The early adoption and subsequent interest in photorealistic rendering
by the graphics community is most likely due to the "mission
statement'' of photorealistic rendering: "Create an image that is
indistinguishable from a photograph." This mission statement gives
photorealistic rendering a visual "Turing test", and an easily
defined metric for a successful image. Artistic computer graphics does not have a single
mission statement. Instead, researchers are pursuing a number of image
creation goals. The goals of Artistic computer graphics include simulating traditional
artistic media, understanding the human visual system, communicating
effectively with low bandwidth, abstracting images, enhancing
learning, and improving user interaction.
The control of detail in an image for purposes of communication is
becoming the hallmark of artistic computer graphics. Often this control of image
detail is combined with stylization to evoke the perception of
complexity in an image without an explicit representation. Artistic images
also provide a more natural vehicle for conveying information at
different levels of abstraction and detail. Seven occasions
when an artistic computer generated image has an advantage are listed below.
1. Image Reproducibility: In a technical journal printed in black
and white, fully shaded three-dimensional geometry may not print
well. For example, photographic images do not copy or fax as well as
line art images.
2. Medical Visualization: Researchers are focusing on providing
artistic algorithms, which can be manipulated interactively, for real time
visualizations of volume data. A good example is the visualization of
electric fields inside the human body.
3. Communication of Abstract Ideas: The human visual system
expects realistically rendered characters to behave
realistically. Therefore, nonphotorealistic animation can be used to
express ideas beyond the physical and logical norm, in a way that is
acceptable to a general audience. An example of this is force diagrams
used in physics textbooks.
4. Evoking the Imagination: Simple line drawings can communicate
abstract ideas in ways that a photograph cannot. In a photorealistic
image, everything in the scene is rendered in fine detail, leaving
little to the imagination. In comparison, by not depicting every
detail, a nonphotorealistic image allows the viewer to share in the
interpretive process.
5. Animation: When creating an animation it is necessary to focus
the attention of the audience on the relevant actions and elements in
the scene. A viewer inspecting the fine details of a photorealistic
scene can miss the big picture. Most nonphotorealistic techniques
employ an economy of line, limiting the detail in a scene, which makes
directing the attention of the viewers easier for an animator.
6. Compression: By not depicting all the detail required for
photorealistic images, nonphotorealistically rendered computer
graphics images typically take less time to create, can be rendered to
the screen faster, and use less storage space. For example, half-tone
images yield the same shape from shading cues as traditionally
rendered computer graphics images when viewed from a
distance. However, the half-tone images require between one tenth and
one one-hundredth of the storage
space.
7. Communication of Design or Process Completeness:
Photorealistic rendering implies an exactness and perfection that may
overstate the fidelity of the simulated scene to a photograph. Artistic computer graphics
can aid a viewer in understanding that the image they see is only an
approximate depiction of a scene. An excellent example of this
phenomena is architectural rendering. Architects have found that
on-site building conditions and variations in regional building codes
can lead to last minute changes in building plans. If clients are
shown realistic images of the proposed building these last minute
changes can come as a shock, leading to angry, disappointed clients.
However, if the clients are shown nonphotorealistic images of the
proposed building clients tend to accept the design process as
incomplete and the plans as changeable. Therefore, the clients usually
accept on-site changes.
Author Info:
Dr. Bruce Gooch is the President of Toon-FX, a software company whose products allow users to automatically create cartoon representations of their digital photographs and video. Visit http://www.Toon-FX.com to learn more.
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Thursday, July 24, 2008
Bring your computer to its full potential with these easy steps! by Sean Carrol
Ok, so your computer has been running at less than optimal performance for the past few months and you have no idea where to start. You could pay a technician upwards of $200 to come take a look, fiddle with a few things, and not really make any difference OR you could read my article which is free, will take 20 minutes of your time, and have drastically increase the performance of your system. So here goes...
The first thing
When your computer starts there are programs that automatically start. Some of these are necessary for Windows to run, but a lot are not. Most of these programs lurk in the background eating away at your system resources and noticeably slowing your computer down. Lucky for you you can have full control over what starts up when your computer starts. First off, to take a look at the programs that start when your computer boots follow the steps below:
1. Open your Start menu and click on Run.
2. Type in msconfig and click Open
The Microsoft System Configuration utlity opens. Most of the options in here we will have absoltuely no use for at this time. On the main page, in about the middle you'll see an option for Selective Startup, click on it and then click the Startup tab.
In this window we will see a full listing of all programs that start when the computer boots. Like I said before most of these are unnecessary so we can remove a lot of them.
We have to look each item up individually to see if it is necessary for the computer to run. Once we decide it is uneccessary we can simply uncheck it. To help us determine if it is necessary or not there is an online list here to tell us what the program is and whether or not we need it. If you don't need it, just uncheck it. Go through the whole list removing items until you finish. Click the Apply button and then click OK.
Once we have that done it will prompt you as to whether or not you want to restart. Restart your computer and you will notice a huge difference even in the loading time.
Seconds
The second thing you probably want to if you are experiencing a slow computer is to free up some hard drive space. Windows sets aside a portion of your harddrive to be used a RAM and depending on how quickly it can access this can affect the speed of your computer. To free up some harddrive space we are going to use two fairly simple tools.
The first is Add Or Remove Programs. This is a centralized location where Windows lets you remove applications from your system. To access Add or Remove Programs click Start , Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs.
Take a look through the list, select any programs you do not recognize or need, highlight them and click the Change/Remove button on the right-hand side. After you click Change/Remove, it will prompt you to remove the application, follow the wizard through the steps of removing it.
Disk Cleanup is another neat little tool to help you free up some harddrive space. It will take a look at your system and let you know how much space Windows has calculated it can get rid of. Typically, it will delete your Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, log files, and a few other areas not deemed as particularly important.
To open and use Disk Cleanup follow the steps listed below:
1. Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup
2. It will calculate how much space it is able to free up when it opens. It will then open a window showing where these files will be deleted from. Select All of the checkboxes in this window and click OK.
3. Now it will go through and delete all of the unnecessary data from your harddrive.
Third
Now that we've managed to free up some space on your hard drive we are now going to use to Disk Defragmenter to clean it up a bit. Defragmenting your hard drive puts the data in a more sequential order on the disk so it is quicker and easier to access it. The tool is also fairly simple to run. Follow the steps below to defragment your harddrive:
1. Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
2. When it opens, press the Defragment button and off you go!
Defragmenting your hard drive can take upwards of 5 hours so it is usually best to run it before bed or at a time when is using the computer for a few hours. This is part one of this article. Part two will be up this evening and cover cleaning your registry, removing spyware, and optimizing internet surfing. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Author Info:
Sean Carroll Tech Goldmine Blog Your #1 Source for Technology news and tips! http://www.techgoldmine.com/
Terms:
Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live
Source: Article Depot - Search Free Articles
The first thing
When your computer starts there are programs that automatically start. Some of these are necessary for Windows to run, but a lot are not. Most of these programs lurk in the background eating away at your system resources and noticeably slowing your computer down. Lucky for you you can have full control over what starts up when your computer starts. First off, to take a look at the programs that start when your computer boots follow the steps below:
1. Open your Start menu and click on Run.
2. Type in msconfig and click Open
The Microsoft System Configuration utlity opens. Most of the options in here we will have absoltuely no use for at this time. On the main page, in about the middle you'll see an option for Selective Startup, click on it and then click the Startup tab.
In this window we will see a full listing of all programs that start when the computer boots. Like I said before most of these are unnecessary so we can remove a lot of them.
We have to look each item up individually to see if it is necessary for the computer to run. Once we decide it is uneccessary we can simply uncheck it. To help us determine if it is necessary or not there is an online list here to tell us what the program is and whether or not we need it. If you don't need it, just uncheck it. Go through the whole list removing items until you finish. Click the Apply button and then click OK.
Once we have that done it will prompt you as to whether or not you want to restart. Restart your computer and you will notice a huge difference even in the loading time.
Seconds
The second thing you probably want to if you are experiencing a slow computer is to free up some hard drive space. Windows sets aside a portion of your harddrive to be used a RAM and depending on how quickly it can access this can affect the speed of your computer. To free up some harddrive space we are going to use two fairly simple tools.
The first is Add Or Remove Programs. This is a centralized location where Windows lets you remove applications from your system. To access Add or Remove Programs click Start , Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs.
Take a look through the list, select any programs you do not recognize or need, highlight them and click the Change/Remove button on the right-hand side. After you click Change/Remove, it will prompt you to remove the application, follow the wizard through the steps of removing it.
Disk Cleanup is another neat little tool to help you free up some harddrive space. It will take a look at your system and let you know how much space Windows has calculated it can get rid of. Typically, it will delete your Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, log files, and a few other areas not deemed as particularly important.
To open and use Disk Cleanup follow the steps listed below:
1. Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup
2. It will calculate how much space it is able to free up when it opens. It will then open a window showing where these files will be deleted from. Select All of the checkboxes in this window and click OK.
3. Now it will go through and delete all of the unnecessary data from your harddrive.
Third
Now that we've managed to free up some space on your hard drive we are now going to use to Disk Defragmenter to clean it up a bit. Defragmenting your hard drive puts the data in a more sequential order on the disk so it is quicker and easier to access it. The tool is also fairly simple to run. Follow the steps below to defragment your harddrive:
1. Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
2. When it opens, press the Defragment button and off you go!
Defragmenting your hard drive can take upwards of 5 hours so it is usually best to run it before bed or at a time when is using the computer for a few hours. This is part one of this article. Part two will be up this evening and cover cleaning your registry, removing spyware, and optimizing internet surfing. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Author Info:
Sean Carroll Tech Goldmine Blog Your #1 Source for Technology news and tips! http://www.techgoldmine.com/
Terms:
Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live
Source: Article Depot - Search Free Articles
Select the Right MP3 Software to Use by Jon Caldwell
Most teens consider MP3 as the "in-thing" to have. It is the equivalent of the walkman from way back. It stores digital music compressed to a much smaller size than a compact disc but the music is of the same quality. There is no need for storage devices to be slotted in to the unit to play music. It has similar components as the computer - data port, memory, microprocessor, digital signal processor, playback devices, audio port, amplifier and power supply. They come with software programs for managing files and downloading music. The unit is run either by batteries or by plugging into an AC adaptor.
It is often said that the MP3 was invented by Karlheinz Brandenburg, but he doesn't want to take the credit for it. He attributes its development to a host of core developers with many others contributing. While he was trying to discover the discipline of how people understand and see music, he was tasked to reproduce the song of a folk rock singer without the background noise. So in collaboration with other MP3 developers they were able to refine the technology up to a point that the song sounded just like the original. This served as the break they needed and further research had the MP3 establish its niche in the industry.
Advanced Streaming Format is Microsoft's own digital audio/video container format and is part of the Windows media framework. It can store compressed audio and video content that can be played back using a media player equipped with the proper codec. This extensible file format is designed to keep coordinated multimedia data and supports advanced multimedia capabilities that include extensible media types, component download, and scalable media. Windows Media Video (WMV) and Windows Media Audio (WMA) are the most common files found in an ASF file and can use the ASF extension. These files can also include the metadata for the audio/video file similar to ID3 tags for MP3 files.
Advanced Audio Coding or AAC, a standardized glossy compression and encoding format for digital audio, was designed to resolve the major performance flaws found in the MP3 format. Its audio encoding provides more efficient compression than the older formats but does not reduce its quality and can rival that of an uncompressed audio CD. AAC makes use of two main coding strategies to significantly lessen the amount of data needed to stand for high-quality digital audio: discarding the signal components that are perceived to be immaterial; and eliminating the unessential in the coded audio, at the same time adding internal error correction codes.
There are just a few proposed standards for encoding to gain and MP3 file, listeners may want to hear the music file like an original soundtrack, but this does not conclude that they want to use volume control for each track being played, but notice the music played on an original compact disc, the volume was intentionally set by a professional mastering engineer, for each track has equal volume, compact discs & other different sources are digitally mastered and recorded at different volumes, so when playing tracks one after the another, it may be convenient to set volume information on the tag being used so when you play it again, the volume dynamically adjusts itself.
About the Author
Jon Caldwell is a professional content manager. Much of his articles can be found at http://mp3softwareguide.com
It is often said that the MP3 was invented by Karlheinz Brandenburg, but he doesn't want to take the credit for it. He attributes its development to a host of core developers with many others contributing. While he was trying to discover the discipline of how people understand and see music, he was tasked to reproduce the song of a folk rock singer without the background noise. So in collaboration with other MP3 developers they were able to refine the technology up to a point that the song sounded just like the original. This served as the break they needed and further research had the MP3 establish its niche in the industry.
Advanced Streaming Format is Microsoft's own digital audio/video container format and is part of the Windows media framework. It can store compressed audio and video content that can be played back using a media player equipped with the proper codec. This extensible file format is designed to keep coordinated multimedia data and supports advanced multimedia capabilities that include extensible media types, component download, and scalable media. Windows Media Video (WMV) and Windows Media Audio (WMA) are the most common files found in an ASF file and can use the ASF extension. These files can also include the metadata for the audio/video file similar to ID3 tags for MP3 files.
Advanced Audio Coding or AAC, a standardized glossy compression and encoding format for digital audio, was designed to resolve the major performance flaws found in the MP3 format. Its audio encoding provides more efficient compression than the older formats but does not reduce its quality and can rival that of an uncompressed audio CD. AAC makes use of two main coding strategies to significantly lessen the amount of data needed to stand for high-quality digital audio: discarding the signal components that are perceived to be immaterial; and eliminating the unessential in the coded audio, at the same time adding internal error correction codes.
There are just a few proposed standards for encoding to gain and MP3 file, listeners may want to hear the music file like an original soundtrack, but this does not conclude that they want to use volume control for each track being played, but notice the music played on an original compact disc, the volume was intentionally set by a professional mastering engineer, for each track has equal volume, compact discs & other different sources are digitally mastered and recorded at different volumes, so when playing tracks one after the another, it may be convenient to set volume information on the tag being used so when you play it again, the volume dynamically adjusts itself.
About the Author
Jon Caldwell is a professional content manager. Much of his articles can be found at http://mp3softwareguide.com
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