Generating Virtual Wire Sculptural Art from 3D Models

We present WireRoom , a computational framework for the intelligent design of abstract 3D wire art to depict a given 3D model. Our algorithm generates a set of 3D wire shapes from the 3D model with informative, visually pleasing, and concise structures. It is achieved by solving a dynamic travelling salesman problem on the surface of the 3D model with a multi-path expansion approach. We introduce a novel explorative computational design procedure by taking the generated wire shapes as candidates, avoiding manual design of the wire shape structure. We compare our algorithm with a baseline method and conduct a user study to investigate the usability of the framework and the quality of the produced wire shapes. The results of the comparison and user study confirm that our framework is effective for producing informative, visually pleasing, and concise wire shapes.

Wire sculpture is a unique art form where an artist represents a 3D form using 1D wires. However, the design of novel wire sculpture is difficult and limited to talented experts. We introduce a computer-assisted framework for manually creating 3D wire bending art from given 3D models. Our method extracts a set of 3D contour-curves from several viewpoints as a target design of wire sculpture. Next, we generate several grooves on the 3D surface of the given model, and prints it with 3D printer as a 3D support. By directly fitting wires into the grooves and assembling, users can manually fabricate 3D wire bending art easily and quickly.

Based on features of any shape of wire with complex geometric patterns, a method for modelling 3D wire is proposed, and the machining simulation of the 3D wire and collision detection between the wire and the machine are introduced. By using double buffering technology, we obtain smooth animation during the off-line machining simulation. The computational cost of a collision detection algorithm is decided not only by the complexity of the basic interference test used, but also by the number of times every test is applied. To simplify the collision detection algorithm, an approximate method of representing wire model and machine model by using line segments and planes is applied.

We developed a three-dimensional computer model representing the geometry of a single sawing channel in an ingot sliced with a slurry multi-wire saw. The model is driven by macroscopic machine parameters and gives estimates of the microscopic behaviour of the slurry. It takes into account the laminar flow of the slurry, interaction among the abrasive particles and the interaction of these particles with both wire and ingot surface. With this model the height of the slurry film in the cutting zone can be estimated. The abrasion of silicon can be modeled as well. By calculating the displacement of the wire due to the contact forces on the wire a slurry film height larger than the maximum diameter of the abrasive particles could be estimated.

Generating 3D models from 2D images or sketches is a widely studied important problem in computer graphics. We describe the first method to generate a 3D human model from a single sketched stick figure. In contrast to the existing human modeling techniques, our method does not require a statistical body shape model. We exploit Variational Autoencoders to develop a novel framework capable of transitioning from a simple 2D stick figure sketch, to a corresponding 3D human model. Our network learns the mapping between the input sketch and the output 3D model. Furthermore, our model learns the embedding space around these models. We demonstrate that our network can generate not only 3D models, but also 3D animations through interpolation and extrapolation in the learned embedding space. In addition to 3D human models, we produce 3D horse models in order to show the generalization ability of our framework. Extensive experiments show that our model learns to generate compatible 3D models and animations with 2D sketches.

The paper describes a method for automatically modelling the human face. The model provides a realistic 3D structure and texture description of a specific face for model-based facial image coding. The modelling process fits a 3D general wire frame facial model (WFM) to a 2D image using important features extracted from the image, and finally imposes facial colour by a texture mapping process. Our method is novel in two aspects. The facial-feature-extracting algorithm has been developed to automate the process of fitting the general WFM to the specific real facial image. This is done by locating the boundaries of the face, mouth, and eyes, using active contour models (snakes) guided by artificial neural networks. Secondly, by introducing face orientation detection during the fitting process, the facial model construction method is robust with respect to its ability to adjust the specific facial 3D model for arbitrary orientations.

The availability of commodity 3D extruder pen allows direct drawing of 3D wire sculptures for novice users, enabling many novel applications such as intuitive spatial intelligence development for school students. However, the lack of spatial and structural cues among individual pen strokes makes the 3D drawing process challenging, which often leads to highly distorted and even incomplete wire sculptures. We present a mixed reality system, called `WireDraw', to immersively guide the 3D drawing for easy wire sculpturing. The system design is based on novel 3D drawing principles and the subsequent optimization, making the stroke sequence of the wire model drawable and easy to draw. On-the-fly edits on unsatisfactory strokes are also allowed for creative design. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system by testing on a variety of wire models and a user study. The results show that the visual guidance provided by our system is extremely helpful for drawing high-quality wire sculptures.

This paper presents the concept used to construct a complex residential tilt-up-panel structure utilizing three-dimensional (3D) modeling and animations. The residence comprises of 108 precast concrete panels of varying rectangular shapes with “dog legs” and window and door “cutouts” that look like an assembled jigsaw puzzle. The erection and installation procedure called for a maximum panel-to-panel joint tolerance of 1.27 cm (0.5 in.) , often in 90° joints between panels. 3D animations were used to experiment with the construction process on the computer screen prior to construction in order to avoid potential costly on-site errors. In addition, the 3D animations were also used as a training tool for the contractors. This paper focuses on describing the methodology used to integrate a crane selection algorithm and optimization model with 3D modeling and animation for the selection, utilization, and location of cranes on construction sites. Analytical optimization processes were used to decrease the trav...

In a RF power application such as the OMP, the wires are subjected to high current (because of the high power) and high temperature (because of the heat from IC and joule-heating from the wire itself). Moreover, the wire shape is essential to the RF performance. Hence, the aluminium wire is preferred and wedge wedge wire bonding is widely used. As a result of poor wire shape design, wedge break can be found. Additionally, for the in-shin wires, which are typically very high and can reach high temperatures, failure by wire melting can be reached. During this project, a parametric procedure has been successfully generated. This procedure is able to generate a 3D solid wire bond model, wedge-wedge. The model is able to describe coupled electro-thermal mechanical behaviour with contact conditions between the aluminium wire and the moulding compound. Preliminary stiffness evaluations show that the in shin wires are significantly weaker than the offset design (from die to leadframe). Preliminary thermal evaluations show that the wire geometry does not have a large influence on the resulting temperature.

3D image analysis and automatic modelling using Neurofocalisation and attractiveness with hardwarefilters. Towards a new kind of filter-based data structures instead of splines/polygons.

Wire art is the creation of three-dimensional sculptural art using wire strands. As the 2D projection of a 3D wire sculpture forms line drawing patterns, it is possible to craft multi-view wire sculpture art --- a static sculpture with multiple (potentially very different) interpretations when perceived at different viewpoints. Artists can effectively leverage this characteristic and produce compelling artistic effects. However, the creation of such multi-view wire sculpture is extremely time-consuming even by highly skilled artists. In this paper, we present a computational framework for automatic creation of multi-view 3D wire sculpture. Our system takes two or three user-specified line drawings and the associated viewpoints as inputs. We start with producing a sparse set of voxels via greedy selection approach such that their projections on the virtual cameras cover all the contour pixels of the input line drawings. The sparse set of voxels, however, do not necessary form one single connected component. We introduce a constrained 3D pathfinding algorithm to link isolated groups of voxels into a connected component while maintaining the similarity between the projected voxels and the line drawings. Using the reconstructed visual hull, we extract a curve skeleton and produce a collection of smooth 3D curves by fitting cubic splines and optimizing the curve deformation to best approximate the provided line drawings. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system for creating compelling multi-view wire sculptures in both simulation and 3D physical printouts.

A new 3D model retrieval approach based on the elevation descriptor

3D modelling and animation software presents artists with unique creative opportunities and limitations that are dependent on design decisions implicit in the software's architecture, interface and workflow. This paper presents preliminary outcomes of a research project which explores these opportunities and limitations in order to develop new ways of working with the software that result in new visual styles of 3D animation. Strategies of production commonly used by 3D animators are significantly different to the strategies used by figurative painters. Painters often refer to their creative process as a type of collaboration or a conversation between themselves and the medium (paint). In contrast to this approach, for 3D animators the making process is often regarded as a necessary set of steps that lead to a predefined outcome. This research project examines the process of painting and uses a practice based research methodology to develop approaches to 3D animation that engage the animator in qualities of practice equivalent to those commonly experienced by a painter. The paper highlights some fundamental philosophical and strategic limitations encountered by 3D animators and discusses a series of short experimental 3D animations that aim to overcome these limitations.

Image-based 3D shape reconstruction is essential for 3D modeling in recognition, virtual reality, generation of video games, 3D animation, and in the creation of 3D virtual fitting rooms - the sought-after application in this dissertation. In this work, we propose a novel reconstruction method that uses a generic 3D model that roughly controls the overall reconstruction shape which in turn, reduces the number of 2D images needed to just two (frontal and profile) for obtaining a 3D point model. The generic model consists of a massive set of 3D points that lack saliency, topological meaning, and relational interconnections. This is also true about points in the two canonical images. In this work, we propose finding a small set of interconnected ordered intrinsic salient points (control points) residing on the silhouette of the projections of the generic model onto the two image spaces, as well as finding those for the canonical images. Points on the generic model and the images are automatically given saliency with order and interconnections through loop-subdivision operating on those control points and their equivalent points on the canonical images. The transformation of the generic model into the specific object is done through morphing the points on the generic model to follow and be consistent with their equivalent points on the canonical images. The control points on the canonical images are automatically obtained using an active shape model (ASM) that modifies an average trained control point set attained using an offline training, to account for class shape variability and boundary regularization guaranteeing the control points to reside on the silhouette (boundary) of the individual. The reconstructed 3D model is furtherly refined through smoothing the reconstructed surface, while fixing local holes using a principle component analysis (PCA) decomposition. This reconstruction method is convenient, simple, efficient, and results in an average geometric error of less than 0.5% over 700 diverse body models from the CAESAR dataset. We then implement the contour-based articulated model to the personalized 3D model for pose recovery. The evolution of the model through the articulation process is captured in a video clip. 3D transformations are found and applied to the 3D model on its parts so that the projections of the 3D model 'match' those observed in the video sequence at corresponding frames. This is done by minimizing the error between the frontal projection body region points and the target points from the image for each independent moving part, with sub-resolution recovery errors. Once the personalized 3D model is obtained and the articulated model is implemented, the algorithm simulates how garments virtually appear on the reconstructed person under different poses. Different types of clothes are classified as tight or loose, where for the first type of garments, the garment is mapped onto the person's body, whereas for the second type, the mapping adjusts to accommodate the loose nature of the garment, and its fitting on the body of the reconstructed person model. This creates a virtual in-home fitting room for garment fitting, which is timely and is a needed application that would go hand in hand with online clothes shopping, allowing the trying of garments at home with changing poses before ordering them, and can be updated as often as necessary to accommodate changes in physique, weight, aging, etc. This is also done with minimum requirements from the user aside from taking two images and a video of pose articulations using their cam or smart phone, and stands as a useful, needed, and attractive App.

Introduction This article presents an innovative approach to the development of contour-based products, such as assistive technologies, with postural readjustment. The process integrates advanced techniques of three-dimensional scanning, digital modeling, and 3D animation. Objective To develop a method that employs digital human models obtained through 3D scanning, applying modeling and animation techniques to digitally adjust posture and enable the digital fabrication of custom-fitted products with postural correction. Method The method was developed following an action research framework, encompassing its design, application, and refinement through a case study that illustrates its practical use. Results and Discussion The case study describes the development of a custom seat with postural realignment for a wheelchair user. The development is structured into five stages: (1) Application Requirements; (2) 3D Scanning; (3) Digital Model Processing; (4) Digital Fabrication; and (5) Evaluation. For each stage, technical possibilities and real-world challenges are presented based on the case study that demonstrates the complete implementation of the method. Conclusion The proposed method proved to be effective, enabling the production of high-quality seating with accurate postural adjustments. This contribution opens new avenues for research and practice in the field of assistive technology by enabling faster and more precise product development. It keeps pace with the latest advances in product design and healthcare, supporting professionals in delivering better care, and benefiting a greater number of people with disabilities.