ASSIGNMENT

ON
COMPUTER GRAPHICS

TOPIC: COMPUTER GRAPHICS APPLICATIONS(SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL)

Submitted To, Submitted By

Mr. Win Mathew John Tino Rajan
PG Department Of Computer Application MCA R3
Roll No: 27
INTRODUCTION

Scientific visualization is a branch of computer graphics which is concerned with the presentation of
interactive or animated digital images to scientists who interpret potentially huge quantities of
laboratory or simulation data or the results from sensors out in the field.

In scientific visualization, the graphical models are typically constructed from measured or simulated
data representing objects or concepts associated with phenomena from the physical world. As such, the
data and, hence, its derived visual representations represent objects that exist in a 1D (one-
dimensional), 2D, or 3D object space. Eventually, data will also include a temporal dimension and the
presence of spatial and temporal dimensions is a determinant factor in deriving visual representations
from the data.

The graphical representation of complex physical phenomena in order to assist scientific investigation
and to make inferences that arent apparent in numerical form. Typical examples include processing of
satellite photographs and 3D representations of molecules and fluids to examine their dynamics.

The classical definition of visualization is as follows: the formation of mental visual images, the act or
process of interpreting in visual terms or of putting into visual form. A new definition is a tool or
method for interpreting image data fed into a computer and for generating images from complex multi-
dimensional data sets (1987).

Scientific Visualization is concerned with exploring data and information in such a way as to gain
understanding and insight into the data. The goal of scientific visualization is to promote a deeper level
of understanding of the data under investigation and to foster new insight into the underlying processes,
relying on the humans' powerful ability to visualize. In a number of instances, the tools and techniques
of visualization have been used to analyze and display large volumes of, often time-varying,
multidimensional data in such a way as to allow the user to extract significant features and results
quickly and easily.

APPLICATION: 3D Scanning for Computer Graphics

Three dimensional scanning has recently become a very active area in computer graphics. The
requirements for computer graphics are different from those of traditional scanning applications. At
IBM Watson Research we are developing scanning systems for producing virtual objects that can be
rendered with high visual quality.

The capture of 3D representations of objects has been an area of research for decades in computer
vision, robotics and metrology. Traditional uses for digital objects include industrial
inspection,autonomous robot navigation and object recognition. Each of these areas has different
requirements and different approaches for data acquisition and processing. For inspection
applications,metric accuracy is critical, and scanners with great precision have been developed.
Autonomous navigation applications,such as the use of robots in hazardous environments, need to be
very robust and justify the use of expensive scanning equipment. Object recognition may use both the
shape and surface properties, but only to the extent they are needed to compute a unique signature for
the object

Unlike traditional applications, the end product of scanning for computer graphics is a model that can
be used to render a realistic image of the object under novel conditions, ie in a location or under
lighting conditions that exist only in computer simulation. The emphasis is on visual, rather than metric
accuracy. A systematic error in the shape may be less important than errors in the color or apparent
shininess of the object. This translates into a greater concern for estimating the spatial variation of the
spectral bidirectional reflectance of a surface, and less concern for precision range measurements.
Applications for computer graphics rendering of scanned objects include virtual museums, e-commerce
and games. In virtual museums, institutions can allow visitors to interact with virtual copies of objects
that are physically too delicate to touch, or possibly even to keep on display. In e-commerce, a vendor
may offer a potential consumer the capability to view an object in a variety of customized
configurations. In games,scanned objects can be used to populate visually rich synthetic environments.
These applications, while affecting a wide population, can only justify a modest expenditure on
individual scanners, dictating the use of commodity components in their construction. Also, these
applications require interactive display of the digital objects. This requirement dictates that the output
of the scanning processing pipeline must be a form that can be rendered in real time.

At IBM Watson Research, we have focused on the development of scanning systems that acquire
surface properties as well as shape, use commodity digital cameras, and produce texture-mapped
triangle meshes that can be efficiently rendered by graphics hardware. Our first system was built
around a commercial shape scanner that used projected light stripes and multi-baseline stereo. We
enhanced the scan with a novel photometric system that acquired surface normals and albedo at a
spatial resolution 4 times the base geometry. We developed a processing pipeline for the acquired data
that included new algorithms for meshing point clouds, for computing consistent normals from
photometric data, and for the alignment and integration of surface texture maps.

Our first major project using our scanning system was creating a digital model of Michelangelos
Florentine Pieta`. The sculpture was scanned on site in the Museum of the Opera del Duomo in
Florence. The resulting model was used by art historian Jack Wasserman to study issues such as how
the work appeared after damage (now repaired) inflicted by the artist, and how it would have appeared
in its originally intended site in a niche above the artists tomb.
Many European research groups are pursuing the development of inexpensive scanners for computer
graphics. Cultural heritage is a leading application for many of these projects. For example, the Visual
Computer Group at CNR Pisa, Italy, has developed a scanner based on a digital camera and video
projector. They have recently used this scanner to capture a model of a bronze Minerva in Florence.
The VISICS group at the Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium has developed numerous capture
techniques, including a method for generating texture-mapped models from uncalibrated video streams.
This method was used in reconstructing the site of ancient Sagalassos in Turkey.
At IBM Research we are continuing to develop new scanning systems. We are exploring the use of
alternative shape capture systems based on digital cameras. We are exploring the trade-offs between
shape and texture resolution. We are also improving the processing pipeline to reduce user intervention
to make scanning accessible to a wide range of consumers.