Simultaneous modification and navigation of massive 3D models are difficult because repeated data edits affect the data layout and coherency on a secondary storage, which in turn affect the interactive out-of-core rendering performance. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for distributed data management for simultaneous interactive navigation and modification of massive 3D data using the readily available infrastructure of a tiled display. Tiled multi-displays, projection or LCD panel based, driven by a PC cluster, can be viewed as a cluster of storage-compute-display (SCD) nodes. Given a cluster of SCD node infrastructure, we first propose a distributed memory hierarchy for interactive rendering applications. Second, in order to further reduce the latency in such applications, we propose a new data partitioning approach for distributed storage among the SCD nodes that reduces the variance in the data load across the SCD nodes. Our data distribution method takes in a data set of any size, and reorganizes it into smaller partitions, and stores it across the multiple SCD nodes. These nodes store, manage, and coordinate data with other SCD nodes to simultaneously achieve interactive navigation and modification. Specifically, the data is not duplicated across these distributed secondary storage devices. In addition, coherency in data access, due to screen-space adjacency of adjacent displays in the tile, as well as object space adjacency of the data sets, is well leveraged in the design of the data management technique. Empirical evaluation on two large data sets, with different data density distribution, demonstrates that the proposed data management approach achieves superior performance over alternative state-of-the-art methods.

Earlier work has explored enhancing the perceived resolution of a display by shifting multiple different low-resolution images by fractions of a pixel and overlaying them in a temporally multiplexed fashion. This increases the manufacturing cost and also sacrifices the temporal resolution that can compromise other capabilities like 3D active stereo. In this paper we propose a method to achieve the same goal in projectors by performing the pixel shift and superposition optically by introducing a simple and inexpensive optical ensemble of a set of lenses on the projector light path. This does not sacrifice the temporal resolution and is extremely easy to implement in practice. However, instead of overlaying different images, we overlay an image with one or more sub-pixel shifted copies of itself. Therefore, we seek a single n×n image which when shifted and overlaid with itself creates a perceptually closer to a higher resolution 2n × 2n target image. This changes the optimization formulation significantly and requires solving a system of sparse linear equations. We take advantage of this sparsity and design a parallel implementation of this optimization in GPUs for real-time computation of the input image critical for its practical implementation. But, since this system is more constrained that using multiple overlaid images, the enhancement of resolution is compromised. However, since the optical design is very simple and inexpensive, it can be deployed on a variety of low-cost projectors and still offer a significant image quality benefit.

Color is one of the most common ways to convey information in visualization applications. Color vision deficiency (CVD) affects approximately 200 million individuals worldwide and considerably degrades their performance in understanding such contents by creating red-green or blue-yellow ambiguities. While several content-specific methods have been proposed to resolve these ambiguities, they cannot achieve this effectively in many situations for contents with a large variety of colors. More importantly, they cannot facilitate color identification. We propose a technique for using patterns to encode color information for individuals with CVD, in particular for dichromats. We present the first content-independent method to overlay patterns on colored visualization contents that not only minimizes ambiguities but also allows color identification. Further, since overlaying patterns does not compromise the underlying original colors, it does not hamper the perception of normal trichromats. We validated our method with two user studies: one including 11 subjects with CVD and 19 normal trichromats, and focused on images that use colors to represent multiple categories; and another one including 16 subjects with CVD and 22 normal trichromats, which considered a broader set of images. Our results show that overlaying patterns significantly improves the performance of dichromats in several color-based visualization tasks, making their performance almost similar to normal trichromats'. More interestingly, the patterns augment color information in a positive manner, allowing normal trichromats to perform with greater accuracy.

We present a system that superimposes multiple projections onto an object of arbitrary shape and color to produce high-resolution appearance changes. Our system produces appearances at an improved resolution compared to prior works and can change appearances at near interactive rates. Three main components are central to our system. First, the problem of computing compensation images is formulated as a constrained optimization which yields high-resolution appearances. Second, decomposition of the target appearance into base and scale images enables fast swapping of appearances on the object by requiring the constrained optimization to be computed only once per object. Finally, to make high-quality appearance edits practical, an elliptical Gaussian is used to model projector pixels and their interaction between projectors. To the best of our knowledge, we build the first system that achieves high-resolution and high-quality appearance edits using multiple superimposed projectors on complex nonplanar colored objects. We demonstrate several appearance edits including specular lighting, subsurface scattering, inter-reflections, and color, texture, and geometry changes on objects with different shapes and colors.

Digital projection technology has improved significantly in recent years. But, the relationship of cost with respect to available resolution in projectors is still super-linear. In this paper, we present a method that uses projector light modulator panels (e.g. LCD or DMD panels) of resolution n X n to create a perceptually close match to a target higher resolution cn X cn image, where c is a small integer greater than 1. This is achieved by enhancing the resolution using smaller pixels at specific regions of interest like edges. A target high resolution image ( cn X cn ) is first decomposed into (a) a high resolution ( cn X cn ) but sparse edge image , and (b) a complementary lower resolution ( n X n ) non-edge image . These images are then projected in a time sequential manner at a high frame rate to create an edge-enhanced image -- an image where the pixel density is not uniform but changes spatially. In 3D ready projectors with readily available refresh rate of 120Hz, such a temporal multiplexing is imperceptible to the user and the edge-enhanced image is perceptually almost identical to the target high resolution image. To create the higher resolution edge image, we introduce the concept of optical pixel sharing . This reduces the projected pixel size by a factor of 1/ c 2 while increasing the pixel density by c 2 at the edges enabling true higher resolution edges. Due to the sparsity of the edge pixels in an image we are able to choose a sufficiently large subset of these to be displayed at the higher resolution using perceptual parameters. We present a statistical analysis quantifying the expected number of pixels that will be reproduced at the higher resolution and verify it for different types of images.

In this paper, we present the first method for the geometric autocalibration of multiple projectors on a set of CAVE-like immersive display surfaces including truncated domes and 4 or 5-wall CAVEs (three side walls, floor, and/or ceiling). All such surfaces can be categorized as swept surfaces and multiple projectors can be registered on them using a single uncalibrated camera without using any physical markers on the surface. Our method can also handle nonlinear distortion in the projectors, common in compact setups where a short throw lens is mounted on each projector. Further, when the whole swept surface is not visible from a single camera view, we can register the projectors using multiple pan and tilted views of the same camera. Thus, our method scales well with different size and resolution of the display. Since we recover the 3D shape of the display, we can achieve registration that is correct from any arbitrary viewpoint appropriate for head-tracked single-user virtual reality systems. We can also achieve wallpapered registration, more appropriate for multiuser collaborative explorations. Though much more immersive than common surfaces like planes and cylinders, general swept surfaces are used today only for niche display environments. Even the more popular 4 or 5-wall CAVE is treated as a piecewise planar surface for calibration purposes and hence projectors are not allowed to be overlapped across the corners. Our method opens up the possibility of using such swept surfaces to create more immersive VR systems without compromising the simplicity of having a completely automatic calibration technique. Such calibration allows completely arbitrary positioning of the projectors in a 5-wall CAVE, without respecting the corners.

Solid state drives (SSDs) are emerging as an alternative storage medium to HDDs. SSDs have performance characteristics (e.g., fast random reads) that are very different from those of HDDs. Because of the high performance of SSDs, there are increasingly more research efforts to redesign the established techniques that are optimized for HDDs, to work well with SSDs. In this paper we focus on computing cache-coherent layouts of large-scale models for SSDs. It has been demonstrated that cache-oblivious layouts perform well for various applications running on HDDs. However, computing cache-oblivious layouts for large-models is known to be very expensive. Also these layouts cannot be maintained efficiently for dynamically changing models. Utilizing the properties of SSDs we propose an efficient layout computation method that produces a page-based cache-aware layout for SSDs. We show that the performance of our layout can be maintained under dynamic changes on the model and is similar to the cache-oblivious layout optimized for static models. We demonstrate the benefits of our method for large-scale walkthrough scene editing and rendering, and collision detection.

Abstract Projection‐based appearances are used in a variety of computer graphics applications to impart different appearances onto physical surfaces using digitally controlled projector light. To achieve a compliant appearance, all points on the physical surface must be altered to the colours of the desired target appearance; otherwise, an incompliant appearance results in a misleading visualization. Previous systems typically assume to operate with compliant appearances or restrict themselves to the simpler case of white surfaces. To achieve compliancy, one may change the physical surface's albedo, increase the amount of projector light radiance available or modify the target appearance's colours. This paper presents an approach to modify a target appearance to achieve compliant appearance editing without altering the physical surface or the projector setup. Our system minimally alters the target appearance's colours while maintaining cues important for perceptual similarity (e.g. colour constancy). First, we discuss how to measure colour compliancy. Next, we describe our approach to partition the physical surface into patches based on the surface's colours and the target appearance's colours. Finally, we describe our appearance optimization process, which computes a compliant appearance that is as perceptually similar as possible to the target appearance's colours. We perform several real‐world projection‐based appearances and compare our results to naïve approaches, which either ignore compliancy or simply reduce the appearance's overall brightness.

Abstract In this paper we present a novel technique for easily calibrating multiple casually aligned projectors on spherical domes using a single uncalibrated camera. Using the prior knowledge of the display surface being a dome, we can estimate the camera intrinsic and extrinsic parameters and the projector to display surface correspondences automatically using a set of images. These images include the image of the dome itself and a projected pattern from each projector. Using these correspondences we can register images from the multiple projectors on the dome. Further, we can register displays which are not entirely visible in a single camera view using multiple pan and tilted views of an uncalibrated camera making our method suitable for displays of different size and resolution. We can register images from any arbitrary viewpoint making it appropriate for a single head‐tracked user in a 3D visualization system. Also, we can use several cartographic mapping techniques to register images in a manner that is appropriate for multi‐user visualization. Domes are known to produce a tremendous sense of immersion and presence in visualization systems. Yet, till date, there exists no easy way to register multiple projectors on a dome to create a high‐resolution realistic visualizations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that can achieve accurate geometric registration of multiple projectors on a dome simply and automatically using a single uncalibrated camera.

We present a camera with switchable primaries using shiftable layers of color filter arrays (CFAs). By layering a pair of CMY CFAs in this novel manner we can switch between multiple sets of color primaries (namely RGB, CMY and RGBCY) in the same camera. In contrast to fixed color primaries (e.g. RGB or CMY), which cannot provide optimal image quality for all scene conditions, our camera with switchable primaries provides optimal color fidelity and signal to noise ratio for multiple scene conditions. Next, we show that the same concept can be used to layer two RGB CFAs to design a camera with switchable low dynamic range (LDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) modes. Further, we show that such layering can be generalized as a constrained satisfaction problem (CSP) allowing to constrain a large number of parameters (e.g. different operational modes, amount and direction of the shifts, placement of the primaries in the CFA) to provide an optimal solution. We investigate practical design options for shiftable layering of the CFAs. We demonstrate these by building prototype cameras for both switchable primaries and switchable LDR/HDR modes. To the best of our knowledge, we present, for the first time, the concept of shiftable layers of CFAs that provides a new degree of freedom in photography where multiple operational modes are available to the user in a single camera for optimizing the picture quality based on the nature of the scene geometry, color and illumination.

In this paper, we present a novel technique to calibrate multiple casually aligned projectors on fiducial-free piecewise smooth vertically extruded surfaces using a single camera. Such surfaces include cylindrical displays and CAVEs, common in immersive virtual reality systems. We impose two priors to the display surface. We assume the surface is a piecewise smooth vertically extruded surface for which the aspect ratio of the rectangle formed by the four corners of the surface is known and the boundary is visible and segmentable. Using these priors, we can estimate the display's 3D geometry and camera extrinsic parameters using a nonlinear optimization technique from a single image without any explicit display to camera correspondences. Using the estimated camera and display properties, the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of each projector are recovered using a single projected pattern seen by the camera. This in turn is used to register the images on the display from any arbitrary viewpoint making it appropriate for virtual reality systems. The fast convergence and robustness of this method is achieved via a novel dimension reduction technique for camera parameter estimation and a novel deterministic technique for projector property estimation. This simplicity, efficiency, and robustness of our method enable several coveted features for nonplanar projection-based displays. First, it allows fast recalibration in the face of projector, display or camera movements and even change in display shape. Second, this opens up, for the first time, the possibility of allowing multiple projectors to overlap on the corners of the CAVE-a popular immersive VR display system. Finally, this opens up the possibility of easily deploying multiprojector displays on aesthetic novel shapes for edutainment and digital signage applications.

In this paper we present a novel technique to calibrate multiple casually aligned projectors on a fiducial-free cylindrical curved surface using a single camera. We impose two priors to the cylindrical display: (a) cylinder is a vertically extruded surface; and (b) the aspect ratio of the rectangle formed by the four corners of the screen is known. Using these priors, we can estimate the display's 3D surface geometry and camera extrinsic parameters using a single image without any explicit display to camera correspondences. Using the estimated camera and display properties, we design a novel deterministic algorithm to recover the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of each projector using a single projected pattern seen by the camera which is then used to register the images on the display from any arbitrary viewpoint making it appropriate for virtual reality systems. Finally, our method can be extended easily to handle sharp corners - making it suitable for the common CAVE like VR setup. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that can achieve accurate geometric auto-calibration of multiple projectors on a cylindrical display without performing an extensive stereo reconstruction.

In this paper, we present the first method to geometrically register multiple projectors on a swept surface (e.g. a truncated dome) using a single uncalibrated camera without using any physical markers on the surface. Our method can even handle non-linear distortion in projectors common in compact setups where a short throw lens is mounted on each projector. Further, when the whole swept surface is not visible from a single camera view, we can register the projectors using multiple pan and tilted views of the same camera. Thus, our method scales well with different size and resolution of the display. Since we recover the 3D shape of the display, we can achieve registration that is correct from any arbitrary viewpoint appropriate for head-tracked single-user virtual reality systems. We can also achieve wallpapered registration more appropriate for multi-user collaborative explorations. Our method achieves sub-pixel accuracy and the image correction required to achieve the registration runs in real-time on the GPU.

Abstract Recent work have shown that it is possible to register multiple projectors on non‐planar surfaces using a single uncalibrated camera instead of a calibrated stereo pair when dealing with a special class of non‐planar surfaces, vertically extruded surfaces. However, this requires the camera view to contain the entire display surface. This is often an impossible scenario for large displays, especially common in visualization, edutainment, training and simulation applications. In this paper we present a new method that can achieve an accurate geometric registration even when the field‐of‐view of the uncalibrated camera can cover only a part of the vertically extruded display at a time. We pan and tilt the camera from a single point and employ a multi‐view approach to register the projectors on the display. This allows the method to scale easily both in terms of camera resolution and display size. To the best of our knowledge, our method is the first to achieve a scalable multi‐view geometric registration of large vertically extruded displays with a single uncalibrated camera. This method can also handle a different situation of having multiple similarly oriented cameras in different locations, if the camera focal length is known.

Given a data layout of a large walkthrough scene, we present a novel and simple spatial hierarchy on the disk-pages of the layout that has notable advantages over a conventional spatial hierarchy on the scene geometry. Assume that each disk-page consists of a set of triangles whose bounding boxes are computed. A spatial hierarchy of the walkthrough space is constructed, not with the given scene, but with the bounding boxes of disk-pages. The leaf nodes of the spatial-hierarchy refer directly to the page numbers of the pages of the bounding box it contains. We call this hierarchy on the pages as the disk-page hierarchy. We also propose a self-contained disk-page format that would suit this data structure well. Further, we present a new cache-oblivious graph-based data layout algorithm called the 2-factor layout that would preserve the proximity and orientation properties of the primitives in the layout. Walkthrough experiments have been conducted on a city scene consisting of over 110M triangles. Our system renders this scene on a laptop within a one pixel projection error at over 20 fps with simple texture substitution based simplification of distant objects, and with no explicit data/cache management.

Multi-projector displays show significant spatial variation in 3D color gamut due to variation in the chromaticity gamuts across the projectors, vignetting effect of each projector and also overlap across adjacent projectors. In this paper we present a new constrained gamut morphing algorithm that removes all these variations and results in true color seamlessness across tiled multiprojector displays. Our color morphing algorithm adjusts the intensities of light from each pixel of each projector precisely to achieve a smooth morphing from one projector's gamut to the other's through the overlap region. This morphing is achieved by imposing precise constraints on the perceptual difference between the gamuts of two adjacent pixels. In addition, our gamut morphing assures a C1 continuity yielding visually pleasing appearance across the entire display.We demonstrate our method successfully on a planar and a curved display using both low and high-end projectors. Our approach is completely scalable, efficient and automatic. We also demonstrate the real-time performance of our image correction algorithm on GPUs for interactive applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that presents a scalable method with a strong foundation in perception and realizes, for the first time, a truly seamless display where the number of projectors cannot be deciphered.

In this paper, we present the first algorithm to geometrically register multiple projectors in a view-independent manner (i.e. wallpapered) on a common type of curved surface, vertically extruded surface, using an uncalibrated camera without attaching any obtrusive markers to the display screen. Further, it can also tolerate large non-linear geometric distortions in the projectors as is common when mounting short throw lenses to allow a compact set-up. Our registration achieves sub-pixel accuracy on a large number of different vertically extruded surfaces and the image correction to achieve this registration can be run in real time on the GPU. This simple markerless registration has the potential to have a large impact on easy set-up and maintenance of large curved multi-projector displays, common for visualization, edutainment, training and simulation applications.