Rendering Frame Rate Research Articles

Vertex–transformation streams

Recent trends in parallel computer architecture strongly suggest the need to improve the arithmetic intensity (the compute to bandwidth ratio) for greater performance in time-critical applications, such as interactive 3D graphics. At the same time, advances in stream programming abstraction for graphics processors (GPUs) have enabled us to use parallel algorithm design methods for GPU programming. Inspired by these developments, this paper explores the interactions between multiple data streams to improve arithmetic intensity and address the input geometry bandwidth bottleneck for interactive 3D graphics applications. We introduce the idea of creating vertex and transformation streams that represent large point datasets via their interaction. We discuss how to factor such point datasets into a set of source vertices and transformation streams by identifying the most common translations amongst vertices. We accomplish this by identifying peaks in the cross-power spectrum of the dataset in the Fourier domain. We validate our approach by integrating it with a view-dependent point rendering system and show significant improvements in input geometry bandwidth requirements as well as rendering frame rates.

Data Streaming in Telepresence Environments

In this paper, we discuss data transmission in telepresence environments for collaborative virtual reality applications. We analyze data streams in the context of networked virtual environments and classify them according to their traffic characteristics. Special emphasis is put on geometry-enhanced (3D) video. We review architectures for real-time 3D video pipelines and derive theoretical bounds on the minimal system latency as a function of the transmission and processing delays. Furthermore, we discuss bandwidth issues of differential update coding for 3D video. In our telepresence system-the blue-c-we use a point-based 3D video technology which allows for differentially encoded 3D representations of human users. While we discuss the considerations which lead to the design of our three-stage 3D video pipeline, we also elucidate some critical implementation details regarding decoupling of acquisition, processing and rendering frame rates, and audio/video synchronization. Finally, we demonstrate the communication and networking features of the blue-c system in its full deployment. We show how the system can possibly be controlled to face processing or networking bottlenecks by adapting the multiple system components like audio, application data, and 3D video.

Hardware‐Accelerated Rendering of Photo Hulls

Abstract This paper presents an efficient hardware‐accelerated method for novel view synthesis from a set of images or videos. Our method is based on the photo hull representation, which is the maximal photo‐consistent shape. We avoid the explicit reconstruction of photo hulls by adopting a view‐dependent plane‐sweeping strategy. From the target viewpoint slicing planes are rendered with reference views projected onto them. Graphics hardware is exploited to verify the photo‐consistency of each rasterized fragment. Visibilities with respect to reference views are properly modeled, and only photo‐consistent fragments are kept and colored in the target view. We present experiments with real images and animation sequences. Thanks to the more accurate shape of the photo hull representation, our method generates more realistic rendering results than methods based on visual hulls. Currently, we achieve rendering frame rates of 2–3 fps. Compared to a pure software implementation, the performance of our hardware‐accelerated method is approximately 7 times faster.Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): CR Categories: I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation; I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three‐Dimensional Graphics and Realism.