This book is a result of the lectures and discussions during the conference "Theory and Practice of Geometric Modeling". The event has been organized by the Wilhelm-Schickard-Institut fiir Informatik, Universitat Tiibingen and took place at the Heinrich-Fabri-Institut in Blaubeuren from October 3 to 7, 1988. The conference brought together leading experts from academic and industrial research institutions, CAD system developers and experien ced users to exchange their ideas and to discuss new concepts and future directions in geometric modeling. The main intention has been to bridge the gap between theoretical results, performance of existing CAD systems and the real problems of users. The contents is structured in five parts: A Algorithmic Aspects B Surface Intersection, Blending, Ray Tracing C Geometric Tools D Different Representation Schemes in Solid Modeling E Product Modeling in High Level Specifications The material presented in this book reflects the current state of the art in geometric modeling and should therefore be of interest not only to university and industry researchers, but also to system developers and practitioners who wish to keep up to date on recent advances and new concepts in this rapidly expanding field. The editors express their sincere appreciation to the contributing authors, and to the members of the program committee, W. Boehm, J. Hoschek, A. Massabo, H. Nowacki, M. Pratt, J. Rossignac, T. Sederberg and W. Tiller, for their close cooperation and their time and effort that made the conference and this book a success.

The Blaubeuren Conference "Theory and Practice of Geometric Modeling" has become a meeting place for leading experts from industrial and academic research institutions, CAD system developers and experienced users to exchange new ideas and to discuss new concepts and future directions in geometric modeling. The relaxed and calm atmosphere of the Heinrich-Fabri-Institute in Blaubeuren provides the appropriate environment for profound and engaged discussions that are not equally possible on other occasions. Real problems from current industrial projects as well as theoretical issues are addressed on a high scientific level. This book is the result of the lectures and discussions during the conference which took place from October 14th to 18th, 1996. The contents is structured in 4 parts: Mathematical Tools Representations Systems Automated Assembly. The editors express their sincere appreciation to the contributing authors, and to the members of the program committee for their cooperation, the careful reviewing and their active participation that made the conference and this book a success.

Conceptual modeling is about describing the semantics of software applications at a high level of abstraction in terms of structure, behavior, and user interaction. Embley and Thalheim start with a manifesto stating that the dream of developing information systems strictly by conceptual modeling – as expressed in the phrase “the model is the code” – is becoming reality. The subsequent contributions written by leading researchers in the field support the manifesto's assertions, showing not only how to abstractly model complex information systems but also how to formalize abstract specifications in ways that let developers complete programming tasks within the conceptual model itself. They are grouped into sections on programming with conceptual models, structure modeling, process modeling, user interface modeling, and special challenge areas such as conceptual geometric modeling, information integration, and biological conceptual modeling. The Handbook of Conceptual Modeling collects in a single volume many of the best conceptual-modeling ideas, techniques, and practices as well as the challenges that drive research in the field. Thus it is much more than a traditional handbook for advanced professionals, as it also provides both a firm foundation for the field of conceptual modeling, and points researchers and graduate students towards interesting challenges and paths for how to contribute to this fundamental field of computer science.

This text for graduate students discusses the mathematical foundations of statistical inference for building three-dimensional models from image and sensor data that contain noise--a task involving autonomous robots guided by video cameras and sensors. The text employs a theoretical accuracy for the optimization procedure, which maximizes the reliability of estimations based on noise data. The numerous mathematical prerequisites for developing the theories are explained systematically in separate chapters. These methods range from linear algebra, optimization, and geometry to a detailed statistical theory of geometric patterns, fitting estimates, and model selection. In addition, examples drawn from both synthetic and real data demonstrate the insufficiencies of conventional procedures and the improvements in accuracy that result from the use of optimal methods.

COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF SHADERS AND THE PROGRAMMABLE PIPELINE From geometric primitives to animation to 3D modeling to lighting, shading and texturing, Computer Graphics Through OpenGL®: From Theory to Experiments is a comprehensive introduction to computer graphics which uses an active learning style to teach key concepts. Equally emphasizing theory and practice, the book provides an understanding not only of the principles of 3D computer graphics, but also the use of the OpenGL® Application Programming Interface (API) to code 3D scenes and animation, including games and movies. The undergraduate core of the book takes the student from zero knowledge of computer graphics to a mastery of the fundamental concepts with the ability to code applications using fourth-generation OpenGL®. The remaining chapters explore more advanced topics, including the structure of curves and surfaces, applications of projective spaces and transformations and the implementation of graphics pipelines. This book can be used for introductory undergraduate computer graphics courses over one to two semesters. The careful exposition style attempting to explain each concept in the simplest terms possible should appeal to the self-study student as well. Features • Covers the foundations of 3D computer graphics, including animation, visual techniques and 3D modeling • Comprehensive coverage of OpenGL® 4.x, including the GLSL and vertex, fragment, tessellation and geometry shaders • Includes 180 programs with 270 experiments based on them • Contains 750 exercises, 110 worked examples, and 700 four-color illustrations • Requires no previous knowledge of computer graphics • Balances theory with programming practice using a hands-on interactive approach to explain the underlying concepts

IFIP Working Group 5.2 has organized a series of workshops aimed at presenting and discussing current issues and future perspectives of Geometric Modeling in the CAD environment. From Geometric Modeling to Shape Modeling comprises the proceedings of the seventh GEO workshop, which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Parma, Italy in October 2000. The workshop looked at new paradigms for CAD including the evolution of geometric-centric CAD systems, modeling of non-rigid materials, shape modeling, geometric modeling and virtual prototyping, and new methods of interaction with geometric models. The seventeen included papers provide an interesting overview of the evolution of geometric centric modeling into shape modeling. Also included is an invited speaker paper, which discusses the foundation of the next generation of CAD systems, where shape and function enhance geometric descriptions. The main topics discussed in the book are: Theoretical foundation for solids and surfaces; Computational basis for geometric modeling; Methods of interaction with geometric models; Industrial and other applications of geometric modeling; New paradigms of geometric modeling for CAD; Shape modeling. From Geometric Modeling to Shape Modeling is essential reading for researchers, graduate and postgraduate students, systems developers of advanced computer-aided design and manufacturing systems, and engineers involved in industrial applications.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Geometric Modeling and Processing, GMP 2006, held in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, July 2006. The book presents 36 revised full papers and 21 revised short papers addressing current issues in geometric modeling and processing are addressed. The papers are organized in topical sections on shape reconstruction, curves and surfaces, geometric processing, shape deformation, shape description, shape recognition, and more.