We integrate into plant models three elements of plant representation identified as important by artists: posture (manifested in curved stems and elongated leaves), gradual variation of features, and the progression of the drawing process from overall silhouette to local details. The resulting algorithms increase the visual realism of plant models by offering an intuitive control over plant form and supporting an interactive modeling process. The algorithms are united by the concept of expressing local attributes of plant architecture as functions of their location along the stems.Keywords: realistic image synthesis, interactive procedural modeling, plant, positional information, phyllotaxis, Chomsky grammar, L−system, differential turtle geometry, generalized cylinder.
Reference
The use of positional information in the modeling of plants
AbstractWe integrate into plant models three elements of plant representation identified as important by artists: posture (manifested in curved stems and elongated leaves), gradual variation of features, and the progression of the drawing process from overall silhouette to local details. The resulting algorithms increase the visual realism of plant models by offering an intuitive control over plant form and supporting an interactive modeling process. The algorithms are united by the concept of expressing local attributes of plant architecture as functions of their location along the stems.
In recent years, subdivision has emerged as a major geometric modeling technique. Algorithms for generating subdivision curves are often specified in terms of iterated matrix multiplication. Each multiplication maps a globally indexed sequence of points that represents a coarser approximation of the curve onto a longer sequence that represents a finer approximation. Unfortunately, an infinite set of matrices is needed to specify these mappings for sequences of points of arbitrary length. Thus, matrix algebra is not well attuned to the dynamic nature of subdivision. In addition, matrix notation and the use of indices obscure the local and stationary character of typical subdivision rules.We introduce parametric context-sensitive L-systems with affine geometry interpretation as an alternative technique for specifying and generating subdivision curves. This technique is illustrated using Chaikin, cubic B-spline, and Dyn-LevinGregory (4-point) subdivision schemes as examples. L-systems formalize subdivision algorithms in an intuitive, concise, index-free manner, reflecting the parallel and local character of these algorithms. Furthermore, L-system specification of subdivision algorithms directly leads to their computer implementation.
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