Research Projects

Current Research Projects

DFG Mollification (DA 1200/6-1, 2017-2020)

Realistic image synthesis is a key problem in computer graphics with numerous application areas, from digital entertainment to architecture and industrial design. The goal of most previous rendering algorithms is to converge to the ground truth solution as quickly as possible with increasing computation time, stopping when the desired quality criteria are met. In contrast, in this project we consider the problem to obtain the best possible approximate solution under a given time constraint. A key idea is to achieve this by modifying the rendering problem at hand, i.e. the light transport simulation and image reconstruction, using mollification.

DFG Autotuning Raytracing (DA 1200/5-1, 2016-2019)

This project aims to combine and synergistically develop two separate areas, raytracing and autotuning. The combination of raytracing and autotuning holds significant promise, because image synthesis is performance critical, but offers a large range of tuning opportunities, for example the choice of acceleration structures and heuristics, the partitioning of work among CPU and GPU, the number of threads employed for individual tasks, or the use of ray sorting to achieve coherent accesses. We will develop new capabilites for online autotuning and evaluate these approaches on interactive raytracing-based methods, and extend the tuneability of the latter. 

DFG Visual inspection (BE 1812/6-1, 2014-2017)

Setting up a visual inspection station (e.g. for industrial production) is a non-trivial task and usually done manually by field experts. The goal of this project is to use computer graphics in an expert-guided system to optimally setup the inspection station, e.g. light source and sensor positions with regard to the given inspection task and the algorithms used. Computer graphics is used to render representations of the scene as the sensor would sense it. This output is then used in an optimization system to evaluate a possible setup. Additionally the rendering process can generate additional data not available to a sensor to guide the optimization process. More information can be found here.

DFG Stereoscopic
HDR Projection (DA 1200/4-1, 2015-2018)

In this project we work on rendering and display algorithms for large-scale stereoscopic high dynamic range projections. We evaluate our algorithms using a scaled prototype of our reflective HDR display. More information can be found here.

 

Weta Digital (2015-)

 

In this project, carried out together with Weta Digital (one of the world’s premier visual effects companies) we work on photorealistic rendering algorithms.

 

Fraunhofer IOSB (-2016)

 

This project is funded by the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) and investigates the use of predictive rendering and procedurally modeled objects to simulate optical inspection systems and train image processing algorithms.

 

HITS gGmbH (2015-2020)

This project addresses the challenges that arise in the visualization of large multivariate and time-dependent volume data sets, such as resulting from evergrowing scientific simulations in many fields, ranging from astrophysics to bioinformatics. Not only does the sheer amount of data require highly efficient methods for the visualization of such data sets. Moreover, finding visualizations that allow for insightful exploration of highly multivariate and time-dependent data sets is a difficult undertaking: The dimensionality of human perception is severely limited, demanding for crafted projections of high-dimensional data that reduce the information to a perceivable amount, while retaining context and meaning. Therefore, fast and targeted visualizations that allow for a connected inspection of different views and projections are key to successfully analyzing and understanding such data. In order to maintain the right focus, the project is steered by collaboration with scientific domain experts from HITS and KIT. 

 

HITS gGmbH (2015-2019)

This project focuses on the challenges of radiative transport simulation and the visualization of the simulation results in the context of astrophysics.

 

VisLab (2013-2017)

In the Helmholtz program "Super Computing and Big Data" (Topic 2: Data-Intensive Science and Federated Computing) the Visualization Lab bundles the competences in scientific visualization and communicates with scientific communities at KIT, and develops novel scalable visualization techniques.

 

bwVisu (2014-2017)

A cooperation with HITS, HLRS, Uni Freiburg and Universität Heidelberg. The project aims to find alternative ways to video streaming for remote visualization of scientific data with custom visualization pipeline decomposition and task distribution.

 

Samsung Electronics (2015-)
Real-time Photorealistic Material Rendering on Mobile Devices.

 

Finished Projects

DFG Lightransport Visualization (2012-2015, DA 1200/1-1) The goal of this project is to develop means to visualize light transport in virtual as well as real scenes. More information can be found here.
SimTech Within the Cluster of Excellence "Simulation Technology" we develop finite element methods for the simultaneous computation of light and sound propagation in complex virtual scenes, and investigate the potential of synergy effects
SFB 627 "Nexus" The Collaborative Research Centre 627 was a joint research project on context-aware applications with regard to the proliferation of sensor technology, along with advances in wireless communication and mobile devices. Billions of sensors located in our physical environment collect a huge amount of context information. However, this information is not always reliable or complete. At this point our research project comes into play: we investigated the synthesis and validation of context information by combining multimodal sensor data with procedural, computer graphics models.
RTT AG (now Dassault Systems) Cooperation with RTT AG, a leading developer of real-time rendering solutions for the automotive industry and product development.
Crytek Together with Crytek, one of the leading developers of video games, we were developing real-time, high-quality rendering techniques for next generation game engines and interactive cinematic rendering.
Intel VCI

The IVCI funded research in efficient light transport simulation (among others: with discrete ordinate methods), and analysis and manipulation of light transport for artistic applications.

Landesstiftung
Baden-Württemberg
Funding of the Juniorprofessor-Program of the State of Baden-Württemberg enabled us to start research on analyzing and manipulating light transport in virtual scenes.
COLOR
(with INRIA Nancy)
The goal of this project was to further explore an alternative representation for interactive modeling of shapes: Objects defined as the iso-value of a distance function, rather than defined by triangle meshes. While a lot of work has been already done in this area, the novelty of our approach is to consider all steps of image synthesis, from authoring to the final interactive on-screen rendering. More info: http://alice.loria.fr/index.php/colors.html