Manipulating Virtual Clay with Haptic Toolkits

                        Hong Qin

In this talk, I will present a new, interactive graphical environment
founded upon powerful subdivision solids and novel physics-based
modeling techniques. In contrast with popular subdivision surfaces,
subdivision solids have the unique advantage to model both the
boundary representation and the interior material of a real-world object.
I will first introduce the concept of Virtual Clay based on dynamic
subdivision solids. Then, I will formulate our Virtual Clay through
the integration of the geometry of subdivision solids with the
principle of physics-based models. Our Virtual Clay responds to
applied forces in a natural and predictive manner and give the user
the illusion of manipulating semi-elastic clay in real-world. We have
developed a real-time sculpting system that provides the user with a
large variety of intuitive sculpting toolkits. The flexibility of our
Virtual Clay allows users to easily modify the topology of sculpted
objects, while the inherent physical properties are exploited to
provide a natural interface for direct, force-based deformation. More
importantly, our sculpting system is equipped with the natural
haptic-based interaction to provide the user with a realistic
sculpting experience. If time permits, at the end of this talk I will
also outline other on-going research projects and relevant research
activities in our physics-based modeling research group.