In two-dimensional (2D) animation, the thickness of object outlines and contour lines is often varied to emphasize or exaggerate the shape of the object. Adding a 2D touch to three-dimensional computer graphics (3DCG) animation using toon-rendering is common, but existing techniques cannot achieve varying line thickness. This paper proposes a method of recreating the effect of varying the outline and contour line thicknesses based on the object shape in real-time 3D environments such as video games. Our method focuses on exaggerating the thickness of lines where the target polygon is curved. Furthermore, by using a backface polygon of the target polygon, we are able to create a continuous outline of the object, thus recreating a closed outline of the object with varying line thickness.

View full abstract

We propose an image resizing method using row/column removal and addition based on the clustering of rows and columns in an image. To shrink an image, we first separately cluster a set of rows and a set of columns in the original image and then replace each cluster with a representative row or column to reduce the numbers of rows and columns. To enlarge an image, we add linearly interpolated rows and columns between adjacent clusters. Experimental results show that the proposed method can shrink or enlarge given images while preserving the aspect ratios of the main objects in the images.

View full abstract

We produced a stage performance based on the traditional Japanese musical drama of Noh. Various visual images were projected on the stage, and collaborative scenes of actors and virtual actors of computer graphics (CG) were presented, so the roles of the projected images were as important as those of the actors. This paper describes a projection system for controlling the projected images in coordination with actor's movements in live stage performances as well as producing the performance with the system. The creation of CG animation for new presentations that are difficult to provide in ordinary Noh performances is also described.

View full abstract

We propose an interactive projection mapping that provides ultra-realistic effects by mixing realistic and diverse visual effects with the users interactions. To achieve high quality and real-time generation of the visual effects, we create pre-rendered movies with layered architecture including the target itself, its background, and additional effects. Based on the user's interactions estimated with a depth camera, the movies are superimposed for various visual patterns in real time. These movies are projected on a real space by using common 3D projection mapping techniques, and it feels like the resultant projection is part of the real world. In this research, we implemented a wall breaking game by throwing a virtual and an actual ball at a real wall.

View full abstract

Many photo-sharing websites do not actively promote communication among their users. We believe that a website that promotes viewing and commenting on shared photographs should better support communication and relationships between people who do not know each other. Therefore, we have developed a photo-sharing system, named GAZO GAZO KUN. This system has an anthropomorphic photo function (a photo agent), which actively supports communication among users. Our experiments compare GAZO GAZO KUN to a current photo-sharing website in Japan, which is similar to Flickr. We found that the effect of promoting viewing and commenting on photographs in GAZO GAZO KUN was higher than that of the photo-sharing website.

View full abstract

In this letter, we propose a non-photorealistic rendering method for generating moire picture-like images from photographs. The proposed method is performed in two steps. First, images with a staircasing effect are generated with a bilateral filter. Second, moire pattern images are generated with an improved bilateral filter. The improved bilateral filter has a characteristic emphasizing the gradual boundary.

View full abstract

In this letter, we propose a non-photorealistic rendering method for generating labyrinthine picture-like images from photographs. Our proposed method utilizes a modified bilateral filter (BF) called the weight-shifted BF. We validate the effectiveness of the proposed method by conducting experiments using the image of Lenna and other example images.

View full abstract