Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Course Introduction

Scientific Visualization
Scientific Visualization : Reminder : Where to Start ?

• Understanding the Problem (Functionally and thecnically )

• Break down in smaller problems
• Create modular solutions
• Integrate the modular solutions for a larger project
• Identify the Demographics (To whom)
• Identify best environment to represent Info
• Do NOT overkill the solution (less is more)
• Objective Representation ALWAYS
• Avoid human sight ambiguities !!!!
Reminder -Scientific
Visualization : To Consider
• Human perception
• Understand how the human vision works
• For and individual
• For a group
• Data Types
• Scale
• Direction
• Measurement (Direct, Indirect )
• Best Tool/Approach
 • Fast and Cheap
Scientific Visualization : • Easy Interpretation
Color and intensity
• Color as in the real world !!!!
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering - Fundamentals
Can be described as coloring/drawing a discrete representation of a:
• Point
• Line
• Triangle
• Polygon
• Mesh
done by a computer.
Stay within the lines !!

How would you define and color a line, a polygon, a circle ?....
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering - Fundamentals
Trivial elements require a formal definition for computer use
From simple to complex..
• Bresenham's Line Algorithm
• Bresenham's circle Algorithm
• Signed Distance
• Convex Hull
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering : Flat
• lighting technique used in computer graphics
• Single color within defined boundaries
• Same intensity
• Fast
• blocky look
• Unreal feel
• Sufficient to abstracts objects ….
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering : Gouraud
• Replaced Flat shading
• much smoother
• gradient to each individual polygon
• Using gradient to blend color
• Better to abstract depth
• Dependent on polygon count
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering : Phong
• Improvement over Gouraud
• much smoother
• Normal of each individual polygon
• Using normal to blend color
• Better to abstract depth
• Still adequate with low polygon count
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering : More!
Fast Shading techniques
• Flat
• Gouraud
• Phong
Good for interactive applications
Good approximations on lighting
Capable of fooling the human eye
Not physically correct ..
But we can do better !
Scientific Visualization : Shading/Rendering : Reyes
Photo realistic Shading techniques Reyes, Renderman
Computationally expensive
Not intended for interactive applications
lighting model based on reality
physically correct ..
Not meant for interactivity … yet
• Blender
• Rhino 3D
• Maya
 In groups of 4:

Load and display a 3D mesh ( Different from the one given )

Add one light sources an configure its illumination properties

Define different illumination configurations of the 3D object

Flat -> Gouraud -> Phong ….

Scientific Make the light sources orbit around the 3D object and analyze its behavior.
Visualization Write one pg. with the conclusions (PFD) and screenshots of your experiments.
workshop 5 • 1) compile the sample code using CMake

• 2) Modify sample code

• 3) Code should compile in Linux

• 4) Send Workshop files via email with all members on CC