We present a survey of our recent research on the development of haptic interfaces for simulating creative processes with digital media, including 3D multiresolution modeling and 2D and 3D painting. We discuss the design issues involved and lessons learned. Based on the preliminary user studies, we observe that haptic interfaces can improve the level of usability of digital design systems and assist in capturing the feel of creative processes.

We present a method to efficiently construct and render a smooth surface for approximation of large functional scattered data. Using a subdivision surface framework and techniques from terrain rendering, the resulting surface can be explored from any viewpoint while maintaining high surface fairness and interactive frame rates. We show the approximation error to be sufficiently small for several large data sets. Our system allows for adaptive simplification and provides continuous levels of detail, taking into account the local variation and distribution of the data. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): G.1.2 [Approximation]: Approximation of surfaces, Least squares approximation, Piecewise polynomial approximation; I.3.3 [Picture/Image Generation]: Display algorithms, Viewing algorithms; I.3.5 [Computational Geometry and Object Modeling]: Surface representation.

We present a novel painting system with an intuitive haptic interface, which serves as an expressive vehicle for interactively creating painterly works. We introduce a deformable, 3D brush model, which gives the user natural control of complex brush strokes. The force feedback enhances the sense of realism and provides tactile cues that enable the user to better manipulate the paint brush. We have also developed a bidirectional, two-layer paint model that, combined with a palette interface, enables easy loading of complex blends onto our 3D virtual brushes to generate interesting paint effects on the canvas. The resulting system, DAB, provides the user with an artistic setting, which is conceptually equivalent to a real-world painting environment. Several users have tested DAB and were able to start creating original art work within minutes.