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Intelligent Camera Control for Graphical Environments

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Intelligent Camera Control for Graphical Environments Intelligent Camera Control for Graphical Environments by Steven Mark Drucker S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1989) ScB. Brown University (1984) Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture and Planning, in partial fulfullment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 1994 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994. All rights reserved. Author_________________________________________________________________ Steven M. Drucker Program in Media Arts and Sciences April 29, 1994 Certified by_____________________________________________________________ David Zeltzer Principle Research Scientist Research Laboratory for Electronics Accepted by____________________________________________________________ Stephen A. Benton Chairperson Departmental Committee on Graduate Students Program in Media Arts and Sciences This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4 Intelligent Camera Control for Graphical Environments by Steven Mark Drucker Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture and Planning, on April 29, 1994 in partial fulfullment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Abstract: Too often in the field of computer graphics, practitioners have been more concerned with the question of how to move a camera rather than why to move it. This thesis addresses the core question of why the camera is being placed and moved and uses answers to that ques- tion to provide a more convenient, more intelligent method for controlling virtual cameras in computer graphics. After discussing the general sorts of activities to be performed in graphical environments, this thesis then contains a derivation of some camera primitives that are required, and examines how they can be incorporated into different interfaces. A single, consistent, underlying framework for camera control across many different domains has been posited and formulated in terms of constrained optimization. Examples from different application domains demonstrate a variety of interface styles that have all been implemented on top of the underlying framework. Evaluations for each application are also given. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. David Zeltzer, Principle Research Scientist at the Research Laboratory in Electronics. This work was supported in part by ARPA/Rome Laboratories, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Co.), the Office of Naval Research, and equipment gifts from Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, and Silicon Graphics. This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4 Thesis Committee Chairperson______________________________________________________________ David Zeltzer, Ph.D. Principle Research Scientist Research Laboratory for Electronics Member_________________________________________________________________ Glorianna Davenport Associate Professor of Media Technology Program in Media Arts and Sciences Member_________________________________________________________________ Pattie Maes, Ph.D Assistant Professor of Media Technology Program in Media Arts and Sciences Member_________________________________________________________________ Alex Pentland, Ph.D Associate Professor of Computers, Communication, and Design Technology Program in Media Arts and Sciences April, 1994 This document was created with FrameMaker 4.0.4 Acknowledgements 4 Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of a great many people. I wish to thank all those who have influenced me both during and before my graduate career. Some in particular deserve special mention. First, my parents have been a source of strength for me in every shape and form. They have always had a belief in my ability to succeed, even when I have had my own doubts. Without their kindness, devotion, and unwaivering support, I never would have even been able to start this long voyage to a PhD, much less have completed it. My brother David and I have always shared a special bond as far back as I can remember. Watching Star Trek and The Outer Limits together started my interest in those areas which led me to MIT in the first place. My sister-in-law Pam has helped me through these long years as a graduate student always with sound advice. A special thanks to my Godmother Aunt Lee who is always wondering what kind of PhD degree am I getting anyway. My longtime friend Danny Shevitz has grown with me. Years ago we built the game of Life together one snow day, and we still manage to share our lives with each other even from opposite sides of the country. During my time at MIT, I have learned most from my fellow students both at the Media Lab and at the AI Lab. Sundar Narasimhan has an amazing breadth of knowledge and he has helped me on every topic imaginable. Without Eric Aboaf, my master’s thesis would have never been possible. David Sturman took me under his wing and introduced me to the graphics community. Steve Pieper and David Chen showed me what it means to create a computer graphical system. With Mike McKenna, the whole ‘playpen’ crew has taught me more about how things are really done than any class could ever teach. Paul Dworkin has always been ready and willing to offer helpful advice and assistance, and Michael Johnson has always been there with good suggestions. Margaret Minsky has been a con- stant source of ideas and enthusiasm as has Steve Strassman. Peter Schröder shared with Intelligent Camera Control Steven M. Drucker Acknowledgements 5 me the joys of rendering and of a fine bottle of wine. I especially want to thank my friend and co-director Tinsley Galyean, for his energy, enthusiasm, and drive. Without him, my time at MIT would have been a much less fruitful experience. I also wish to recognize just some of my friends and fellow students who have helped me throughout my studies: Karl Sims, John Durand, Mark Itzler, Bern Haan, David Laidlaw and Barb Meier, Azita Ghahr- amani, Stephanie Houde, Tim & Karen Catlin, Pattie Cohen, Irfan Essa, Mark Lucente, Brian Eberman, Stan Sclaroff, John Underkoffler, Wendy Plesniak, Scott Higgins, Janet Cahn, Joe Chung, Joe Rosen, Dave Small, and Bruce Blumberg. And in particular, fellow stooges Mike Drumheller and Matt Fitzgibbon have shared many an entertaining evening and have always been there when I needed them, both for advice, and ideas. The administrative staff have helped minimize the unending paperwork that is the life of a graduate student. Linda Peterson has always been the person to go to whenever there is a problem and she’s always been able to fix it. Thanks for being there. I also want to thank Lena Davis for bailing me out on many an emergency Federal Express Package and travel report. I am obliged to thank my sponsors at the Media Lab, DARPA and NHK for provid- ing me with an opportunity to do my graduate research. My teachers and advisors have also been great sources of guidance. I wish to thank my advisor and committee members for their effort and time in their hectic schedules. I don’t think I have seen anyone work harder than an MIT Professor! David Zeltzer has always protected me from the monetary worries of funding and I thank him for guiding me through the difficult process of a Ph.D. thesis. Glorianna Davenport has helped me achieve the combination of technique and aesthetics that I wanted to have in my thesis. Pattie Maes has been a source of several inspirations throughout this thesis work. And Sandy Pentland has always helped make sure that my technical details were grounded in reality. I also want to thank my previous advisors and professors who helped lead me to where I am now. Tomas Lozano-Pérez introduced me to the field of robotics and has always been available to offer advice when I’ve needed it. Andy van Dam has been more than advisor. I consider myself lucky to count him as a friend. John Hughes has also been a source of a wealth of knowledge in the field of computer graphics. John Hollerbach, Chris Atkeson, and Marc Raibert helped show me what it means to be an engineer, and Whitman Richards Intelligent Camera Control Steven M. Drucker Acknowledgements 6 showed me how to turn an Incomplete into a book chapter. I wish to thank my domain experts Michael Sand, Eric Eisendratt, Glorianna Davenport, and Tom Sheridan, who have provided inciteful commentary on the examples that I have demonstrated. Finally I want to thank Lourdes for her love and devotion through this all. She has put up with my long hours and has always been there to help me. I just want to say to her, “Eu te Amo”. Intelligent Camera Control Steven M. Drucker Table Of Contents 7 Table Of Contents Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................4 Table Of Contents .............................................................................................................7 List of Figures .................................................................................................................11 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................13 Chapter 1. Introduction .................................................................................................14 1.1 Reader’s Guide ....................................................................................16 Chapter 2. Intelligent Camera Control ........................................................................18 2.1 General Problem ..................................................................................18
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