Management and Visualisation of Non-linear History of Polygonal 3D Models

The research presented in this thesis concerns the problems of maintenance and revision control of large-scale three dimensional (3D) models over the Internet. As the models grow in size and the authoring tools grow in complexity, standard approaches to collaborative asset development become impractical. The prevalent paradigm of sharing files on a file system poses serious risks with regards, but not limited to, ensuring consistency and concurrency of multi-user 3D editing. Although modifications might be tracked manually using naming conventions or automatically in a version control system (VCS), understanding the provenance of a large 3D dataset is hard due to revision metadata not being associated with the underlying scene structures. Some tools and protocols enable seamless synchronisation of file and directory changes in remote locations. However, the existing web-based technologies are not yet fully exploiting the modern design patters for access to and management of alternative shared resources online. Therefore, four distinct but highly interconnected conceptual tools are explored. The first is the organisation of 3D assets within recent document-oriented No Structured Query Language (NoSQL) databases. These "schemaless" databases, unlike their relational counterparts, do not represent data in rigid table structures. Instead, they rely on polymorphic documents composed of key-value pairs that are much better suited to the diverse nature of 3D assets. Hence, a domain-specific non-linear revision control system 3D Repo is built around a NoSQL database to enable asynchronous editing similar to traditional VCSs. The second concept is that of visual 3D differencing and merging. The accompanying 3D Diff tool supports interactive conflict resolution at the level of scene graph nodes that are de facto the delta changes stored in the repository. The third is the utilisation of HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for the purposes of 3D data management. The XML3DRepo daemon application exposes the contents of the repository and the version control logic in a Representational State Transfer (REST) style of architecture. At the same time, it manifests the effects of various 3D encoding strategies on the file sizes and download times in modern web browsers. The fourth and final concept is the reverse-engineering of an editing history. Even if the models are being version controlled, the extracted provenance is limited to additions, deletions and modifications. The 3D Timeline tool, therefore, implies a plausible history of common modelling operations such as duplications, transformations, etc. Given a collection of 3D models, it estimates a part-based correspondence and visualises it in a temporal flow. The prototype tools developed as part of the research were evaluated in pilot user studies that suggest they are usable by the end users and well suited to their respective tasks. Together, the results constitute a novel framework that demonstrates the feasibility of a domain-specific 3D version control

ISReal: An Open Platform for Semantic-Based 3D Simulations in the 3D Internet

Abstract. We present the first open and cross-disciplinary 3D Internet research platform, called ISReal, for intelligent 3D simulation of real-ities. Its core innovation is the comprehensively integrated application of semantic Web technologies, semantic services, intelligent agents, ver-ification and 3D graphics for this purpose. In this paper, we focus on the interplay between its components for semantic XML3D scene query processing and semantic 3D animation service handling, as well as the semantic-based perception and action planning with coupled semantic service composition by agent-controlled avatars in a virtual world. We demonstrate the use of the implemented platform for semantic-based 3D simulations in a small virtual world example with an intelligent user avatar and discuss results of the platform performance evaluation.

3DRepo4Unity: Dynamic Loading of Version Controlled 3D Assets into the Unity Game Engine

In recent years, Unity has become a popular platform for the development of a broad range of visualization and VR applications. This is due to its ease of use, cross-platform compatibility and accessibility to independent developers. Despite such applications being cross-platform, their assets are generally bundled with executables, or streamed at runtime in a highly optimised, proprietary format. In this paper, we present a novel system for dynamically populating a Unity environment at runtime using open Web3D standards. Our system generates dynamic resources at runtime from a remote 3D Repo repository. This enables us to build a viewer which can easily visualize X3D-based revisions from a version controlled database in the cloud without any compile-time knowledge of the assets. We motivate the work and introduce the high-level architecture of our solution. We describe our new dynamic transcoding library with an emphasis on scalability and 3D rendering. We then perform a comparative evaluation between 3drepo.io, a state of the art X3DOM based renderer, and the new 3DRepo4Unity library on web browser platforms. Finally, we present a number of different applications that demonstrate the practicality of our chosen approach. By building on previous Web3D functionality and standards, our hope is to stimulate further discussion around and research into web formats that would enable incremental loading on other platforms

Informatics Inside : Grenzen überwinden - Virtualität erweitert Realität : Informatik-Konferenz an der Hochschule Reutlingen, 11. Mai 2011

Die Informatics Inside-Konferenz findet in diesem Jahr zum dritten Mal statt. Mit dem Thema "Grenzen überwinden – Virtualität erweitert Realität" stellt sich die Veranstaltung einem aktuellen Schwerpunkt, der viele Interessierte aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Forschung anzieht. Die Konferenz hat sich von einer Veranstaltung für die Masterstudenten des Studiengangs Medien- und Kommunikationsinformatik zu einer offenen Studentenkonferenz entwickelt. Um die Qualität weiter zu steigern wurde parallel dazu ein zweistufiges Review-Verfahren für Beiträge dieses Tagungsbandes eingeführt

Web based hybrid volumetric visualisation of urban GIS data: Integration of 4D Temperature and Wind Fields with LoD-2 CityGML models

City models visualisation, buildings, structures and volumetric information, is an important task in Computer Graphics and Urban Planning -- The different formats and data sources involved in the visualisation make the development of applications a big challenge -- We present a homogeneous web visualisation framework using X3DOM and MEDX3DOM for the visualisation of these urban objects -- We present an integration of different declarative data sources, enabling the utilization of advanced visualisation algorithms to render the models -- It has been tested with a city model composed of buildings from the Madrid University Campus, some volumetric datasets coming from Air Quality Models and 2D layers wind datasets -- Results show that the visualisation of all the urban models can be performed in real time on the Web -- An HTML5 web interface is presented to the users, enabling real time modifications of visualisation parameter

Influences of decision under uncertain information on IT - management

To navigate an enterprise successfully in a global market means to recognise changes and risks correctly and to decide how to act and react. Agitation is only possible, when countermeasures have been undertaken before the risk emerges. This implies a target system, which besides the target variable provides a behaviour pattern also. On the basis of this behaviour the following basic questions can be postulated: How can we make decision making more secure with regards to the target system? What kind of IT - support is necessary in this respect? In this article we will show the importance of decisions based on uncertain data and their influences on IT - management and IT - platforms. First of all, we show the basic theories in dealing with turbulences and uncertainties. By presenting examples of two different branches, in medical health and in architecture we demonstrate a systematic solution for diminishing and even avoiding risks in the operational context of an enterpriseZarządzanie przedsiębiorstwem na rynku globalnym wymaga rozpoznania zmian i ryzyka. Niepokój jest możliwy tylko wtedy, gdy środki zaradcze zostały podjęte przed pojawieniem się ryzyka. Wpływa to na wybór systemu docelowego, na który oprócz zmiennej docelowej składa się również wzór zachowania. Na podstawie tego zachowania wyłaniają się podstawowe pytania: Jak możemy podejmować decyzje bardziej bezpieczne w odniesieniu do systemu docelowego? Jakie IT jest konieczne, aby wesprzeć w tym zakresie działania? W artykule przedstawiamy znaczenie procesu podejmowania decyzji w oparciu o niepewne dane i ich wpływ na IT zarządzanie i IT platformę. Przede wszystkim przedstawiamy podstawowe teorie umożliwiające podejmowanie decyzji w turbulentnym i niepewnym otoczeniu. Na przykładzie dwóch równych obszarów, w służbie zdrowia i architekturze, proponujemy systematyczne rozwiązania dla zmniejszenia, a nawet unikania zagrożeń w kontekście działań operacyjnych przedsiębiorstw

Open3D: Crowd-Sourced Distributed Curation of City Models

Detailed, large-scale 3D models of cities are important assets for many applications. While creating such models is difficult and time consuming, keeping them updated is even more challenging. In comparison, in many domains, crowd-sourcing of data is now an established process for expanding the scope or detail of data sets. In this paper, we describe the initial prototype implementation of Open3D, a crowd-sourcing platform for distributed curation of large-scale city models. We present an open architecture with interfaces that clearly separate model storage and indexing from viewing or editing. To support collaborative editing of extremely large models, we propose to use a modeling and model description paradigm that can integrate polygon-based modeling with parametric operations. We demonstrate the main concepts and prototype through an online city model that can be synchronously edited by multiple users, with live changes being propagated among clients. The main implementation consists of a set of web services, which support key functions such as model storage, locks for editing and spatial queries; a light-weight viewer based on the Cesium library, which runs on desktops and mobile devices; and a prototype editor, which clients can install to edit the models

Declarative Integration of Interactive 3D Graphics into the World-Wide Web: Principles, Current Approaches, and Research Agenda

International audienceWith the advent of WebGL, plugin-free hardware-accelerated interactive 3D graphics has finally arrived in all major Web browsers. WebGL is an imperative solution that is tied to the functionality of rasterization APIs. Consequently, its usage requires a deeper understanding of the rasterization pipeline. In contrast to this stands a declarative approach with an abstract description of the 3D scene. We strongly believe that such approach is more suitable for the integration of 3D into HTML5 and related Web technologies, as those concepts are well-known by millions of Web developers and therefore crucial for the fast adoption of 3D on the Web. Hence, in this paper we explore the options for new declarative ways of incorporating 3D graphics directly into HTML to enable its use on any Web page. We present declarative 3D principles that guide the work of the Declarative 3D for the Web Architecture W3C Community Group and describe the current state of the fundamentals to this initiative. Finally, we draw an agenda for the next development stages of Declarative 3D for the Web

Architectures for ubiquitous 3D on heterogeneous computing platforms

Today, a wide scope for 3D graphics applications exists, including domains such as scientific visualization, 3D-enabled web pages, and entertainment. At the same time, the devices and platforms that run and display the applications are more heterogeneous than ever. Display environments range from mobile devices to desktop systems and ultimately to distributed displays that facilitate collaborative interaction. While the capability of the client devices may vary considerably, the visualization experiences running on them should be consistent. The field of application should dictate how and on what devices users access the application, not the technical requirements to realize the 3D output. The goal of this thesis is to examine the diverse challenges involved in providing consistent and scalable visualization experiences to heterogeneous computing platforms and display setups. While we could not address the myriad of possible use cases, we developed a comprehensive set of rendering architectures in the major domains of scientific and medical visualization, web-based 3D applications, and movie virtual production. To provide the required service quality, performance, and scalability for different client devices and displays, our architectures focus on the efficient utilization and combination of the available client, server, and network resources. We present innovative solutions that incorporate methods for hybrid and distributed rendering as well as means to manage data sets and stream rendering results. We establish the browser as a promising platform for accessible and portable visualization services. We collaborated with experts from the medical field and the movie industry to evaluate the usability of our technology in real-world scenarios. The presented architectures achieve a wide coverage of display and rendering setups and at the same time share major components and concepts. Thus, they build a strong foundation for a unified system that supports a variety of use cases.Heutzutage existiert ein großer Anwendungsbereich für 3D-Grafikapplikationen wie wissenschaftliche Visualisierungen, 3D-Inhalte in Webseiten, und Unterhaltungssoftware. Gleichzeitig sind die Geräte und Plattformen, welche die Anwendungen ausführen und anzeigen, heterogener als je zuvor. Anzeigegeräte reichen von mobilen Geräten zu Desktop-Systemen bis hin zu verteilten Bildschirmumgebungen, die eine kollaborative Anwendung begünstigen. Während die Leistungsfähigkeit der Geräte stark schwanken kann, sollten die dort laufenden Visualisierungen konsistent sein. Das Anwendungsfeld sollte bestimmen, wie und auf welchem Gerät Benutzer auf die Anwendung zugreifen, nicht die technischen Voraussetzungen zur Erzeugung der 3D-Grafik. Das Ziel dieser Thesis ist es, die diversen Herausforderungen zu untersuchen, die bei der Bereitstellung von konsistenten und skalierbaren Visualisierungsanwendungen auf heterogenen Plattformen eine Rolle spielen. Während wir nicht die Vielzahl an möglichen Anwendungsfällen abdecken konnten, haben wir eine repräsentative Auswahl an Rendering-Architekturen in den Kernbereichen wissenschaftliche Visualisierung, web-basierte 3D-Anwendungen, und virtuelle Filmproduktion entwickelt. Um die geforderte Qualität, Leistung, und Skalierbarkeit für verschiedene Client-Geräte und -Anzeigen zu gewährleisten, fokussieren sich unsere Architekturen auf die effiziente Nutzung und Kombination der verfügbaren Client-, Server-, und Netzwerkressourcen. Wir präsentieren innovative Lösungen, die hybrides und verteiltes Rendering als auch das Verwalten der Datensätze und Streaming der 3D-Ausgabe umfassen. Wir etablieren den Web-Browser als vielversprechende Plattform für zugängliche und portierbare Visualisierungsdienste. Um die Verwendbarkeit unserer Technologie in realitätsnahen Szenarien zu testen, haben wir mit Experten aus der Medizin und Filmindustrie zusammengearbeitet. Unsere Architekturen erreichen eine umfassende Abdeckung von Anzeige- und Rendering-Szenarien und teilen sich gleichzeitig wesentliche Komponenten und Konzepte. Sie bilden daher eine starke Grundlage für ein einheitliches System, das eine Vielzahl an Anwendungsfällen unterstützt

Web 3D Service: an open source implementation

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia InformáticaGeographic Information Systems (GIS) represents some of the most interesting challenges for software engineering of our time. The data volume, the complexity and the critical use cases demands expertise in di erent computer science domains, besides the knowledge of some geography principles. The development of standards related to geographic information representation and its manipulation, either de facto or de jure standards is crucial to the development of large scale GIS applications. By default georeferenced data have been represented in a two dimensional plane for simplicity. Nowadays the evolution of graphics hardware and the emergence of technologies like WebGL give us the necessary support to make 3D GIS possible. But newer and more sophisticated GPUs are not enough to support mature 3D applications. Standards related to 3D representation and manipulation are necessary. In this work we analyze the Open Geospatial Consortium Web 3D Service draft speci cation and provide an open source implementation for it