CAREER: High Quality and Efficient Rendering of Discrete Primitives for Interactive Visualization

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

Over the past decades, most of the previous graphics and visualization systems are polygon based. However, with the advent of scientific simulations and advanced biomedical and industrial acquisition devices, more and more objects of unprecedented size are produced with discrete samples as natural representations. In this proposal, the PI will generalize image resampling theory to describe the fundamental resampling problem of graphics rendering. Guided by this theory, practical approaches to performing high quality and efficient resampling will be designed and further applied to the rendering of various discrete objects, including 2D image warping, volume rendering, and point-based rendering. The developed theory will also used to guide the design of new point-based representation, so that discrete primitives as well as polygons can be rendered in a unified rendering system. The newly designed algorithms will be validated and disseminated through application to mainly two real-world applications that the PI has already been collaborating on. The volume rendering algorithms will be used to visualize large simulations, in areas such as aerodynamics, astrophysics, and chemical contamination dispersion. The point-based modeling and rendering algorithms will be used to build point-based models from modern laser range scans and ultimately provide an interactive system for digital architecture design. This validation and dissemination are achieved by pursuing a vigorous education plan, undertaking a number of complementary initiatives: (1) developing new graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Minnesota; (2) developing educational software for teaching; and (3) other activities including organizing workshops and tutorials. Intellectual Merits: The algorithms coherently designed using the resampling theory represent improved rendering techniques for scientific visualization systems by delivering higher quality and better efficiency. The proposed research is well built upon the PI's solid knowledge and extensive experience with image and volume resampling and antialiasing, as well as accelerated volume and polygon rendering. Broader Impacts: The proposed career development plan will not only advance the state-of-the-art of scientific visualization and computer graphics, but also make significant contributions to many other research fields which are facilitated by advanced scientific visualization, besides the ones being used for methodology validation and dissemination during the course of this project. Possibilities in these fields will likely open, stimulating even more applications of the technology than originally conceived.