Keywords
Virtual Reality, Virtual and Immersive Environments,
Computer-Aided Design, Solid Modelling, Clay Modelling, Octree,
Spatial Data Structures
Project Description
Virtual Environments (VEs) have finally matured from proof-of-concept
studies performed at university laboratories into fully featured
applications. They are now applied to engineering design, research and
development, manufacturing, medicine, architecture, marketing,
geophysical explorations, and a variety of other fields.
VEs have the potential to revolutionize traditional industrial product
design by enabling the transition from conventional keyboard and mouse-based
computer-aided design (CAD) to fully virtual product design. A
car design, for example, traditionally originates from a clay model that
forms the basis for a numerical CAD description in Bezier, B-Spline,
or NURBS format after digitization.
Furthermore, physical
conceptual models, so called mock-ups, still play a key role in the
otherwise CAD-centered development cycles. Our clay modelling project
aims at closing this technology gap by merging classical design
concepts with state-of-the-art visualization and interaction device
technology, while emphasizing the creation of an intuitive and natural
work environment.
The virtual clay modelling project explores the use of virtual
environments (VEs) for the simulation of two-handed clay modelling and
sculpting tasks.
Traditional clay modeliling concepts are implemented and enhanced with new
digital design tools leveraging from virtual reality (VR) and new
input device technology. In particular, the creation of an intuitive and
natural work environment for comfortable and unconstrained modeling is
emphasized.
VR projection devices, such as the Immersive WorkBench,
shutter glasses, and pinch
gloves, equipped with six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) trackers, are used
to apply various virtual cutting tools to a volumetric data structure
(octree).
The employment of an octree as underlying data structure for volume
representation and
manipulation in immersive environments allows real-time modeling of
solids utilizing a suite of either geometrically or
mathematically defined cutting and modeling tools.
A virtual clay model is encoded as an octree, preserving its volumetric and
physical properties and design history. Incremental undo/redo functionality
for rapid transitions between different modeling states increases the
efficiency and flexibility, while advanced features of the primitive and
wire cutting tools, such as the removal of single layers from a clay model,
enhance the modeling procedure to a level of precision hardly achievable
at this level of detail in real clay modeling.
Models can be passed to a raytracer or exported as
either triangular or tetrahedral meshes.
The resulting work environment can be utilized beyond the targeted
application of virtual clay modeling, for example for the visualization and
analysis of medical data.
The project was supported by the Visualization Thrust at the
Center for Image Processing and Integrated Computing (CIPIC)
at the University of California, Davis, U.S.A,
and the AG Graphische Datenverarbeitung und Computergeometrie
at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Publications
- E. Moritz: Towards Rapid Prototyping With Immersive Clay Modelling: Exploring Volume Modelling in a
Virtual Reality Environment, Project Thesis, University of Kaiserslautern, 2000
- E. Moritz, F. Kuester, B. Hamann, K. I. Joy, H. Hagen: Towards Immersive Clay Modelling: Interactive
Modelling with Octrees, in Stereoscopic Displays and Virtual Reality Systems VII, John O. Merrit, Stephen A. Benton,
Andrew J. Woods, Mark T. Bolas (eds.), Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 3957, 2000, pp. 414-422
Contact Information
- SnailMail
- Elke Moritz
- University of California, Irvine
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- 649 Engineering Tower
- Irvine, CA 92697-2625
- USA
- Phone/Fax
- +1-(949)-824-3937 (work)
- E-Mail
- emoritz@uci.edu