Editorial Issue 28.2
Nadia Magnenat‐Thalmann, Daniël Thalmann · Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds · 2017
This issue contains six papers. In the first paper, Jong-Hyun Kim and Chang-Hun Kim, Korea University, Seoul, and Jung Lee, Hallym University, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea, present a new method for the fast simulation of interactions between fluids and solids by incorporating particle-based water flow into an adaptive signed distance field (ADF). This paper addresses the problem of “tunneling” artifact, in which particles with high velocities skip across the layer of leaf nodes by (i) considering particles only on the leaf nodes in the adaptive structure to improve the processing time required for the water–solid coupling and (ii) considering the water flow to avoid the tunneling artifact by incorporating particle motion into the tree structure of the ADF. In the second paper, Rodrigo Guillermo Baravalle and Leonardo Scandolo, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina; Claudio Delrieux, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cristian García Bauza, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Elmar Eisemann, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, propose an algorithm for the procedural generation of porous materials based on a simulation of the growth of self-avoiding bubbles inside a volume, by means of dynamical systems. This simulation generates 3D textures that adequately represent porous materials, which are then rendered by means of a GPU-based direct volume rendering method. The patterns induced by the bubbles can be intuitively controlled. The bubbles adapt to any given shape and have convincing global and local fluid-like patterns as seen in bread and sponges. In the third paper, Andre Possani-Espinosa, J. Octavio Gutierrez-Garcia, and Isaac Vargas Gordillo, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, lay the foundations for the design of believable virtual drivers by proposing a methodology for profiling players using the open racing car simulator. Data collected from 125 players about their driving behaviors and personality traits give insights into how personality traits should model the behavior of believable virtual drivers. The data analysis was conducted using a correlation analysis and the J48 decision tree algorithm. In addition, this work also (i) gives preliminary insights into the relationship between the driving behavior and personality of racing game players and actual car drivers and (ii) presents evidence of the relevance of gender as a predictor of personality traits of racing game players. Monssef Alsweis, Universitat Konstanz, Germany, suggests, in the fourth paper, a procedural biologically motivated method to simulate the development of leaf contours and the generation of different levels of leaf venation systems. Visually realistic development is described by a growth function RERG that reacts to hormone (Auxin) sources embedded in the leaf blade. The shape of the leaf is determined by a set of feature points at the leaf contour. The contour is extracted from images utilizing a Curvature Scale Space Corner Detection Algorithm. Auxin transport is described by an initial Auxin flux from a source to a sink that is gradually channelized into cells with high levels of highly polarized transporters. The proposed model simulates a wide range of leaf forms, from simple shapes to lobed leaves. In the fifth paper, Kun Qian, Xiaosong Yang, and Jian J Zhang, Bournemouth University, UK, and Junxuan Bai and Junjun Pan, Beihang University, China, propose a set of tailored key technologies for laparoscopic surgery simulation, ranging from the simulation of soft tissues with different properties, the interactions between surgical tools and soft tissues, and the rendering of complex anatomical environment. Compared with the current methods, their tailored algorithms aimed at improving the performance from accuracy, stability, and efficiency perspectives. The authors also abstract and design a set of intuitive parameters that can provide developers with high flexibility to develop their own simulators. Finally, Dele Cui, Yun Sheng, and Guixu Zhang, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, present an image-based method to simulate the traditional embroidery art. The method combines stroke-based rendering techniques with the Phong lighting model to create picturesque embroidery-like images. They first build a 3D stitch model and derive some most commonly used stitch patterns from it. Then they preprocess the input image by segmenting it into regions, from which the parameters to specify stitch patterns are obtained. Finally, they apply stitches back onto the desired regions and render them under a virtual light source. Experimental results show that their method, different from the existing schemes, is capable of performing fine embroidery simulations with the effects of lighting and shading based on an input image.