Implicit Decals: Interactive Editing of Repetitive Patterns on Surfaces

Erwin de Groot (1) , Brian Wyvill (2, 3) , Loic Barthe (4, 5) , Ahmad Nasri (6) , Paul Lalonde (7)

1 CPSC - Department of Computer Science [Calgary]
2 Department of Computer Science [Bath]
3 University of Bath [Bath]
4 IRIT-STORM - Structural Models and Tools in Computer Graphics
5 UT3 - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
6 ASHA Graphics and Animation Lab
7 Microsoft Research Canada

Texture mapping is an essential component for creating 3D models and is widely used in both the game and the movie industries. Creating texture maps has always been a complex task and existing methods carefully balance flexibility with ease of use. One difficulty in using texturing is the repeated placement of individual textures over larger areas. In this paper we propose a method which uses decals to place images onto a model. Our method allows the decals to compete for space and to deform as they are being pushed by other decals. A spherical field function is used to determine the position and the size of each decal and the deformation applied to fit the decals. The decals may span multiple objects with heterogeneous representations. Our method does not require an explicit parameterization of the model. As such, varieties of patterns including repeated patterns like rocks, tiles, and scales can be mapped. We have implemented the method using the GPU where placement, size, and orientation of thousands of decals are manipulated in real time.

Mots clés: Texture Interactive Editing; Computer Graphics; Texture Synthesis; Field Function Composition; Texture Mapping; Implicit Surfaces; Decals; Parameterization; GPU

Domaines: Synthèse d'image et réalité virtuelle [cs.GR]; Traitement du signal et de l'image [eess.SP]; Traitement des images [eess.IV]; Vision par ordinateur et reconnaissance de formes [cs.CV]; Intelligence artificielle [cs.AI]

Erwin de Groot, Brian Wyvill, Loic Barthe, Ahmad Nasri, Paul Lalonde. Implicit Decals: Interactive Editing of Repetitive Patterns on Surfaces. Computer Graphics Forum, 2014, 33 (1), pp. 141-151. ⟨10.1111/cgf.12260⟩. ⟨hal-00876004⟩