Author:
Karthik Mahesh Varadarajan
Affiliation:
ACIN and Technical University of Vienna, Austria
Keyword(s):
Geometric modeling, Rendering foliage, Trunk-root junctions, L-systems, Astroid, 3D parametric modeling.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer Vision, Visualization and Computer Graphics
;
Fundamental Methods and Algorithms
;
Geometric Computing
;
Geometry and Modeling
;
Modeling and Algorithms
;
Modeling of Natural Scenes and Phenomena
;
Surface Modeling
Abstract:
In the field of foliage or vegetation modeling for computer graphics, algorithms for parametric modeling of trees have largely focused on branching mechanisms with little emphasis on modeling the base of the trunk, especially the trunk-root junctions. Roots and trunk-root junctions that appear prominently above the ground in the case of many species of trees such as the Ficus macrophylla and the Picea sitchensis as a result of age and soil erosion are usually completely neglected by traditional trunk modeling methods. In this paper, we introduce a novel parametric modeling scheme to build such trunk-root junctions, while providing for an elegant framework to construct the bases of trunks and branches in order to provide better characterization for a variety of flora species. The paper also describes novel schemes for generating branch junctions and for rendering tree barks.