Abstract: A surgical instrument, has an end effector that includes an ultrasonic blade, and a clamp arm that moves relative to the ultrasonic blade from an opened position toward an intermediate position and a closed position. The clamp arm is offset from the ultrasonic blade to define a predetermined gap in the intermediate position between the opened position and the closed position. A clamp arm actuator connects to the clamp arm and moves from an opened configuration to a closed configuration to direct the clamp arm from the opened position toward the intermediate position and the closed position. A spacer connects with the clamp arm to inhibit movement of the clamp arm from the intermediate position toward the closed position for maintaining the predetermined gap between the clamp arm and the ultrasonic blade.

Abstract: Described is a search technology in which spatially varying anisotropic reflectance is modeled using image data captured from a single view. Reflectance at each point is represented using a microfacet-based Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF). Modeling processes the image data, which provides a partial normal distribution function (NDF) for each surface point. The NDF at each selected point is completed by texture synthesis using similar, overlapping partial NDFs from other points. Also described is a scanning device that illuminates a sample surface from a two-dimensional set of light directions using a linear array of LEDs moved over a flat sample.

Abstract: Spherical-like textures are useful to simulate reflections and to generate arbitrary views from a point. For addressing simplicity, graphics systems typically require rectangular arrays of texture samples but an infinite variety of functions can be used to map these samples to a sphere-like object. A new metric is presented for measuring how well various maps use a given number of samples to provide the greatest worst-case frequency content of the image everywhere over the sphere. Using this metric and other important local properties, a comparison is presented of maps used previously in computer graphics as well as other mapping techniques borrowed from cartography. Based on these analysis several novel mapping techniques are presented that are fairly simple to implement and significantly more efficient in terms of the amount of processing and data required, and the quality of the resulting images.

Abstract: A hardware-accelerated process of computing radiance transfer coefficients (such as for use in image rendering based on precomputed radiance transfer (PRT) techniques) is re-ordered as compared to previously known PRT precomputations to iterate over a sampling of directions about an object. The hardware-accelerated process uses a set of textures representing positions and normals for a sampling of points over a modeled object. In iterating over the directions, the process computes the depth of the object in a shadow buffer, then computes a texture of the radiance contribution based on the normal and position textures and depth from the shadow buffer. The resulting radiance contribution textures of the iterated directions are accumulated to produce a texture representing the radiance transfer coefficients of the sampled positions. This enables the process to avoid reduction operations, ray tracing and slow read-back path limitations of graphical processing units.

Abstract: Described is a search technology in which spatially varying anisotropic reflectance is modeled using image data captured from a single view. Reflectance at each point is represented using a microfacet-based Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF). Modeling processes the image data, which provides a partial normal distribution function (NDF) for each surface point. The NDF at each selected point is completed by texture synthesis using similar, overlapping partial NDFs from other points. Also described is a scanning device that illuminates a sample surface from a two-dimensional set of light directions using a linear array of LEDs moved over a flat sample.

Abstract: Computer graphics image rendering techniques render images using a precomputed radiance transfer (PRT) to model local effects such as bumps, wrinkles, or other detailed features on an arbitrarily deformable model's surface. The techniques apply zonal harmonics (ZH) which approximate spherical functions as sums of circularly symmetric functions around different axes. By spatially varying both the axes and coefficients of these basis functions, approximations can fit to spatially varying transfer signals. Compared to the spherical harmonic (SH) basis, the ZH basis yields a more compact approximation, and can be rotated at a low computational expense suitable for dense per-vertex or per-pixel evaluation. This allows PRT to be mapped onto deforming models which re-orient the local coordinate frame.

Abstract: Real-time image rendering of diffuse and glossy objects in low-frequency lighting environments captures soft shadows, interreflections, and caustics. As a preprocess, a global transport simulator creates functions over the object's surface representing transfer of arbitrary, low-frequency source lighting into exiting radiance, but including global effects like shadowing and interreflection from the object onto itself. At run-time, these transfer functions are applied to the actual source lighting. Dynamic, local lighting is handled by sampling close to the object at every frame; the object can also be rigidly rotated with respect to the lighting and vice versa. Lighting and transfer functions are represented using low-order spherical harmonics. Functions for radiance transfer from a dynamic lighting environment through a preprocessed object to neighboring points in space further allow cast soft shadows and caustics from rigidly moving casters onto arbitrary, dynamic receivers.

Abstract: The present soft shadowing technique pre-computes visibility of blockers using a log of a spherical harmonic visibility function. These logs can then be accumulated and exponentiated in real-time to yield the product visibility vector over all the blockers. The product visibility vector is combined with the light intensity and surface reflectance to determine shading at a receiver point in a computer-generated scene.

Abstract: Techniques and tools for mesh processing are described. For example, a multi-chart geometry image represents arbitrary surfaces on object models. The multi-chart geometry image is created by resampling a surface onto a regular 2D grid, using a flexible atlas construction to map the surface piecewise onto charts of arbitrary shape. This added flexibility reduces parameterization distortion and thus provides greater geometric fidelity, particularly for shapes with long extremities, high genus, or disconnected components. As another example, zippering creates a watertight surface on reconstructed triangle meshes. The zippering unifies discrete paths of samples along chart boundaries to form the watertight mesh.

Abstract: General and realtime technique for soft global illumination in low-frequency environmental lighting. The technique accumulates over a relatively few spherical proxies that approximate the light blocking and re-radiating effect of dynamic geometry. Soft shadows are computed by accumulating log visibility vectors for each sphere proxy as seen by each receiver point. Inter-reflections are computed by accumulating vectors representing the proxy's unshadowed radiance when illuminated by the environment. Both vectors capture low-frequency directional dependence using the spherical harmonic basis. Additionally, a new proxy accumulation method splats each proxy to receiver pixels in image space to collect the proxy's contribution to shadowing and indirect lighting. A soft rendering pipeline unifies direct and indirect soft effects with an accumulation methodology that maps entirely to a graphics processing unit and outperforms previous vertex-based methods.

Abstract: The present soft shadowing technique pre-computes visibility of blockers using a log of a spherical harmonic visibility function. These logs can then be accumulated and exponentiated in real-time to yield the product visibility vector over all the blockers. The product visibility vector is combined with the light intensity and surface reflectance to determine shading at a receiver point in a computer-generated scene.

Abstract: Techniques and tools for mesh processing are described. For example, a multi-chart geometry image represents arbitrary surfaces on object models. The multi-chart geometry image is created by resampling a surface onto a regular 2D grid, using a flexible atlas construction to map the surface piecewise onto charts of arbitrary shape. This added flexibility reduces parameterization distortion and thus provides greater geometric fidelity, particularly for shapes with long extremities, high genus, or disconnected components. As another example, zippering creates a watertight surface on reconstructed triangle meshes. The zippering unifies discrete paths of samples along chart boundaries to form the watertight mesh.

Abstract: Real-time image rendering of diffuse and glossy objects in low-frequency lighting environments captures soft shadows, interreflections, and caustics. As a preprocess, a global transport simulator creates functions over the object's surface representing transfer of arbitrary, low-frequency source lighting into exiting radiance, but including global effects like shadowing and interreflection from the object onto itself. At run-time, these transfer functions are applied to the actual source lighting. Dynamic, local lighting is handled by sampling close to the object at every frame; the object can also be rigidly rotated with respect to the lighting and vice versa. Lighting and transfer functions are represented using low-order spherical harmonics. Functions for radiance transfer from a dynamic lighting environment through a preprocessed object to neighboring points in space further allow cast soft shadows and caustics from rigidly moving casters onto arbitrary, dynamic receivers.

Abstract: A swing training golf iron has a solid metal linear shaft attached to an iron golf head and a hand grip. The side of the shaft facing the iron golf head has linear indicia located between the head and grip to provide visual orientation of the angular orientation of the golf head relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The hand grip has a pair of projections for locating the golfer's hand son the grip. Each projection has a V-shaped indicia to aid in the angular orientation of the iron golf head.

Abstract: Real-time image rendering of diffuse and glossy objects in low-frequency lighting environments captures soft shadows, interreflections, and caustics. As a preprocess, a global transport simulator creates functions over the object's surface representing transfer of arbitrary, low-frequency source lighting into exiting radiance, but including global effects like shadowing and interreflection from the object onto itself. At run-time, these transfer functions are applied to the actual source lighting. Dynamic, local lighting is handled by sampling close to the object at every frame; the object can also be rigidly rotated with respect to the lighting and vice versa. Lighting and transfer functions are represented using low-order spherical harmonics. Functions for radiance transfer from a dynamic lighting environment through a preprocessed object to neighboring points in space further allow cast soft shadows and caustics from rigidly moving casters onto arbitrary, dynamic receivers.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements are provided for real-time rendering of scenes having various light sources and objects having differing specular surfaces. An offline encoder is employed to parameterize images by two or more arbitrary variables allowing view, lighting, and object changes. The parameterized images are encoded as a set of per-object parameterized textures based on shading models, camera parameters, and the scene's geometry. Texture maps are inferred from a ray-tracer's segmented imagery to provide the best match when applied to specific graphics hardware. The parameterized textures are encoded as a multidimensional Laplacian pyramid on fixed size blocks of parameter space. This technique captures the coherence in parameterized animations and decodes directly into texture maps that are easy to load into conventional graphics hardware.

Abstract: Spherical-like textures are useful to simulate reflections and to generate arbitrary views from a point. For addressing simplicity, graphics systems typically require rectangular arrays of texture samples but an infinite variety of functions can be used to map these samples to a sphere-like object. A new metric is presented for measuring how well various maps use a given number of samples to provide the greatest worst-case frequency content of the image everywhere over the sphere. Using this metric and other important local properties, a comparison is presented of maps used previously in computer graphics as well as other mapping techniques borrowed from cartography. Based on these analysis several novel mapping techniques are presented that are fairly simple to implement and significantly more efficient in terms of the amount of processing and data required, and the quality of the resulting images.

Abstract: A pre-processing method prepares 3D objects for rendering to image layers in a layered graphics rendering pipeline. The method transforms a bounding volume for an object to a 2D bounding box in a 2D view space. It then subdivides the bounding box into blocks of image samples called chunks. To computer the portion of the object that should be rendered to each chunk, it determines which geometric primitives of the object overlap each chunk and generates a list of primitives to the rendered for each chunk.

Abstract: A system for improved shadowing of images using a multiple pass, depth buffer approach includes rendering a scene from the perspective of a light source to construct a shadow depth map in a rasterization buffer. The system computes depth values for the two nearest geometric primitives to the light source for pixels, and stores these depth values in the rasterization buffer. Once the shadow map is constructed, it is stored in shared memory, where it can be retrieved for subsequent rendering passes. The two depth values for each element in the shadow map can be used in combination with a global bias to eliminate self-shadowing artifacts and avoid artifacts in the terminator region. The system supports linear or higher order filtering of data from the shadow depth map to produce smoother transitions from shadowed and un-shadowed portions of an image. In addition, the system supports the re-use of the shadow map and shadowed images for more than one frame.