Software Puts Image in a Whole New Light
Imagine shopping online for the perfect back-to-school outfit. You can see the colour and size and perhaps the texture of the fabric, but can you tell how it will look from different perspectives under fluorescent classroom lighting?
“The material might be very beautiful but a potential customer wouldnt know that because the image gives a grossly incomplete sense of texture,” says Alex Vasilescu, a doctoral candidate at U of Ts Department of Computer Science. The software she has developed, called TensorTextures, requires just a few sample images of any surface with complex three-dimensional relief, such as luxurious velvets or shimmering silks. Using that information, it can render the true appearance of the surface from every possible viewpoint and under any illumination.
TensorTextures could be adapted for the Web and filmmaking and could possibly be introduced commercially within a year, says Vasilescu. The software is described in a study presented at the SIGGRAPH 2003 conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques in San Diego July 31.CONTACT: Alex Vasilescu, Department of Computer Science (currently at the Media Research Lab, New York University) 212-998-3320, maov@mrl.nyu.edu or Nicolle Wahl, U of T public affairs, 416-978-6974, nicolle.wahl@utoronto.ca
Media Contact
More Information:
http://www.utoronto.caAll latest news from the category: Information Technology
Here you can find a summary of innovations in the fields of information and data processing and up-to-date developments on IT equipment and hardware.
This area covers topics such as IT services, IT architectures, IT management and telecommunications.
Newest articles
NASA: Mystery of life’s handedness deepens
The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a NASA-funded discovery that RNA — a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for…
What are the effects of historic lithium mining on water quality?
Study reveals low levels of common contaminants but high levels of other elements in waters associated with an abandoned lithium mine. Lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium…
Quantum-inspired design boosts efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion
Rice engineers take unconventional route to improving thermophotovoltaic systems. Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, which convert heat…