Research Interests of Dr. Dennis J Bouvier Fall 2007

2 Educational Background BS EE MS Engineering MS CS PhD Computer Engineering 1994 –Dissertation: scientific visualization

Fall Commercial Background Few years in industry Few years consulting –Author Java 3D API Tutorial

Fall Prior MS Thesis 1.CASE tool for Java development –GUI –Automatic UML class diagrams

Fall Prior Senior Projects 1.Glove driven image editing user interface network 2.Collaborative classroom note-taking image processing network, database web interface

Fall Prior Senior Projects 3.Fisheye views of geopolitical maps –image processing –information visualization

Fall Prior Senior Projects 4.Cardiac vascular structure visualization –computer graphics –scientific visualization

Fall Prior Senior Projects 5.Animation of snare drum –computer graphics

Fall Research Interests Overview 1.Computer Graphics –Scientific Visualization / Information Visualization –Interactive systems 2.Human Computer Interaction 3.Software Engineering 4.Information/Text Processing 5.Education –Using computers in education –Computer Science education 6.Collaborative / Community computing Visual Analytics

Fall Computer Graphics Overview RENDERING = producing images –INPUT: numbers representing: geometry, lighting, visual properties, … –OUTPUT: numbers representing: color speed in rendering is essential –Interactive systems need >12 FPS quality in rendering is essential –Need 16 bits for each pixel, many pixels

Fall CG Overview (2 of 5) 3D models, 2D media –use projection to create 2D images of 3D data X Y Z rendering

Fall CG Overview (3 of 5) Much of CG is computed with Linear Algebra x’ 1  x y’ y z’ z x4 PROJECTION MATRIX: project 3D geometry points to 2D image points Y Z

Fall CG Overview (4 of 5) Y Z X The image plane is 2D array of pixels (raster graphics) Image plane

Fall CG Overview (5 of 5) Local Lighting Model –No shadows, reflections, etc. Global Lighting Model –Shadows, reflections, etc. –Raytracing –Radiosity

Fall CG Research Overview Better –Photorealistic challenges fire, water, fur, skin, (nature) lights / shadows, … Faster –More images per second Automatic –Generated animation

Fall Computer Graphics Research Better Images –Photorealistic Better lighting model Shadows Motion blurring Transparencies Inter-object reflections

Fall Computer Graphics Research Better Images –Better models fire water smoke fur faces people in motion

Fall Computer Graphics Research Better Images –Non-photorealistic Better painting effects

Fall CG Research: video compression

Fall CG Research: visualization Presenting information visually –Advantage: human visual system –Challenges: perception, efficiency, interaction Kinds –Scientific –Information

Fall Volume Visualization 3D data  2D image Accurate representation of information Applications –geophysical / seismic –medical –atmospheric –industrial inspection –oceanographic –fluid flow –…

Fall Volume Visualization Taxonomy direct (geometric representations)

Fall volume data

Fall Medical Volume Data Example

Fall Marching Cubes 15 cases –symmetry –14 cases produce –5 ‘ambiguous’ cases good results

Fall polygonal representation of bone

Fall CG Research: visualization Information Visualization

Fall Information Visualization

Fall HCI Research Usability –Factor in success of an application –(applicable to most research projects)

Fall Information/Text Processing Gisting Automatic authoring Knowledge capture

Fall Software Engineering CASE tools –Supporting the lifecycle

Fall CS Education (as research) How are/can computers be used to support education? –Online –In class How do people learn to program? –How to teach Debugging skills –How to learn software engineering –Algorithm animation

Fall Research Interests Overview 1.Computer Graphics / Visualization –Visual Analytics 2.Human Computer Interaction 3.Software Engineering 4.Information/Text Processing 5.Education –Using computers in education –Computer Science education 6.Collaborative / Community computing Multi-topic

Fall Research Interests Relationships 1.Computer Graphics image processing, computer vision, information processing 2.Human Computer Interaction computer graphics, collaborative computing, text processing 3.Software Engineering information visualization, collaborative computing, education 4.Information/Text Processing information visualization, hci 5.Education information visualization, collaborative computing, software engineering 6.Collaborative / Community computing information visualization, text processing, education

Fall Specific MS Research Thesis Topics Face mail –Animating automatically Computer graphics, HCI Global Illumination Lighting Model –Creating a more comprehensive model Computer graphics Animating Musical Performance