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Result-Driven Exploration of Simulation Parameter Spaces for Visual Effects Design

S. Bruckner and T. Möller

Abstract

Graphics artists commonly employ physically-based simulation for the generation of effects such as smoke, explosions, and similar phenomena. The task of finding the correct parameters for a desired result, however, is difficult and time-consuming as current tools provide little to no guidance. In this paper, we present a new approach for the visual exploration of such parameter spaces. Given a three-dimensional scene description, we utilize sampling and spatio-temporal clustering techniques to generate a concise overview of the achievable variations and their temporal evolution. Our visualization system then allows the user to explore the simulation space in a goal-oriented manner. Animation sequences with a set of desired characteristics can be composed using a novel search-by-example approach and interactive direct volume rendering is employed to provide instant visual feedback. A user study was performed to evaluate the applicability of our system in production use.

S. Bruckner and T. Möller, "Result-Driven Exploration of Simulation Parameter Spaces for Visual Effects Design," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, vol. 16, iss. 6, p. 1467–1475, 2010. doi:10.1109/TVCG.2010.190
[BibTeX]

Graphics artists commonly employ physically-based simulation for the generation of effects such as smoke, explosions, and similar phenomena. The task of finding the correct parameters for a desired result, however, is difficult and time-consuming as current tools provide little to no guidance. In this paper, we present a new approach for the visual exploration of such parameter spaces. Given a three-dimensional scene description, we utilize sampling and spatio-temporal clustering techniques to generate a concise overview of the achievable variations and their temporal evolution. Our visualization system then allows the user to explore the simulation space in a goal-oriented manner. Animation sequences with a set of desired characteristics can be composed using a novel search-by-example approach and interactive direct volume rendering is employed to provide instant visual feedback. A user study was performed to evaluate the applicability of our system in production use.
@ARTICLE {Bruckner-2010-RES,
author = "Stefan Bruckner and Torsten M{\"o}ller",
title = "Result-Driven Exploration of Simulation Parameter Spaces for Visual Effects Design",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics",
year = "2010",
volume = "16",
number = "6",
pages = "1467--1475",
month = "oct",
abstract = "Graphics artists commonly employ physically-based simulation for the  generation of effects such as smoke, explosions, and similar phenomena.  The task of finding the correct parameters for a desired result,  however, is difficult and time-consuming as current tools provide  little to no guidance. In this paper, we present a new approach for  the visual exploration of such parameter spaces. Given a three-dimensional  scene description, we utilize sampling and spatio-temporal clustering  techniques to generate a concise overview of the achievable variations  and their temporal evolution. Our visualization system then allows  the user to explore the simulation space in a goal-oriented manner.  Animation sequences with a set of desired characteristics can be  composed using a novel search-by-example approach and interactive  direct volume rendering is employed to provide instant visual feedback.  A user study was performed to evaluate the applicability of our system  in production use.",
pdf = "pdfs/Bruckner-2010-RES.pdf",
images = "images/Bruckner-2010-RES.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Bruckner-2010-RES.png",
youtube = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JunXyxULCpo",
affiliation = "tuwien",
doi = "10.1109/TVCG.2010.190",
event = "IEEE Visualization 2010",
keywords = "visual exploration, visual effects, clustering, time-dependent volume data",
location = "Salt Lake City, Utah, USA",
url = "//www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/research/publications/2010/brucker-2010-RES/"
}
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