Non-Photorealistic Computer Graphics Library

Three Dimensional Interactive Non-Photorealistic Rendering

Author(s): Daniel Teece.
PhD Thesis: University of Sheffield, England, 1998.
[BibTeX]

Abstract:
Most of the research in computer graphics to date has focused on the achievement of photorealism, whereby rendered imagery becomes indistinguishable from a photograph of the real scene. More recently there has been an acknowledgement that photorealism is one form of representation amongst many, and that while photorealistic rendering is well established with its own proven applications, it may not be the ultimate solution in all cases. In particular, there are applications that can benefit from stylisation or a clarity of communication unavailable within photorealism. The resulting move away from photorealism towards the production of more expressive imagery has been termed""Non-photorealistic Rendering", or NPR. Since its emergence as an alternative form of rendering, NPR has demonstrated a gradual transition from a predominance of 2D post-processors to 3D renderers, as well as a range of interactive and automatic systems. This work examines the possibility of combining bw-level interactivity with a fully three-dimensional functionality. These interactive 3D rendering techniques are intended for use in the production of animated imagery, an area that has been largely ignored by NPR due to the problems encountered when expressive rendering is applied to moving imagery. The techniques are brought together in a painting, rendering and animation system that is presented to overcome many of these visual coherence issues in animated imagery - the 3D Expressive Painter