FWF - iReality - Computer-Illustrated Reality

Computer-illustrated reality is a novel approach to combine computer-generated technical illustration with the first-person experience of Augmented Reality. Computer-generated technical illustration is concerned with the automatic creation of digital images which mimic traditional illustration techniques found in textbooks and manuals. Previously, such techniques were mostly targeting still image generation or desktop virtual reality. In contrast, Augmented Reality combines a user's live view of real world objects with computer generated images. A main goal of the project is therefore to bring illustrative depictions into the new medium of Augmented Reality. This is achieved by first acquiring a digital model of the relevant objects in the real world, and then analyzing objects and first-person video images to infer how the illustrations should be rendered. The goal is to match the real scene, but more importantly to convey the important illustrative goals in an efficient and effective manner. We are investigating a number of techniques to achieve this. Firstly, adaptive visualization techniques are required to address the continuously changing nature of first-person Augmented Reality. Secondly, illustrative visualization is concerned with appropriate stylization as well as object visibility. Thirdly, narrative visualization deals with the temporal domain. The research is complemented by quantitative evaluation of the effects the investigated techniques have on real users. This research project has great potential in applications concerned with computer-based learning, training and remote consultation.