Interactive inspection of complex multi-object industrial assemblies

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cad.2016.06.005The use of virtual prototypes and digital models containing thousands of individual objects is commonplace in complex industrial applications like the cooperative design of huge ships. Designers are interested in selecting and editing specific sets of objects during the interactive inspection sessions. This is however not supported by standard visualization systems for huge models. In this paper we discuss in detail the concept of rendering front in multiresolution trees, their properties and the algorithms that construct the hierarchy and efficiently render it, applied to very complex CAD models, so that the model structure and the identities of objects are preserved. We also propose an algorithm for the interactive inspection of huge models which uses a rendering budget and supports selection of individual objects and sets of objects, displacement of the selected objects and real-time collision detection during these displacements. Our solution–based on the analysis of several existing view-dependent visualization schemes–uses a Hybrid Multiresolution Tree that mixes layers of exact geometry, simplified models and impostors, together with a time-critical, view-dependent algorithm and a Constrained Front. The algorithm has been successfully tested in real industrial environments; the models involved are presented and discussed in the paper.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Efficient Decimation of Polygonal Models Using Normal Field Deviation

A simple and robust greedy algorithm has been proposed for efficient and quality decimation of polygonal models. The performance of a simplification algorithm depends on how the local geometric deviation caused by a local decimation operation is measured. As normal field of a surface plays key role in its visual appearance, exploiting the local normal field deviation in a novel way, a new measure of geometric fidelity has been introduced. This measure has the potential to identify and preserve the salient features of a surface model automatically. The resulting algorithm is simple to implement, produces approximations of better quality and is efficient in running time. Subjective and objective comparisons validate the assertion. It is suitable for applications where the focus is better speed-quality trade-off, and simplification is used as a processing step in other algorithms

A survey of real-time crowd rendering

In this survey we review, classify and compare existing approaches for real-time crowd rendering. We first overview character animation techniques, as they are highly tied to crowd rendering performance, and then we analyze the state of the art in crowd rendering. We discuss different representations for level-of-detail (LoD) rendering of animated characters, including polygon-based, point-based, and image-based techniques, and review different criteria for runtime LoD selection. Besides LoD approaches, we review classic acceleration schemes, such as frustum culling and occlusion culling, and describe how they can be adapted to handle crowds of animated characters. We also discuss specific acceleration techniques for crowd rendering, such as primitive pseudo-instancing, palette skinning, and dynamic key-pose caching, which benefit from current graphics hardware. We also address other factors affecting performance and realism of crowds such as lighting, shadowing, clothing and variability. Finally we provide an exhaustive comparison of the most relevant approaches in the field.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

MeshPipe: a Python-based tool for easy automation and demonstration of geometry processing pipelines

The popularization of inexpensive 3D scanning, 3D printing, 3D publishing and AR/VR display technologies have renewed the interest in open-source tools providing the geometry processing algorithms required to clean, repair, enrich, optimize and modify point-based and polygonal-based models. Nowadays, there is a large variety of such open-source tools whose user community includes 3D experts but also 3D enthusiasts and professionals from other disciplines. In this paper we present a Python-based tool that addresses two major caveats of current solutions: the lack of easy-to-use methods for the creation of custom geometry processing pipelines (automation), and the lack of a suitable visual interface for quickly testing, comparing and sharing different pipelines, supporting rapid iterations and providing dynamic feedback to the user (demonstration). From the user's point of view, the tool is a 3D viewer with an integrated Python console from which internal or external Python code can be executed. We provide an easy-to-use but powerful API for element selection and geometry processing. Key algorithms are provided by a high-level C library exposed to the viewer via Python-C bindings. Unlike competing open-source alternatives, our tool has a minimal learning curve and typical pipelines can be written in a few lines of Python code.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Recent Progress in the Definition of Thermodynamic Entropy

The principal methods for the definition of thermodynamic entropy are discussed with special reference to those developed by Carath\'eodory, the Keenan School, Lieb and Yngvason, and the present authors. An improvement of the latter method is then presented. Seven basic axioms are employed: three Postulates, which are considered as having a quite general validity, and four Assumptions, which identify the domains of validity of the definitions of energy (Assumption 1) and entropy (Assumptions 2, 3, 4). The domain of validity of the present definition of entropy is not restricted to stable equilibrium states. For collections of simple systems, it coincides with that of the proof of existence and uniqueness of an entropy function which characterizes the relation of adiabatic accessibility proposed by Lieb and Yngvason. However, our treatment does not require the formation of scaled copies so that it applies not only to collections of simple systems, but also to systems contained in electric or magnetic fields and to small and few-particle systems.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure