Abstract: Disclosed is a system and associated methods for rigging points of a point cloud for animation and customizing the animation for different subsets of rigged points in order to rapidly and easily generate complex animations. Generating a complex animation involves defining an animation element in the point cloud space, defining an animation for moving the animation element, linking points of the point cloud to the animation element, and adjusting the animation from the animation element that is applied to a first subset of the linked points based on a selection of the first subset of linked points that is made using an adjustment tool. The system renders the complex animation by moving a second subset of the linked points according to the defined animation of the animation element and by moving the first subset of linked points according to the defined animation as adjusted by the adjustment tool.

Abstract: Disclosed is an approach for displaying 3D videos in a VR and/or AR system. The 3D videos may include 3D animated objects that escape from the display screen. The 3D videos may interact with objects within the VR and/or AR environment. The 3D video may be interactive with a user such that based on user input corresponding to decisions elected by the user at certain portions of the 3D video such that a different storyline and possibly a different conclusion may result for the 3D video. The 3D video may be a 3D icon displayed within a portal of a final 3D render world.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques including accessing historical physiological data of a person; presenting a graph view of a historical time period, where the graph view includes at least a portion of the historical physiological data plotted over the historical time period and includes one or more historical events which occurred during the historical time period; receiving user input indicative of a marker for an event, of the one or more historical events, being adjusted from a first position in the historical time period to a second position in the historical time period; responsive to receiving the user input, accessing adjusted physiological data for the person from at least the time point in the historical time period to an end of the historical time period, where the adjusted physiological data has been determined based on the adjusted marker for the event marker and a physiological model for the person; and presenting the adjusted physiological data.

Abstract: Novel machine learning (ML) models are introduced for image reconstruction training and inference workflows, which are able to estimate intrinsic components of single view images, including albedo, normal, and lighting components. According to some embodiments, such models may be trained on a mix of real and synthetic image datasets. For training on real datasets, both reconstruction and cross-relighting consistency terms may be imposed. The use of a cross-relighting consistency term allows for the use of multiple images of the same scene—although lit under different lighting conditions—to be used during training. At inference time, the model is able to operate on single or multiple images. According to other embodiments, adversarial training (e.g., in the form of a generative adversarial network (GAN)) may optionally be incorporated into the training workflow, e.g., in order to better refine the re-rendered images from the individual lighting and geometric components estimated by the model.

Abstract: A method of processing merged 3D geometric information in a 3D printing system is described that receives a 3D object model file representing at least two physical 3D parts to be printed, wherein the 3D object model file comprises 3D geometric information for the at least two physical 3D parts, wherein the 3D geometric information is encoded as at least one logical 3D part, wherein at least one of the at least one logical 3D part comprises merged 3D geometric information for at least a subset of the at least two physical 3D parts. From the 3D object model file, a separate set of 3D geometric information for each of the at least two physical 3D parts is extracted and each separate set of 3D geometric information is processed individually before printing the physical 3D parts.

Abstract: Prior art digital painting applications create strokes by repeatedly applying a stamp at incremental positions along a path. Such applications led to uniform marks being made by the mark making tool along the stroke as the same process as applied by the software application at each point along the stroke. However, some areas of a painting involve repetitive strokes, which can take a lot of time for the user. Embodiments of the invention provide the user with automated methods and systems that maintain a level of control the user seeks or needs whilst removing the repetitive nature of the area filling thereby saving the user time whilst delivering high quality results. The invention fills the area to be filled to painted with actual, individual strokes, offering the advantages of overlapping strokes and mixing paint for an increased “natural” media look and feel.

Abstract: A plurality of computing devices are communicatively coupled to each other via a network, and each of the plurality of computing devices is operably coupled to one or more of a plurality of storage devices. A plurality of failure resilient stripes is distributed across the plurality of storage devices such that each of the plurality of failure resilient stripes spans a plurality of the storage devices. A graphics processing unit is operable to access data files from the failure resilient stripes, while bypassing a kernel page cache. Furthermore, these data files may be accessed in parallel by the graphics processing unit.

Abstract: An illumination rendering method and apparatus includes obtaining a first picture at a target viewing angle from a virtual three-dimensional (3D) scene. The first picture includes a virtual object to be subject to illumination rendering in the virtual 3D scene at the target viewing angle. A target virtual light source point set is determined that performs illumination rendering on the virtual object in the first picture. Illumination rendering is performed on the virtual object in the first picture by using the target virtual light source point set. This illumination rendering improves efficiency in rendering on the virtual object in the virtual 3D scene.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a computer implemented system for animating a virtual object or digital entity. It has particular relevance to animation using biologically based models, or behavioural models particularly neurobehavioural models. There is provided a plurality of modules having a computational element and a graphical element. The modules are arranged in a required structure and have at least one variable and being associated with at least one connector. The connectors link variables between modules across the structure, and the modules together provide a neurobehavioural model. There is also provided a method of controlling a digital entity in response to an external stimulus.

Abstract: A technique for performing ray tracing operations is provided. The technique includes, in response to detecting that a threshold number of traversal stage work-items of a wavefront have terminated, increasing intersection test parallelization for non-terminated work-items.

Abstract: When generating a render output in which primitives to be rendered are to be clipped against a user-defined clip plane defined for the render output, and a primitive to be rendered is intersected by a user-defined clip plane defined for the render output, an edge representing the intersection of the primitive with the user-defined clip plane is determined. The rasteriser, when rasterising the primitive, then tests one or more regions of the render output being generated against the determined edge representing the intersection of the primitive with the user-defined clip plane to determine whether the region or regions should not be rendered for the primitive on the basis of the user-defined clip plane.

Abstract: Disclosed is an encoding and decoding system and associated methods for producing a compressed waveform that encodes data points of a point cloud in a format and size that may be transmitted over a data network, decompressed, decoded, and rendered on a remote device without the buffering or lag associated with transmitting and rendering an uncompressed point cloud. The encoder receives a request from a remote device to access the point cloud, encodes a set of data points from the point cloud as one or more signals derived from values defined for the positional and non-positional elements of each data point from the set of data points, generates one or more compressed waveforms from compressing the one or more signals and transmits the one or more compressed waveforms to the remote device in response to the request for decompression, decoding, and image rendering.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for widening a hierarchical structure for ray tracing. For instance, a process can include obtaining a plurality of primitives of a scene object included in a first hierarchical acceleration data structure and determining one or more candidate hierarchical acceleration data structures each including the plurality of primitives. A cost metric can be determined for the one or more candidate hierarchical acceleration data structures and, based on the cost metric, a compressibility prediction associated with a candidate hierarchical acceleration data structure of the one or more candidate hierarchical acceleration data structures can be determined. An output hierarchical acceleration data structure can be generated based on the compressibility prediction.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for searching for a global minimum of a point cloud registration error. The apparatus includes memory in which at least one program is recorded and a processor for executing the program. The program performs collecting multiple registration results in which the registration error between a source point cloud and a target point cloud is a local minimum as candidates and selecting the registration result in which the registration error between the source point cloud and the target point cloud is a global minimum, among the candidates. Collecting the multiple registration results may comprise repeatedly randomly initializing the source point cloud and the target point cloud and registering the initialized source point cloud to the initialized target point cloud to thereby search for a registration result in which the registration error therebetween is a local minimum.

Abstract: Provided is a guide display device that prevents misidentification of the same feature as a plurality of different features or the ground surface even if an occlusion area occurs. A guide display device for a crane includes: a laser scanner that scans a suspended load and a ground surface from above the suspended load; and a data processing unit that calculates a representative point for each grid using the point cloud data acquired by the laser scanner, creates a three-dimensional map based on the representative points, and updates the three-dimensional map if the newly calculated representative point differs from the existing representative point. When an occlusion area, which is a shadow of the suspended load, occurs in the three-dimensional map, the occlusion area is not updated even if the newly calculated representative point and the existing representative point are different.

Abstract: Some embodiments include a method comprising using a first computing device to perform: obtaining an image of a scene captured using a camera coupled to the first computing device; obtaining camera setting values used to capture the image; determining, using the image, surface attribute values characterizing at least one surface shown in the image of the scene; generating an augmented reality (AR) interface at least in part by using the camera setting values and the surface attribute values to create a first composite image by overlaying a selected virtual furniture object onto the image so that the virtual furniture object is displayed in the AR interface as being on a first surface of the at least one surface shown in the image; and transmitting, to a second computing device and via at least one communication network, the first composite image, the camera setting values and the surface attribute values.

Abstract: Aspects presented herein relate to methods and devices for graphics processing including an apparatus, e.g., a GPU or a CPU. The apparatus may obtain visibility information for a set of primitives in at least one frame associated with the graphics processing, where the at least one frame includes a plurality of bins, such that at least one bin of the plurality of bins includes at least one primitive of the set of primitives. The apparatus may also configure a density map based on the visibility information for the set of primitives, where the density map includes density data associated with an amount of the set of primitives in each of the plurality of bins. Further, the apparatus may map the density data for each of the plurality of bins to a shading rate for each of the plurality of bins.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for determining bounding regions for a hierarchical structure for ray tracing. For instance, a process can include obtaining an acceleration data structure, the acceleration data structure including one or more primitives of a scene object. A graph cut can be applied to the acceleration data structure. A set of nodes of the acceleration data structure can be determined based on the graph cut, wherein the determined set of nodes is located adjacent to the graph cut. A world-space bounding box can be generated for the scene object, using the set of nodes determined based on the graph cut.

Abstract: Various example embodiments provide a computing device of an algorithm for reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) image in consideration of multiple scattering and a method of the same. According to various example embodiments, the computing device may be configured to set a 3D refractive index based on a plurality of 2D images for a specimen and to reconstruct a 3D image for the specimen from the set refractive index using a modified Born expansion considering multiple scattering to converge a calculation result.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose subsurface scattering calculation method for translucent material rendering, which relates to the clipping and polynomial fitting of brute-force Monte Carlo photon tracking experimental results to accurately represent the energy attenuation of subsurface scattering in distance. On this basis, an average free path and a single scattering rate are used to determine the relationship of each term in the multinomial fitting formula so as to facilitate the calculation and adjustment of the reflection profile. In the end, through a new real-time importance sampling solution, the outgoing radiation from any point on the object surface is calculated by the Monte Carlo method. This importance sampling solution is also applicable to any other subsurface scattering calculation model. By combining this subsurface scattering calculation result with other results, such as highlight reflection, any translucent material object can be rendered accurately and efficiently.