Dynamic 2D Patterns for Shading 3D Scenes

Abstract

We describe a new way to render 3D scenes in a variety of non-photorealistic styles, based on patterns whose structure and motion are defined in 2D. In doing so, we sacrifice the ability of patterns that wrap onto 3D surfaces to convey shape through their structure and motion. In return, we gain several advantages, chiefly that 2D patterns are more visually abstract -- a quality often sought by artists, which explains their widespread use in hand-drawn images.

Extending such styles to 3D graphics presents a challenge: how should the patterns move? Our solution is to transform the pattern via a series of 2D similarity transforms that closely follow the underlying 3D shape. The resulting motion is surprisingly effective in many cases, and has a striking cartoon quality that matches the visual style.

The source code for this project (and others, including Line drawings via abstracted shading and Free-form Sketch) is available via the jot-lib project on Google code.