|
| | New Opportunities and Challenges for Computer Graphics - Q4 1998
Status Report
Program of Computer Graphics
A. Equipment and Installation
A.1. Equipment received, configuration, and installation
note: servers, workstations, and graphics boards received by the Program of Computer
Graphics have been shared by both this project and Project 7.3
 | 1 2x200mhz 512mb memory 35gb disk server supporting systems from both grants as a PDC |
| 1 266mhz 128mb 4gb system with ATI 3D Rage |
| 2 300mhz 128mb 4gb with ATI 3D Rage |
| 1 2x300mhz 512mb 4gb ATI 3D Rage |
| 5 400 x128mb system with Intergraph graphics cards |
| 5 Accel Eclipse 3D PCI graphics cards |
A.2. Additional software installed
| Compilers: |
1. Code Warrior
2. MS Developer Studio 6 3. Portland compiler
| Productivity/Access/Environment applications
1. Exceed 3D with OpenGL for Xwindow 3D OpenGL interaction with SGI Onyx2/IR2 system,
telnet and ftp services
2. Adobe Photoshop
3. Adobe Illustrator
4. MS Office 97
5. Uwin for Unix ksh and telnetd |
B. Research
B.1. Integrating Intel platforms into Program
of Computer Graphics research infrastructure
| NT-based systems are now the dominant desktop paradigm in our lab, replacing Unix as the
research programming and general desktop environment. The systems provided under the
Technology 2000 project provided a critical mass to enable the Program of Computer
Graphics to complete the conversion through the purchase of additional systems, monitors,
and disk storage, as well as through changes in file system organization and
support. |
| We have installed a panoramic 3-screen display system in our primary conference room
(Rhodes Hall 551) for perception studies, for testing global illumination algorithms, for
telecollaboration, and for research presentations and teaching. |
| With support from Intel and Cornell CIT Network Resources we have completed a wholesale
conversion to 100Base-T networking from a 10Base-T/FDDI network. |
| We are have upgraded our distributed compute cluster to Intel based systems. |
| We are continuing to use cross platform application development capabilities such as
remote make and tools including Purify memory monitoring and 3D graphics API's. |
B.2. Research Update
| We taught a successful new advanced computer graphics course, Architecture 476.6. This
course will be repeated in Fall 1999 as a second-level computer graphics course in an
expanded computer graphics curriculum in conjunction with the Department of Computer
Science. |
| We are holding the Cornell Workshop
on Rendering, Perception, and Measurement on April 8-10, 1999. The workshop will focus
on recent research advances in real-time global illumination and related visual perception
research, and will bring speakers and participants from industry, government, and academia
to Cornell. |
| We presented a paper on models of adaptation, spatial vision and color appearance at the
6th Color Conference, in Phoenix, Arizona in November, 1998. |
| We presented a paper on models of visual perception and spatial vision at SIGGRAPH '98.
Perceptual metrics developed from these models will help reduce overcomputation of global
illumination beyond what a human observer can see. |
| A complete list of recent PCG publications
is available. |
B.3. Images
| Modeling of the Toronto
Skydome generated by an undergraduate architecture student, illustrating the
complexity of models to be rendered. |
| Density estimation rendering
of a complex environment generated from over one billion particle tracings using 128
processors of the IBM SP-2 supercomputer at Cornell's Theory Center. |
| The Cornell Box experiments
illustrate how we directly compare computer-generatedrenderings with images of physical
objects to validate our research. |
New Opportunities and Challenges for Computer Graphics 2nd Quarter 1998 Status Report
Program of Computer Graphics
A. Equipment and Installation
A.1. Equipment received, configuration, and installation
note: servers, workstations, and graphics boards received by the Program of Computer
Graphics have been shared by both this project and Project 7.3
| 1 2x200mhz 512mb memory 35gb disk server supporting systems from both grants as a PDC |
| 1 266mhz 128mb 4gb system with ATI 3D Rage |
| 2 300mhz 128mb 4gb with ATI 3D Rage |
| 1 2x300mhz 512mb 4gb ATI 3D Rage |
| 5 400 x128mb system with Intergraph graphics cards |
A.2. Additional software installed
| Compilers: |
1.Code Warrior
2.MS Developer Studio
| Productivity/Access/Environment applications
1.Exceed 3D with OpenGL for Xwindow 3D OpenGL interaction with SGI Onyx2/IR2 system,
telnet and ftp services
2.Adobe Photoshop
3.Adobe Illustrator
4.MS Office 97
5.Uwin for Unix ksh and telnetd |
B. Research
B.1. Integrating Intel platforms into Program
of Computer Graphics researchinfrastructure
| At present we have nearly completed installing NT-based systems as the dominant desktop
paradigm in our lab, replacing Unix as the research programming and general desktop
environment. The systems provided under the Technology 2000 project provided a critical
mass to enable the Program of Computer Graphics to complete the conversion through the
purchase of additional systems, monitors, and disk storage, as well as through changes in
file system organization and support. |
| We have just completed enlarging our primary conference room (Rhodes Hall 551) to
accommodate the installation of a panoramic 3-screen display system. This system will be
used for perception studies, for testing global illumination algorithms, for
telecollaboration,
and for research presentations and teaching. |
| With support from Intel and Cornell CIT Network Resources we have completed a wholesale
conversion to 100Base-T networking from the 10Base-T/FDDI network previously installed.
|
| With the advent of relatively inexpensive compute systems we are also upgrading our
distributed compute cluster to Intel based systems. |
| We are in preliminary discussion with BSDI on a beta release of multiprocessor/shared
memory unix. |
| We are working to smoothly integrate cross platform application development capabilities
such as remote make and tools including Purify memory monitoring and 3D graphics API's. |
B.2. Research Update
| We have initiated a new advanced computer graphics course, Architecture 476.6. This
course has been approved for computer science credit and provides a second-level computer
graphics course. We have approximately 20 undergraduate CS and EE majors enrolled in
addition to the graduate students in the Program of Computer Graphics. The course is being
team taught by faculty and staff in the PCG, under the direction of Donald Greenberg and
two postdoctoral associates, Eric Lafortune and Philip Dutre. |
| We are planning a conference/workshop on realistic image synthesis to be held at Cornell
on April 9 and 10, 1999. The agenda will focus on recent research advances in real-time
global illumination and related visual perception research, and will bring invited
speakers and participants from industry and academia. |
| We presented a paper on models of visual perception and spatial vision at SIGGRAPH '98.
Perceptual metrics developed from these models will help reduce overcomputation of global
illumination beyond what a human observer can see. |
| Dr. Greenberg and several students attended a workshop on image-based
modeling and rendering at Stanford, which confirmed in our minds the need for measuring
current image-based rendering methods against object-based methods, and for identifying
promising hybrid approaches. |
| We presented a research framework for realistic image synthesis last year in a special session at
SIGGRAPH '97 in Los Angeles. |
| A list of recent PCG publications is
available. |
B.3. Images
| Modeling of the Toronto
Skydome generated by an undergraduate architecture student, illustrating the
complexity of models to be rendered. |
| Density estimation rendering
of a complex environment generated from over one billion particle tracings using 128
processors of the IBM SP-2 supercomputer at Cornell's Theory Center. |
| The Cornell Box experiments
illustrate how we directly compare computer-generatedrenderings with images of physical
objects to validate our research.
|
New Opportunities and Challenges for Computer Graphics 1st Quarter Status
Report
Program of Computer Graphics
Equipment and Installation
Equipment received, configuration, and installation
Note: the systems below are awaiting OpenGL graphics cards for full
configuation
| 1 4x200mhz 1gb memory 27gb disk compute server system, installed in a
public area but also accessible remotely for large-environment and
distributed computing
Note: the four desktop systems which have arrived have been installed for
direct use by research staff and graduate students working on key elements
of our rendering research |
| 1 266mhz 128mb 4gb system with ATI 3D Rage |
| 2 300mhz 128mb 4gb with ATI 3D Rage |
| 1 2x300mhz 512mb 4gb ATI 3D Rage |
Additional software installed
| Compilers:
- Metrowerks Code Warrior
- MS Developer Studio
|
| Productivity/Access/Environment applications
- Exceed 3D with OpenGL for Xwindow 3D OpenGL interaction with SGI
Onyx2/IR2 system, telnet and ftp services
- Photoshop
- Canvas
- MS Office 97
- Uwin for Unix
ksh and telnetd
|
Research
Integrating Intel platforms into Program
of Computer Graphics research infrastructure
| At present we have focused on installing NT based systems as the dominant
desktop paradigm in our lab, which requires the acquisition of up to 12
additional systems and changes in file-system organization and support. |
| We are working to smoothly integrate cross platform application
development capabilities such as remote make and tools including Purify
memory monitoring and 3D graphics API's. |
| Our first implementations indicate a single Pentium II-300 processor will
deliver about 2/3 the speed of a single R10000 processor when running a ray
tracer. |
| We are expecting AGP capable systems to deliver improved performance
through higher bandwidth between the graphics card and processor. |
| With support from Intel and Cornell CIT Network Resources we are making a
wholesale conversion to 100Base-T networking from the 10Base-T/FDDI network
currently installed. 100Base-T networking will shift the bottleneck for our
rendering algorithms from networking to processors, which our parallel
algorithms can harness by taking full advantage of multiple networked
systems. |
| With the advent of relatively inexpensive computer systems we are also
evaluating the upgrade of our distributed compute cluster to Intel based
systems with a Beowulf type of array. |
| We are in preliminary discussion with BSDI
on a beta release of multiprocessor/shared memory unix. |
Research Update
| We presented a research framework for realistic image synthesis last year
in a special
session at SIGGRAPH '97 in Los Angeles. |
| We will be presenting a paper on models of visual perception and spatial
vision at SIGGRAPH '98. Perceptual metrics developed from these models will
help reduce overcomputation of global illumination beyond what a human
observer can see. |
| We have recently attended a workshop
on image-based modeling and rendering at Stanford, which confirmed in our
minds the need for measuring current image-based rendering methods against
object-based methods, and for identifying promising hybrid approaches. |
| A list of recent PCG publications
is available. |
|
