3D Modelling

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3D Modelling

• Week 1
• Principles of parametric modelling

2
Today

• The learning outcomes
• The structure of the module
• The assessments
• The principles of parametric modelling
• 3D space
• Coordinates
• Axes
• 3D primitives
• VRML
• X3D

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Why this module?

• Temporal Modelling Research Group
• What do you think we research?
• Tutors for this module
• Robina Hetherington
• Brian Farrimond

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My dissertation an example

• I wanted to do something with the web
• Maybe XML
• I am an architect
• Model a building over the web?
• Is this research?
• Model a building over time over the web?
• New standard X3D, which is an application of XML
• Dissertation did two things
• Examined the relationship of X3D with XML
• Explored the data structures involved in
  displaying buildings at different times
• Is this research?

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This module

• Is about learning how to model in 3D
• Using software to generate a model
• Manipulate in a programming environment

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Learning outcomes

• To research, develop and advance their knowledge
  and understanding of the application of 3D
  modelling in digital media systems
• To demonstrate self-direction and originality in
  tackling and solving problems in the creation of
  3D models, and act autonomously in planning and
  implementing a series of models of increasing
  complexity
• To demonstrate systematic and appropriate use of
  a 3D library within a programming language

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Materials covered

• Software for development and distribution of 3D
• 3D modelling tools
• 3D graphics programming APIs
• Geometric principles of parametric modelling
• Methods of rendering
• Material properties
• Lighting and shadows
• Cameras
• Animation
• Integration and distribution of models within
  digital media
• Hardware for 3D rendering

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Reading

• Giambruno M, (2002) 3D Graphics Animation, 2nd
  Edition, New Riders, ISBN 0-7357-1243-3
• Directed reading
• Tutorial booklet
• OpenGL booklet

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Structure

• Lectures and demonstrations
• Self study tutorials
• You are expected to spend 150 hours on this module

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FML 409 software

• 3ds studio max version 7
• Microsoft Office
• Notepad
• Visual C
• GLUT
• Internet Explorer
• Flux
• Cosmo
• Cortona

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Assessment

• Presentation 20
• Portfolio 80

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Presentation

• You are to prepare a presentation which explores
  different methods to display in a webpage and
  manipulate in real-time 3D models
• Note that this is NOT about the generation of a
  model using software such as 3ds Max, but the
  display of models over the WWW.
• You are expected to research at least two
  different methods and make a recommendation for
  use in your own portfolio work
• You should illustrate these methods by
  demonstrating an example of each

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Your presentation

• 10 minutes
• Give your tutor
• a printout, 3 slides per page
• an electronic copy on disc
• It should include screen shots of the
  applications
• Be fully referenced
• Harvard
• Need to identify
• Information from others
• Conclusions from others

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Discussion

• What is meant by real-time?
• Give examples of methods of displaying models
• Give examples of applications
• What criteria would you consider in a critical
  comparison?
• How would you measure success?

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Presentation assessment

• Higher marks will be given for the demonstration
  of a critical awareness of the role of software,
  the technologies used, and the end use of the
  application.
• You should draw your own conclusion as the
  success, technical complexity and visual impact
  of the application.

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Portfolio

• Create a series of non-trivial and novel 3D
  applications
• Build upon concepts taught in the tutorials
• Submission of paper screenshots
• Submission of electronic version
• On the disc you are expected to provide
• Webpages with critical reflection and links to
  your models
• Your models
• Copy of your presentation

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What is 3D?

• 3D graphics -2D representation of 3D objects
  flattened
• Objects exist in the memory of the computer
• No physical form
• Numbers and mathematical formulas

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3D software

• Enables you to create a scene, fill it full of
  objects
• Apply materials to the objects
• Lighting
• Virtual cameras
• Animation
• View
• Make a video
• Export as a 3D model

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How are 3D models used?

• Think of examples of 3D models used in computer
  systems
• How are they used?
• Are you impressed?

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Film and TV

• Until recently the industry used matte paintings,
  hand-built models or full sized props
• 1982 - TRON used 3D animation
• 1993 - Jurassic Park used 3D animation
• 1995 Toystory completely CG
• Computer Graphics
• Commercials
• News graphics
• Historical reconstructions

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The Web

• Applications
• Demos of products
• 3d immersive worlds
• Virtual history
• Training
• Medical applications
• Design and engineering
• Games

• Methods
• Movie
• VRML
• QuickTime VR
• Java 3D
• Director/Shockwave
• Others

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Gaming

• Animation in motion video
• Quality and richness
• Real-time 3D graphics
• Pay off between detail and speed and
  responsiveness

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Operating systems

• Sun
• Looking glass
• Windows
• Longhorn 3D UI

Sun - Looking Glass (2005
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Activity

• Look at
• www.virginmobile.com/mobile/
• www.bbc.co.uk/history/multimedia_zone/virtual_tour
  s/
• www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/details.html
• www.qtvr.co.uk/
• Suggestions?
• Games
• Movies

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Two types of virtual reality

• Active
• 3D worlds
• Advantages
• Immersive environment
• Free movement
• Disadvantages
• Rendering
• Specialist software?
• Hardware?

• Passive
• Movies
• Advantages
• Level of detail
• Disadvantages
• Restricted view

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Your first portfolio

• Create a VRML model using Notepad of a simple
  room constructed from primitive shapes,
  consisting of three walls and a floor. Insert a
  table constructed of two or more cylinders and a
  light
• Due in Week 2
• A screen shot of your model rendered in a
  browser.
• Final submission
• Embedded into a website, plus discussion

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It should look something like
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Today

• Parametric modelling
• 3D space
• Coordinates
• Axes
• 3D primitives
• VRML
• X3D

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VRML

• Virtual Reality Modelling Language
• VRML is a scene description language
• Simple ascii text files which can be parsed by a
  VRML interpreter
• VRML browsers
• Cosmo
• Cortona
• Flux
• Can be exported from most 3D modelling software
• .wrl extension

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VRML

• Virtual Reality Modelling Language
• Designed to be the three-dimensional modelling
  equivalent of HTML
• World Wide Web conference in Geneva in 1994
• VRML 1.0 specification was released in May 1995
• VRML 2.0, quickly replaced by VRML97

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Tony Parisi 1999

• Where did VRML go wrong?
• Buggy browsers
• Big plug-in downloads
• Interoperability of content
• ..that no amount of technology, no matter how
  good, is relevant without compelling applications
  that solve real problems. The logic of it seems
  simple enoughif technology isnt useful, whos
  going to use it?

Tony Parisi (1999)
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X3D

• Developed collaboratively by the Web3D Consortium
  
• Evolutionary Successor to VRML97
• Adds
• New features
• Additional data encoding formats
• Stricter conformance
• Componentized architecture

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X3D

• Evolution of VRML 97
• Application of XML
• VRML was badly implemented by browsers
• Inconsistent views
• Componentized
• But not widely used
• Currently cannot export from major 3D modelling
  software
• .x3d extension

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A cylinder

• VRML
• VRML V2.0 utf8
• A cylinder
• Shape
• appearance Appearance
• material Material
• diffuseColor 1 0 0
• geometry Cylinder
• height 2
• radius 5

• X3D
• lt?xml version"1.0" encoding"UTF-8"?gt
• ltX3D profile"Full"gt
• lthead/gt
• ltScenegt
• ltShapegt
• ltAppearancegt
• ltMaterial diffuseColor"1 0 0"/gt
• lt/Appearancegt
• ltCylinder height"2" radius"5"/gt
• lt/Shapegt
• lt/Scenegt
• lt/X3Dgt

Comment
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Activity

• Open cylinder.wrl
• Change the colour
• Change the sizes
• View in a browser
• Open cylinder.x3d
• Change the colour
• Change the sizes
• View in a browser

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A box

• VRML
• VRML V2.0 utf8
• A box
• Shape
• appearance Appearance
• material Material
• geometry Box
• size 2.0 2.0 2.0

• X3D
• lt?xml version"1.0" encoding"UTF-8"?gt
• ltX3D profile"Full"gt
• lthead/gt
• ltScenegt
• ltShapegt
• ltAppearancegt
• ltMaterial diffuseColor"0 1 0"/gt
• lt/Appearancegt
• ltBox size"2 2 2"/gt
• lt/Shapegt
• lt/Scenegt
• lt/X3Dgt

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A sphere

• VRML
• VRML V2.0 utf8
• Shape
• appearance Appearance
• material Material
• diffuseColor 1 1 1
• geometry Sphere radius
  0.15

• X3D
• lt?xml version"1.0" encoding"UTF-8"?gt
• ltX3D profile"Full"gt
• lthead/gt
• ltScenegt
• ltShapegt
• ltAppearancegt
• ltMaterial diffuseColor1 1 1"/gt
• lt/Appearancegt
• ltSphere radius0.15"/gt
• lt/Shapegt
• lt/Scenegt
• lt/X3Dgt

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Activity

• Open box.wrl
• Change the colour
• Change the sizes
• View in a browser
• Open box.x3d
• Change the colour
• Change the sizes
• View in a browser

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3D space

• Every point in 3D space is defined by 3
  coordinates
• A cube shaped cyberspace
• At the centre is the origin
• 0,0,0

Origin point (0,0,0)
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Coordinate and axes

• Coordinates
• Each point is defined by 3 numbers, coordinates
• X, Y, Z
• Width, height and depth
• Axes
• Imaginary line in cyberspace
• Width axis X runs horizontally
• Height axis Y is vertical
• Depth axis Z travels front to back

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World coordinate system

• By default, all shapes are built at the origin of
  the world coordinate system
• If I have a box
• geometry Box
• size 2.0 2.0 2.0
• What are the coordinates of the 8 points?

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Transform

• A transform creates a coordinate system that can
  be
• Positioned
• Rotated
• Scaled
• Relative to a parent coordinate system

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Transform syntax

• Translation positions a coordinate system in X,
  Y, and Z
• VRML
• Transform
• translation 0 0 1
• children
• X3D
• ltTransform translation"0 0 1"gt
• lt/Transformgt

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Viewpoints

• A position in cyberspace that represents the
  users location
• Viewing plane
• Imaginary flat panel that defines the limits of
  the users sight
• Everything else is clipped off

Viewpoint
Viewing plane
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Viewpoints

• VRML
• Viewpoint
• description "First"
• position 0 2 10
• Viewpoint
• description "Second"
• position 0 2 20

• X3D
• ltViewpoint description"First" position"0 2
  10"/gt
• ltViewpoint description"Second" position"0 2
  20"/gt

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Background

• VRML
• Background
• groundAngle 1.396,1.571
• groundColor 1 1 1, 0 0.8 0.5, 0 0.5 0.3
• skyAngle 0.785, 1.571
• skyColor 0 0 0.5, 0 0 1, 1 1 1
• X3D
• ltBackground
• groundAngle"1.396,1.571
• groundColor"1 1 1, 0 0.8 0.5, 0 0.5 0.3"
  skyAngle"0.785, 1.571"
• skyColor"0 0 0.5, 0 0 1, 1 1 1"/gt

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Activity

• Open portfolio1.wrl
• Change the colour
• Change the sizes
• View in a browser
• Add another cylinder (s), transform it to make a
  simple table
• Add 3 boxes to form a floor and 2 walls
• Change the colours

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Add some light

• lamp
• Transform
• translation 0 1 0
• children
• PointLight
• location 0.0 0.0 0.0
• radius 10.0
• intensity 1.0
• ambientIntensity 0.2
• color 1 0.95 0.8
• Shape
• appearance Appearance
• material Material
  diffuseColor 1 1 1
• geometry Sphere radius 0.15
  

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Embedding in a web page

• Uses ActiveX
• ltobject
• classid"clsid06646724-bcf3-11d0-9518-00c04fc2d
  d79"
• width"50" height"50"gt
• ltparam name"src value"tower.wrl"gt
• lt/objectgt
• Warning - with XP service pack you may get a
  warning about blocked content

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Plug-ins

• Cortona only VRML
• ltOBJECT CLASSID"clsid86A88967-7A20-11D2-8EDA-006
  00818EDB1"gt
• Cosmo Player only VRML
• ltOBJECT CLASSID" clsid06646724-bcf3-11d0-9518-00
  c04fc2dd79"gt
• FLUX VRML and X3D
• ltOBJECT CLASSID"clsid918B202D-8E8F-4649-A70B-E9B
  178FEDC58"gt

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Activity

• Insert portfolio.wrl into portfolio1.htm and view
  in a browser
• Change the plugin

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More information

• VRML
• www.sdsc.edu/nadeau/Courses/WebNet98/
• X3D
• www.web3d.org/x3d/content/examples/

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Review

• VRML
• X3D
• Parametric modelling
• 3D space
• Coordinates and axes
• 3D primitives
• Viewing in a webpage
• Questions?

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Self assessment

• What is meant by real-time rendering?
• What is the difference between VRML and X3D?
• What are your options to display a real-time
  model in a webpage?
• Describe the process of primitive modelling
• Describe the process of transformation of a 3D
  shape

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For week 2

• Portfolio
• Create a VRML model using Notepad of a simple
  room constructed from primitive shapes,
  consisting of three walls and a floor. Insert a
  table constructed of two or more cylinders.
• A screenshot to be handed to your tutor
• Directed reading Chapters 1-5 of
• 3D Graphics Animation

56
References

• Giambruno M, (2002) 3D Graphics Animation, 2nd
  Edition, New Riders,
• ISBN 0-7357-1243-3
• Kerlow I. V., (2003) The Art of 3-D Computer
  Animation and Effects , 3rd Edition, John Wiley
  Sons Inc ISBN 0471430366
• Sun - Looking Glass http//www.sun.com/software/lo
  oking_glass/details.html Accessed 22/01/05
• Nadeau D., A Beginner's Guide to VRML
  http//wp.netscape.com/eng/live3d/howto/vrml_prime
  r_index.html Accessed 22/01/05
• Introduction to VRML 97 http//www.sdsc.edu/nadea
  u/Courses/WebNet98/ Accessed 22/01/05
• Brutzman D. X3D examples http//www.web3d.org/x3d/
  content/examples/ Accessed 22/01/05