Multi-domain sketch understanding
Christine Alvarado · 2007
People use sketches to express and record their ideas in many domains, including mechanical engi-neering, software design, and information architecture. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in sketch-based user interfaces, but the problem of robust free-sketch recognition remains largely unsolved. Current computer sketch recognition systems are difficult to construct, and either are fragile or accomplish robustness by severely limiting the designer’s drawing freedom. This work explores the challenges of multi-domain sketch recognition. We present a general framework and implemented system, called SketchREAD, for diagrammatic sketch recognition. Our system can be applied to a variety of domains by providing structural descriptions of the shapes in the domain. Robustness to the ambiguity and uncertainty inherent in complex, freely-drawn sketches is achieved through the use of context. Our approach uses context to guide the