Stefan Bruckner is a full professor in Visualization at the Department of Informatics of the University of Bergen, Norway. He received his master's degree (2004) and Ph.D. (2008), both in Computer Science, from the TU Wien, Austria, and was awarded the habilitation (venia docendi) in Practical Computer Science in 2012. Before his appointment in Bergen in 2013, he was an assistant professor at the Institute of Computer Graphics and Algorithms of the TU Wien.
His research interests include all aspects of data visualization, with a particular focus on interactive techniques for the exploration and analysis of spatial data. He has made significant contributions to areas such as illustrative visualization, volume rendering, smart visual interfaces, biomedical data visualization, and visual parameter space exploration. In addition to his contributions in basic research, he has successfully led industry collaborations with major companies such as GE Healthcare and Agfa HealthCare, and has 6 granted patents.
He is a recipient of the Eurographics Young Researcher Award, the Karl-Heinz-Höhne Award for Medical Visualization, and his research has received 8 best paper awards and honorable mentions at international events. He was program co-chair of EuroVis, PacificVis, the Eurographics Workshop on Visual Computing for Biology and Medicine, the Eurographics Medical Prize, and serves on the editorial board of Computers & Graphics. He is an ACM Distinguished Speaker, and a member of ACM SIGGRAPH, Eurographics, and the IEEE Computer Society.
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Publications
2019
![[DOI]](http://vis.uib.no/wp-content/plugins/papercite/img/external.png){kind=small}
[Bibtex] @article{Solteszova-2019-MLT,
author = {Solteszova, V. and Smit, N. N. and Stoppel, S. and Grüner, R. and Bruckner, S.},
title = {Memento: Localized Time-Warping for Spatio-Temporal Selection},
journal = {Computer Graphics Forum},
volume = {0},
number = {0},
pages = {},
year = {2019},
keywords = {interaction, temporal data, visualization, spatio-temporal projection, • Human-centred computing → Visualization techniques, Scientific visualization, • Mathematics of computing → Time series analysis},
images = "images/Solteszova-2019-MLT.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Solteszova-2019-MLT-1.jpg",
doi = {10.1111/cgf.13763},
abstract = {Abstract Interaction techniques for temporal data are often focused on affecting the spatial aspects of the data, for instance through the use of transfer functions, camera navigation or clipping planes. However, the temporal aspect of the data interaction is often neglected. The temporal component is either visualized as individual time steps, an animation or a static summary over the temporal domain. When dealing with streaming data, these techniques are unable to cope with the task of re-viewing an interesting local spatio-temporal event, while continuing to observe the rest of the feed. We propose a novel technique that allows users to interactively specify areas of interest in the spatio-temporal domain. By employing a time-warp function, we are able to slow down time, freeze time or even travel back in time, around spatio-temporal events of interest. The combination of such a (pre-defined) time-warp function and brushing directly in the data to select regions of interest allows for a detailed review of temporally and spatially localized events, while maintaining an overview of the global spatio-temporal data. We demonstrate the utility of our technique with several usage scenarios.},
project = "ttmedvis"
}![[PDF]](http://vis.uib.no/wp-content/plugins/papercite/img/pdf.png)
[Bibtex] @inproceedings {Smit-2019-DBP,
booktitle = {Eurographics 2019 - Dirk Bartz Prize},
editor = {Bruckner, Stefan and Oeltze-Jafra, Steffen},
title = {{Model-based Visualization for Medical Education and Training}},
author = {Smit, Noeska and Lawonn, Kai and Kraima, Annelot and deRuiter, Marco and Bruckner, Stefan and Eisemann, Elmar and Vilanova, Anna},
year = {2019},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association},
ISSN = {1017-4656},
DOI = {10.2312/egm.20191033},
pdf = "pdfs/Smit_DBPrize_2019.pdf",
images = "images/Smit_DBPrize_2019.png",
thumbnails = "images/Smit_DBPrize_2019.png",
abstract = "Anatomy, or the study of the structure of the human body, is an essential component of medical education. Certain parts of human anatomy are considered to be more complex to understand than others, due to a multitude of closely related structures. Furthermore, there are many potential variations in anatomy, e.g., different topologies of vessels, and knowledge of these variations is critical for many in medical practice.
Some aspects of individual anatomy, such as the autonomic nerves, are not visible in individuals through medical imaging techniques or even during surgery, placing these nerves at risk for damage.
3D models and interactive visualization techniques can be used to improve understanding of this complex anatomy, in combination with traditional medical education paradigms.
We present a framework incorporating several advanced medical visualization techniques and applications for teaching and training purposes, which is the result of an interdisciplinary project.
In contrast to previous approaches which focus on general anatomy visualization or direct visualization of medical imaging data, we employ model-based techniques to represent variational anatomy, as well as anatomy not visible from imaging. Our framework covers the complete spectrum including general anatomy, anatomical variations, and anatomy in individual patients.
Applications within our framework were evaluated positively with medical users, and our educational tool for general anatomy is in use in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on anatomy, which had over 17000 participants worldwide in the first run.",
project = "ttmedvis"
}![[YT]](http://vis.uib.no/wp-content/papercite-data/images/youtube.png)
[Bibtex] @ARTICLE {Stoppel-2019-LFL,
author = "Stoppel, Sergej and Bruckner, Stefan",
title = "LinesLab: A Flexible Low‐Cost Approach for the Generation of Physical Monochrome Art",
journal = "Computer Graphics Forum",
year = "2019",
abstract = "The desire for the physical generation of computer art has seen a significant body of research that has resulted in sophisticated robots and painting machines, together with specialized algorithms mimicking particular artistic techniques. The resulting setups are often expensive and complex, making them unavailable for recreational and hobbyist use. In recent years, however, a new class of affordable low‐cost plotters and cutting machines has reached the market. In this paper, we present a novel system for the physical generation of line and cut‐out art based on digital images, targeted at such off‐the‐shelf devices. Our approach uses a meta‐optimization process to generate results that represent the tonal content of a digital image while conforming to the physical and mechanical constraints of home‐use devices. By flexibly combining basic sets of positional and shape encodings, we are able to recreate a wide range of artistic styles. Furthermore, our system optimizes the output in terms of visual perception based on the desired viewing distance, while remaining scalable with respect to the medium size.",
pdf = "pdfs/Stoppel-2019-LFL.pdf",
images = "images/Stoppel-2019-LFL.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Stoppel-2019-LFL.png",
publisher = "The Eurographics Association and John Wiley and Sons Ltd.",
doi = "10.1111/cgf.13609",
youtube = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdZJmU6fOAY",
}@ARTICLE {Bruckner-2019-DVM,
author = "Bruckner, Stefan",
title = "Dynamic Visibility‐Driven Molecular Surfaces",
journal = "Computer Graphics Forum",
year = "2019",
volume = "38",
number = "2",
abstract = "Molecular surface representations are an important tool for the visual analysis of molecular structure and function. In this paper, we present a novel method for the visualization of dynamic molecular surfaces based on the Gaussian model. In contrast to previous approaches, our technique does not rely on the construction of intermediate representations such as grids or triangulated surfaces. Instead, it operates entirely in image space, which enables us to exploit visibility information to efficiently skip unnecessary computations. With this visibility‐driven approach, we can visualize dynamic high‐quality surfaces for molecules consisting of millions of atoms. Our approach requires no preprocessing, allows for the interactive adjustment of all properties and parameters, and is significantly faster than previous approaches, while providing superior quality.",
pdf = "pdfs/Bruckner-2019-DVM.pdf",
images = "images/Bruckner-2019-DVM-1.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Bruckner-2019-DVM.png",
publisher = "The Eurographics Association and John Wiley and Sons Ltd.",
doi = "10.1111/cgf.13640",
youtube = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZmDhTbJlAM",
}![[VID]](http://vis.uib.no/wp-content/papercite-data/images/video.png)
[Bibtex] @ARTICLE {Stoppel-2019-FVI,
author = "Sergej Stoppel and Magnus Paulson Erga and Stefan Bruckner",
title = "Firefly: Virtual Illumination Drones for Interactive Visualization",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics",
year = "2019",
volume = "25",
pages = "1204-1213",
abstract = "Light specification in three dimensional scenes is a complex problem and several approaches have been presented that aim to automate this process. However, there are many scenarios where a static light setup is insufficient, as the scene content and camera position may change. Simultaneous manual control over the camera and light position imposes a high cognitive load on the user. To address this challenge, we introduce a novel approach for automatic scene illumination with Fireflies. Fireflies are intelligent virtual light drones that illuminate the scene by traveling on a closed path. The Firefly path automatically adapts to changes in the scene based on an outcome-oriented energy function. To achieve interactive performance, we employ a parallel rendering pipeline for the light path evaluations. We provide a catalog of energy functions for various application scenarios and discuss the applicability of our method on several examples.",
pdf = "pdfs/VIS2018-Firefly.pdf",
vid = "vids/FinalVideo.mp4",
images = "images/Teaser.png",
thumbnails = "images/HeadRightCroppedThumbnail.png",
doi = "10.1109/TVCG.2018.2864656"
}2018
[Bibtex] @ARTICLE {Bruckner-2018-MSD,
author = "Stefan Bruckner and Tobias Isenberg and Timo Ropinski and Alexander Wiebel",
title = "A Model of Spatial Directness in Interactive Visualization",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (accepted for publication, to appear in an upcoming issue)",
year = "2018",
abstract = "We discuss the concept of directness in the context of spatial interaction with visualization. In particular, we propose a modelthat allows practitioners to analyze and describe the spatial directness of interaction techniques, ultimately to be able to better understandinteraction issues that may affect usability. To reach these goals, we distinguish between different types of directness. Each type ofdirectness depends on a particular mapping between different spaces, for which we consider the data space, the visualization space, theoutput space, the user space, the manipulation space, and the interaction space. In addition to the introduction of the model itself, we alsoshow how to apply it to several real-world interaction scenarios in visualization, and thus discuss the resulting types of spatial directness,without recommending either more direct or more indirect interaction techniques. In particular, we will demonstrate descriptive andevaluative usage of the proposed model, and also briefly discuss its generative usage.",
pdf = "pdfs/Bruckner-2018-MSD.pdf",
images = "images/Bruckner-2018-MSD.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Bruckner-2018-MSD.png"
}@ARTICLE {Magnus-2018-VPI,
author = "Jens G. Magnus and Stefan Bruckner",
title = "Interactive Dynamic Volume Illumination with Refraction and Caustics",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics",
year = "2018",
volume = "24",
number = "1",
pages = "984--993",
month = "jan",
abstract = "In recent years, significant progress has been made indeveloping high-quality interactive methods for realistic volumeillumination. However, refraction -- despite being an important aspectof light propagation in participating media -- has so far only receivedlittle attention. In this paper, we present a novel approach forrefractive volume illumination including caustics capable of interactiveframe rates. By interleaving light and viewing ray propagation, ourtechnique avoids memory-intensive storage of illumination informationand does not require any precomputation. It is fully dynamic and allparameters such as light position and transfer function can be modifiedinteractively without a performance penalty.",
pdf = "pdfs/Magnus-2018-IDV.pdf",
images = "images/Magnus-2018-IDV.jpg",
thumbnails = "images/Magnus-2018-IDV.png",
youtube = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tn6sSXw4NQ",
doi = "10.1109/TVCG.2017.2744438",
event = "IEEE SciVis 2017",
keywords = "interactive volume rendering, illumination, refraction, shadows, caustics",
location = "Phoenix, USA"
}@MISC {Smit18MMIV,
author = "N. N. Smit and S. Bruckner and H. Hauser and I. Haldorsen and A. Lundervold and A. S. Lundervold and E. Hodneland and L. Oltedal and K. Specht and E. R. Gruner",
title = "Research Agenda of the Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre in Bergen, Norway",
howpublished = "Poster presented at the EG VCBM workshop 2018",
month = "September",
year = "2018",
abstract = "The Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre (MMIV) was recently established in collaboration between the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen with generous financial support from the Bergen Research Foundation (BFS) to conduct cross-disciplinary research related to state-of-the-art medical imaging, including preclinical and clinical high-field MRI, CT and hybrid PET/CT/MR.The overall goal of the Centre is to research new methods in quantitative imaging and interactive visualization to predict changes in health and disease across spatial and temporal scales. This encompasses research in feature detection, feature extraction, and feature prediction, as well as on methods and techniques for the interactive visualization of spatial and abstract data related to and derived from these features.With special emphasis on the natural and medical sciences, the long-term goal of the Centre is to consolidate excellence in the interplay between medical imaging (physics, chemistry, radiography, radiology), and visualization (computer science and mathematics) and develop novel and refined imaging methods that may ultimately improve patient care. In this poster, we describe the overall research agenda of MMIV and describe the four core projects in the centre.",
pdf = "pdfs/smit2018posterabstract.pdf",
images = "images/MMIVPoster.png",
thumbnails = "images/MMIVPoster.png",
location = "Granada, Spain",
project = "VIDI"
}