfläche ein vielversprechender Ansatz, um die menschliche Interaktionmit digitalen Systemen zu verbessern. Die jüngsten technologischen Fortschritte haben es ermöglicht, dass sensorische Oberflächen die Beschränkungen herkömmlicher Touchscreens überwinden, indem sie in Alltagsgegenstände integriert werden und interaktive Schnittstellen schaffen, die diverse Eingaben wie Berührung, Druck, oder Gesten erkennen können. Dies ermöglicht eine natürlichere und intuitivere Steuerung von digitalen Systemen. Das Prototyping interaktiver Oberflächen, die mit herkömmlichen Techniken an die Bedürfnisse der Nutzer angepasst werden, bleibt jedoch eine technische Herausforderung, da komplexe geometrische Formen und variierende Größen nur begrenzt berücksichtigt werden können. Darüber hinaus ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, den Kontext, in dem diese individuell angepassten Oberflächen verwendet werden, zu berücksichtigen, da eine Verlagerung in Fabrikations-Laboratorien zum Verlust ihres ursprünglichen Designkontextes führen kann. Zudem stellt das Prototyping hochauflösender sensorischer Oberflächen aufgrund der komplexen Anforderungen an die Signalverarbeitung eine Herausforderung dar. Diese Arbeit erforscht dasDesign und die Fabrikation individuell angepasster sensorischer Oberflächen, die den diversen Anforderungen unterschiedlicher Nutzer und Kontexte gerecht werden. Die Forschung zielt darauf ab, neuartigeWerkzeuge und Techniken zu entwickeln, die die technischen Beschränkungen derzeitigerMethoden überwinden und die Erstellung von sensorischen Oberflächen ermöglichen, die die menschliche Interaktion mit digitalen Systemen verbessern

Sketch-based interaction and modeling: where do we stand?

Sketching is a natural and intuitive communication tool used for expressing concepts or ideas which are difficult to communicate through text or speech alone. Sketching is therefore used for a variety of purposes, from the expression of ideas on two-dimensional (2D) physical media, to object creation, manipulation, or deformation in three-dimensional (3D) immersive environments. This variety in sketching activities brings about a range of technologies which, while having similar scope, namely that of recording and interpreting the sketch gesture to effect some interaction, adopt different interpretation approaches according to the environment in which the sketch is drawn. In fields such as product design, sketches are drawn at various stages of the design process, and therefore, designers would benefit from sketch interpretation technologies which support these differing interactions. However, research typically focuses on one aspect of sketch interpretation and modeling such that literature on available technologies is fragmented and dispersed. In this paper, we bring together the relevant literature describing technologies which can support the product design industry, namely technologies which support the interpretation of sketches drawn on 2D media, sketch-based search interactions, as well as sketch gestures drawn in 3D media. This paper, therefore, gives a holistic view of the algorithmic support that can be provided in the design process. In so doing, we highlight the research gaps and future research directions required to provide full sketch-based interaction support

Mechanical Design and Analysis: High-Precision Microcontact Printhead for Roll-to-Roll Printing of Flexible Electronics

Flexible electronics have demonstrated potential in a wide range of applications including wearable sensors, photovoltaics, medical devices and more, due to their properties of extreme adaptability while also being lightweight and highly robust. The main challenge standing in the way of progress in this field is the difficulty of large-scale manufacturing of these flexible electronics compared to their rigid counterparts. Microcontact printing is a form of soft lithography in which an elastomeric stamp is used to transfer sub-micron scale surface patterns onto a flexible substrate via ink monolayers. The integration of microcontact printing into a roll-to-roll (R2R) system will enable continuous printing of flexible electronics and scale it up for massive manufacturing. The proposed thesis outlines a novel mechanical design for a microcontact printer which utilizes flexural motion stages with integrated position and force sensors to control the print process on a R2R system. The printhead is designed to fit the available space on the pre-installed UMass Amherst Intelligent Sensing Laboratory test table and breadboard. The R2R system includes motorized rollers for winding/unwinding the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) web substrate, and idler rollers for guiding a web through the print system. As the central element to this design, two matching plate flexures are designed on the two ends of the printer roller to control the tilting and positioning of the print roller. Flexure mechanisms rely on bending and torsion of flexible elements: this allows them to achieve much higher precision in positioning compared to conventional mechanisms which rely on surface interaction between multiple moving parts. The print resolution target for this design is 500 nm (linewidth), based on current state-of-the-art designs [1, 2]. In the initial version of the printhead design, a total of 33 parts are custom fabricated for assembly and installation in the R2R system lab setup. These include everything from the components of the print roller, specially adapted air-bearing mounts, support structures, and connectors. The design and 4 fabrication process for every component is outlined here along with the functionality, as every component was designed with the system objectives and constraints in mind. Using SolidWorks simulation, FEA (finite element analysis) is performed for every part of the assembly that is subjected to stress in the real system, so that predictions can be made about the displacement of the motion stages and the frequency of vibration. These predictions are evaluated by comparation with the experimental results from tests conducted on the real system hardware and used to assess the quality of the fabricated assembly. The work performed in this thesis enables advancements in the assembly of an updated, optimized R2R system and has led to an experimentally functioning lab setup that is ripe for further improvements. Completion and calibration of this augmented R2R system will, in future, enable UMass Amherst in-house production of large-area flexible electronics which may be used in a wide range of applications, including medical sensors, solar cells, displays, and more. In addition to microcontact printing, this R2R system may also be applied to nanoimprint lithography, another contact-based print method, or integrated with inkjet printing, a non-contact method

Sketchy rendering for information visualization

We present and evaluate a framework for constructing sketchy style information visualizations that mimic data graphics drawn by hand. We provide an alternative renderer for the Processing graphics environment that redefines core drawing primitives including line, polygon and ellipse rendering. These primitives allow higher-level graphical features such as bar charts, line charts, treemaps and node-link diagrams to be drawn in a sketchy style with a specified degree of sketchiness. The framework is designed to be easily integrated into existing visualization implementations with minimal programming modification or design effort. We show examples of use for statistical graphics, conveying spatial imprecision and for enhancing aesthetic and narrative qualities of visual- ization. We evaluate user perception of sketchiness of areal features through a series of stimulus-response tests in order to assess users’ ability to place sketchiness on a ratio scale, and to estimate area. Results suggest relative area judgment is compromised by sketchy rendering and that its influence is dependent on the shape being rendered. They show that degree of sketchiness may be judged on an ordinal scale but that its judgement varies strongly between individuals. We evaluate higher-level impacts of sketchiness through user testing of scenarios that encourage user engagement with data visualization and willingness to critique visualization de- sign. Results suggest that where a visualization is clearly sketchy, engagement may be increased and that attitudes to participating in visualization annotation are more positive. The results of our work have implications for effective information visualization design that go beyond the traditional role of sketching as a tool for prototyping or its use for an indication of general uncertainty

Color 3D Printing: Theory, Method, and Application

Our research team proposes a colored manufacturing technology with a layer-by-layer printing process. Using digital inkjet printing in layer-by-layer printing color graphics, a further low-cost color 3D Printing (3DP) technology can be developed. It can provide an integrated way to prototype and reproduce 3D objects, from concept to design and manufacturing. Ultimately, with fast graphics printing method, it guarantees a feasible way to further promote cultural and creative products