Genetic algorithm for line labeling of diagrams having drawing cues

Drawings are an integral part of the design process, helping designers communicate abstract concepts to others. In this paper we propose a genetic algorithm that successfully exploits cues present in drawings in a line labeling algorithm for sketches.peer-reviewe

Exploiting artistic cues to obtain line labels for free-hand sketches

Artistic cues help designers to communicate design intent in sketches. In this paper, we show how these artistic cues may be used to obtain a line labelling interpretation of freehand sketches, using a cue-based genetic algorithm to obtain a labelling solution that matches design intent. In the paper, we show how this can be achieved from off-line or paper based sketches, thereby allowing designers greater flexibility in the choice of sketching medium.peer-reviewe

Approaching Visual Search in Photo-Realistic Scenes

Visual search is extended from the domain of polygonal figures presented on a uniform background to scenes in which search is for a photo-realistic object in a dense, naturalistic background. Scene generation for these displays relies on a powerful solid modeling program to define the three dimensional forms, surface properties, relative positions, and illumination of the objects and a rendering program to produce an image. Search in the presented experiments is for a rock with specific properties among other, similar rocks, although the method described can be generalized to other situations. Using this technique we explore the effects of illumination and shadows in aiding search for a rock in front of and closer to the viewer than other rocks in the scene. For these scenes, shadows of two different contrast levels can significantly deet·ease reaction times for displays in which target rocks are similar to distractor rocks. However, when the target rock is itself easily distinguishable from dis tractors on the basis of form, the presence or absence of shadows has no discernible effect. To relate our findings to those for earlier polygonal displays, we simplified the non-shadow displays so that only boundary information remained. For these simpler displays, search slopes (the reaction time as a function of the number of distractors) were significantly faster, indicating that the more complex photo-realistic objects require more time to process for visual search. In contrast with several previous experiments involving polygonal figures, we found no evidence for an effect of illumination direction on search times

The interpretations of line drawings with contrast failure and shadows

Abstract. In line drawings derived from real images, lines may be missing due to contrast failure and objects with curved surfaces may cast shadows from multiple light sources. This paper shows that it is the presence of shadows, rather than contrast failure, that renders the line drawing labelling problem NP-complete. However, shadows are a valuable visual cue, since their presence is formally shown to reduce the average ambiguity of drawings. This is especially true when constraints concerning shadow formation are employed to differentiate shadow and non-shadow lines. The extended junction constraint, concerning straight lines colinear with junctions, compensates the loss of information caused by contrast failure. In fact, we observe the contrast failure paradox: a drawing is sometimes less ambiguous when lines are partly missing due to contrast failure. It is known that the coplanarity of sets of object vertices can be deduced from the presence of straight lines in the drawing. This paper shows that these coplanarity constraints are robust to the presence of contrast failure

How has the art education that I have received impacted on my practice as an art maker?

This thesis is a written account of my analysis of the art education that I received during my undergraduate Interdisciplinary Art and Design BA(hon)s degree and University Campus Barnsley. The investigation and written thesis were undertaken as part of a Practice led research degree at Huddersfield University. The aim of the research was twofold. First to develop an understanding of the History of Art Education in the area of South Yorkshire and secondly to return to analyse the art work I made as part of my undergraduate degree. This study then became the focus of the series of practical Paintings and drawings which were the main focal point of the Master degree. The thesis is an account of my analysis of how my art practice developed in response to the practical type of education that I received. It identifies specific art makers and art movements that have had a direct impact on how my painting process matured and changed. The thesis goes on to identify the specific genre of literature that influenced my practical development and the use of metaphor in paintings and drawings . It then goes on to give a written account of the specific examples of visual metaphors in my practical Masters work and analyses their origins, continued development and what they represent. The issue of class and social equality is identified and the metaphor clearly dissected and explained. The thesis then outlines the development of the class metaphor into an education metaphor which represents my belief that a university education can aid the act of social mobility. This theory is justified by my experience of having returned to full time higher education as a working class mature woman and having achieved a level of social mobility which was aided by my gaining a first class BA(hon)s degree which enabled me to apply for and complete a Masters Degree

Copyright and the right to the city

No abstract available

Children's acquisition of science terms: simple exposure is insufficient

The ability of school children (N = 233) to acquire new scientific vocabulary was examined. Children from two age groups (M = 4;8 and M = 6;5) were introduced to previously unknown words in an educational video. Word knowledge was assessed through accuracy and latency for production and comprehension over a nine month period. A draw and write task assessed acquisition of domain knowledge. Word learning was poorer than has previously been reported in the literature, and subject to influences of word type (domain-specificity) and word class. The results indicate that the acquisition of scientific terms is a complex process moderated by lexical, semantic and pragmatic factors

The Visible and Not: A Filtered Conversation Between Light and Time

In this thesis, I explore material and conceptual conversations between the physical and the mystical, the seen and unseen, the visible and not. I outline personal embodied experiences with religious practices and within sacred spaces as a grounding framework for my practice, which has eventually generated drawing through glass. I am asking: how does the metaphysical manifest materially? This research is explored through studio work and theoretical contexts in relation to the phenomena of light as a spiritual experience as well as physical reality. First, I outline the methodological origins of my early work in this program in relation to explicit religious practices within the Protestant Christian tradition. This includes the ABSORPTION of the perception of light as a profound spiritual symbol and potent element of sacred spaces. Re-imagining and reinterpretation of stained glass windows serves as a catalyzing visual vocabulary for this research. I then explain a REFRACTION in my practice that occurs when material consideration is given to the physical properties of light in relationship to glass. This mindfulness of the interactional behaviors of these materials leads to a bending in my practice to focus on researching more specifically the relationship between light and time. Finally, DURATION emerges as a key component of studio research as the shifting of light through time is evidenced in large scale graphite drawings. Ultimately, this text documents my practice and research as a shifting and expanding exploration of the sublime moment in connection with personal subjective spiritual experiences and the multiplicity of time