Interactive 3D fluid jet painting

Abstract

We present an interactive system which allows users to create abstract paintings in the style of Jackson Pollock using three dimensional viscous fluid jets. Pollock's paintings were created by using streams of household paint to make guided, semi-random patterns on his canvas. Our fluid jet model consists of two coupled simulations: a Navier-Stokes solver for an axis-symmetric fluid column and a linked-mass system for tracking the three dimensional motion of the jet's axis line. The paint trails left by the jets are represented using implicit surfaces. Our system also includes an algorithm for generating the splatter patterns created by the impacts of a highspeed fluid drops. We allow users to analyze the fractal properties of the images they create, comparing them to those known to exist in Pollock's own paintings. Introduction and VisionIn the late 1940s, the American painter Jackson Pollock developed a style of painting later deemed Abstract Expressionism. He rolled a large canvas across the floor of his barn onto which he dripped, drizzled and poured household paint. His technique generated a sensation among critics accustomed to traditional brush strokes.With this seemingly simple painting technique, Pollock managed to create paintings with widely differing visual styles. Common to all of these paintings, however, is Pollock's unique usage of fluid trails of varying widths. The formulation of these trails depends on the interplay between the artist's stroke motion and the dynamics of thin, viscous fluids. In order to simulate this interaction, it is critical to have an interface and real-time fluid model that considers all influencing factors; velocity, gravity, viscosity and surface tension. However, since current 3D fluid jet simulation techniques proved too computationally costly to be used in our real-time application, we developed a stable fluid jet model which couples two different fluid types with reduced dimensions. This allows interactive simulation while still preserving the characteristic fluid behaviors of Pollock's paintings.Recent mathematical analysis indicates that the fluid jet patterns of Pollock's painting may be related to fractal structure. Pollock's paintings contain self-similar patterns which contribute to the aesthetic quality of the work. This may suggest a correlation between the statistical properties of some abstract art and its aesthetic value. While computers can calculate these properties explicitly, humans * may only be able to recognize them subconsciously. As Pollock's painting style matured, the fractal dimension of his images increased. Our system includes an evaluation tool which calculates the fractal dimensions of a user's painting. Users can both create Abstract Expressionist images while analyzing the work's fractal properties. Unlike real-world paintings, our digital system makes users aware of fractal properties interactively, and they can compare the fractal characteristics of each individual's work easily. Our vision is of tools that both engage and inform the ar...

Realistic paint simulation based on fluidity, diffusion, and absorption

“…Figure shows an image drawn as an acrylic painting similar to the work of Jackson Pollock, who was an influential American painter. The painting was also studied by Lee et al from an NPR point of view. As Pollock's technique was to pour and drip paint, known as action painting, three‐dimensional information must be considered.…”

Authorial subjective evaluation of non-photorealistic images

“…If the results of Lee et al [2006] did not resemble Pollock paintings in visual inspection, we would not accept the fractal dimension measurement as definitive. Hertzmann [2010] coined the term "proxy metrics" to describe measurements that relate to features of interest but do not capture the whole story.…”

Wormhole Canvas

“…In the past decades, most researchers in the field of NPR focused on modeling physical artistic medium, e.g., simulating oil painting [2] [3] [4], chinese ink and wash [5] [5] [6] crayon [7], pastel [8], viscoelastic fluid [9]. Some researchers explored new artistic media which can only be possible in digital world, e.g., 3D canvas and paints [10], taking virtual exposing as a painting medium [11], designing digital paints with virtual dynamics [12].…”