Abstract
This paper presents a novel and user friendly input device for 3D curves. The system is based on a piece of flexible wire and a single off-the-shelf photo camera: the user bends the wire to the desired 3D shape; then, an ad-hoc technique for 3D reconstruction is used to recover its 3D shape (a space curve) from a single image.
The result is a simple, unusual input device with many potential applications, ranging from games to 3D modeling. For untrained users, this is a much more intuitive input technique than alternative methods. A disadvantage is that changes to the wire’s shape are not reflected in real time on the recovered representation.
We give a detailed description of the system’s structure, briefly recall the reconstruction technique, and describe a prototype in which the input device is seamlessly integrated in the popular Blender 3D modeling software. We finally show simple example applications in which the shape of the wire is used to define the trajectory of moving objects, to deform a 3D object, and to animate a 3D character.
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Caglioti, V., Giusti, A., Mureddu, L., Taddei, P. (2008). A Manipulable Vision-Based 3D Input Device for Space Curves. In: Perales, F.J., Fisher, R.B. (eds) Articulated Motion and Deformable Objects. AMDO 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5098. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70517-8_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70517-8_30
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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