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courses : past honours theses (2000 - 2004)

         
         
 
    Project: Landscape Generation with L-Systems
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

L-systems are string re-writing grammars often used as the basis for generating complex geometric models of plants. In recent years research has turned to the generation of large-scale population models (see images below), where various species are distributed over landscapes. This project aims to investigate different population dynamic models for species distribution over procedurally generated landscapes. For example species may be distributed by soil conditions, altitude, climate, etc.

Students wishing to do this project must have successfully completed CSE3313 Computer Graphics (or the equivalent of this course).

Landscape without vegetation

Landscape with procedural vegetation

© 2002 Jon McCormack

 

     
    Project: Autonomous Drawing Agents
Supervisor: Jon McCormack & Alan Dorin
   
 

 

In this project you will investigate systems that learn to draw simple pictures. A number of approaches are possible: turtle drawing systems which move about in 2 dimensions with coloured pens attached. The turtle is controlled by an evolvable finite state automata. Turtle agents may evolve to produce more "interesting" drawings. A key question here is what constitutes a more interesting drawing? An alternate investigation might use a collection of programmable cells, which replicate and self-organize to create more complex global structures. The same question still applies — how can we make autonomous systems that will produce interesting (creative, novel) pictures?

 

 
  • Saunders, R and Gero, JS: 2001, Artificial Creativity: A Synthetic Approach to the Study of Creative Behaviour, in Gero, JS (ed), Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on Computational and Cognitive Models of Creative Design, Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition, Sydney.
  • group c
  • Humphrey, NK: 1973, The Illusion of Beauty, Perception 2: 429-439.
  • Solomonoff, RJ: 1995, The discovery of algorithmic probability: A guide for the programming of true creativity, in Vatanyi, P (ed), Computational Learning Theory: EuroCOLT '95, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 1-22.
  • Boden, MA: 1994, What is Creativity?, in Boden, MA (ed), Dimensions of Creativity, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 75-117.
  • Dartnall, T (ed.) 2002, Creativity, Cognition, and Knowledge: An Interaction, Praeger, Westport, Connecticut; London.
  • Partridge, D and Rowe, J: 1994, Computers and creativity, Intellect, Oxford, England.
 
    Project: Functional Music
Supervisor: Jon McCormack (& Lloyd Allison)
   
 

 

The project is to create methods to discover pattern and structure in music and to answer questions such as: What are the themes and variations in a musical score? Given two musical scores are they related? Given a midi file, to what extent can the original score be recovered? Can we infer a model that will create music in the style of X, or can we "cross-fade" or "mix" models of X and Y to get a new composition?

Musical ability is not strictly necessary but an interest in music is important and a (basic) knowledge of musical notation will be useful. The project will use the Haskore [ http://haskell.cs.yale.edu/haskore/ ] notation and system but an open mind is much more important than experience in functional programming. Read this: http://cogprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00001771/00/Perception73.pdf   Potential candidates must talk to the supervisor(s) first.

 

     
    Project: Aperiodic Tiling
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

The aim of this project is to investigate the applications of aperiodic tiling for computer graphics and animation. Tiling strategies are useful for generating complex texturing and geometric information from very small data sets. An interesting application for aperiodic tiling is in the generation of complex animation data, tiling the patterns in time rather than space. One challenge for creating tiles is to position components on each tile correctly, this is usually achieved by an interactive editor which shows individual tiles' image to be edited and the resultant composite tiling pattern to be see simultaneously.

 

 
  • Glassner, A. (1999), Andrew Glassner's Notebook, Morgan Kaufmann (Chapter 12)
  • Michael F. Cohen, Jonathan Shade, Stefan Hiller, Oliver Deussen  (2003), Wang Tiles for Image and Texture Generation
    ACM TOGS (SIGGRAPH 2003 Proceedings)
 
    Project: Dramatic Landscapes
Supervisor: Alan Dorin
   
 

 

Erosion and deposition of particles produces a dramatic range of natural landscapes at many different scales. From sweeping sand dunes, to tiny ripples in the silt of a stream bed, from massive glacial ravines, to delicate tendrils of snow attached to a branch or ice-crystals hanging dagger-like beneath an overhanging boulder.

This project aims to model these phenomena using simple particle-system, DLA and/or cellular automata models in order to synthesize complex landscapes and terrain.

Prior to commencing this project, students should research basic geographic structures and the means by which they are formed, paying particular attention to examples in which erosion and deposition of particles plays a part. Sample areas of introductory reading include the movement of wind, liquid water, snow and ice over the landscape and the effect of these on the formation of geographical features such as sand dunes and ripples, mountains, valleys, ravines and canyons and so forth.

The project will require basic computer graphics knowledge and a proficiency in C/C++ programming. Students intending to complete this project will need to take the course: Advanced Topics in Graphics (CSC450).

 

 
  • Fearing, P., "Computer Modelling of Fallen Snow", Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2000
  • Reeves, W., "Particle Systems - A Technique for Modeling a Class of Fuzzy Objects",
    Computer Graphics 17:3 pp. 359-376, 1983 (Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 1983)
  • Fredston, J., Fesler, D., "Snow Sense - A guide to evaluating snow avalanche hazard", Alaska Mountain Safety Center, ISBN 0-9643994-0-7

 
    Project: Cenotaph for Isaac Newton
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

This is an unusual type of honors project: the aim is to reconstruct a detailed model of French architect Boullée's classic building Cenotaph for Isaac Newton.

"Étienne-Louis Boullée (1728 –1799), like his contemporaries such as Ledoux, designed private residences in the Neoclassic style. He is chiefly remembered today, however, for drawings of visionary projects that were considerably beyond eighteenth-century technology. In these designs, made between 1780 and 1790 and rediscovered in the twentieth century, Boullée worked in an abstract style that seems ultra modern, even utopian. His Cenotaph for Isaac Newton, designed in 1784, is based on Roman monumental tombs, which were stepped and planted with trees. What would have been a hemispherical dome in a Roman tomb has been projected into a gigantic sphere. The interior was to have been empty, except for Newton's sarcophagus, with illumination provided by hundreds of small holes piercing the spheres fabric to represent the starry heavens" (From Stokstad, 1995).

Boullé's plans were too technologically complex to be realised at the time, but can today be reconstructed virtually using computer graphics technology. The aim of this project is to model the cenotaph using 3D computer modeling techniques. It is anticipated that a number of different techniques will be used to build the overall model (e.g. models of the stars, trees, smoke, and the building itself). The model must be accurate and highly detailed – faithful to Boullée's original plans. Students doing this project will have access to Cinema4D (commercial 3D software) and will be required to produce stills and an animation of the finished model.

 

 
  • Stokstad, M. Art History, Prentice Hal, New Jersey, 1995, pp. 950-51 has some brief information about the Cenotaph and the French neo-classical period in general.

  • Boullée's original drawings are kept in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
 
    Project: Granular Re-Synthesis
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

Granular Synthesis is a popular sound synthesis and processing technique for digital audio applications. A sampled waveform is broken up into discrete "grains" usually 2 to 20ms in duration. Each grain consists of a small set of samples that can then be processed by some function. After processing, the grains are re-assembled back into a continuously sampled waveform. On a reasonably fast machine processing can be performed in real-time.
Applications of granular synthesis include pitch-shifting, randomization, time-stretching, chorusing, and many weird and wonderful sound processing techniques unique to this particular process.

The aim of this project is to design and implement a granular re-synthesis tool. Sounds are fed into the system and broken into grains. Grains are then analyzed statistically and the results accumulated. Then, given a starting grain, it should be possible to re-synthesize a statistically similar sound using probabilistic methods.

Alternatively, one sound could be re-synthesized using the analysis from another sound. This would allow things like making a saxophone sample sound like someone talking, or a baby crying sound "statistically" like a steam train!

The project should be implemented in C or C++ and hopefully developed as a 'plug-in' for one of the popular audio editing programs (e.g. Digital Performer).

 

 
  • Truax, B. 1994. "Discovering inner complexity: Time-shifting and transposition with a real-time granulation technique". Computer Music Journal, 18 (2): 38-48.
  • Behles, G. and S. Starke and A. Roebel. 1998. "Quasi-Synchronous and Pitch-Synchronus Granular Sound Processing with Stampede II". Computer Music Journal, 22(2).
  • Roads, C. The Computer Music Tutorial, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1995.
 
    Project: Graph Grammars
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

Graph grammars are a simple but useful method for representing complex developing structures. This project has two parts. The first part is to construct a "three-dimensional form synthesizer" using graph grammars. Given a graph grammar as input, the system should output a three-dimensional structure that can be visualized using OpenGL or rendered using CEMA's rendering software Cinema4D.

The grammar may encode developmental aspects (time varying) as well. The second part of the project is to allow the user to specify certain physical conditions (e.g. volume/weight ratios) and have the grammar "evolve" to make a structure that best fits its environment.

This project will be co-supervised with Dr. David Dowe – you will need to take the honours unit CSE423 - Learning and prediction.

 

 
  • Gruau, F. Automatic Definition of Sub neural networks, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Research Report No. 94-28 (October 1994).
 
    Project: Panoramic Rendering
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

Standard computer graphics programs render images using perspective projection onto a flat image plane of finite dimensions. The ultimate aim is to create an image for a two-dimensional device such as a computer screen or film image.

The aim of this project is to construct non-linear rendering systems that facilitate panoramic projections of images. Rather than projecting onto a flat plane, the project will consider alternate projection surfaces such as spheres, cylinders and other unique surfaces. Please refer to some of the web sites to see how such projections may be realized physically.

 

     
    Project: Shader Madness
Supervisor: Alan Dorin
   
 

 

The aim of this project is implement a number of shaders for the Cinema 4D modelling, animation and rendering software. A shader is an interface between a programmer and a computer graphics renderer. During the rendering process, the shader may alter the light sources properties, surface reflectances or atmospheric effects...

"By writing an appropriate shader in the shading language, a programmer can extend old shading models or implement entirely new ones, light sources can be defined with any radiant distribution, and new and novel surface properties can be introduced easily." [Upstill, 1989]

It is anticipated that the student doing this project will produce shaders which simulate the images produced by a scanning electron microscope, perhaps also the colourized imagery of infra-red or ultra-violet photography, or even the characteristic patterns formed by the faceted surfaces of butterfly wings or within drops of oil. It is hoped also that the student will implement shaders to produce some new (and creative!) image styles and surface properties. The outcomes of the project will be visualized in various still images as well as in a short computer animation produced using the shaders and Cinema 4d.

Students wishing to apply for this project will need to have (or develop/research) a thorough understanding of the following areas: computer graphics (especially rendering & shading models) and procedural texturing.

It is highly recommended that the student completing this project take the course: Advanced Topics in Graphics (CSC415).

 

 
  • Watt, A. H. & Watt, M., Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques, Addison-Wesley, New York, 1992, Pts I-III (much of the book), especially pp322-336
  • Cook, R.L., "Shade Trees", Computer Graphics, 18(3), 223-231 (Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 1984)
  • Upstill, S., The Renderman Companion, Addison-Wesley, Reading MA, 1989 (flick through the relevant sections)
 
    Project: A Model of Solar-System Formation
Supervisor: Alan Dorin & Andrew Prentice (Maths/Astro.)
   
 

 

This project will involve coding a mathematical model of the formation of the solar system from gaseous matter. The animated model will need to be displayed visually using OpenGL and/or rendered using off-the-shelf animation software (Cinema 4D or POV Ray).

Applicants will need a solid mathematical and computer graphics background. An active interest and enthusiasm for astronomy would also be of considerable benefit.

 

     
    Project: Musical Agents
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

The Great Learning is an experimental musical work of 7 parts, composed in 1967 by British composer Cornelius Cardew. Each of the seven parts ('paragraphs') of this mammoth work employ different notational methods to describe the music: text, instructions, symbols, but very little traditional music notation.

In Paragraph 7 of the work, a group of singers are each given a series of short phrases to sing and instructions on how to sing them. Each singer is given the same phrases and instructions. You might expect that the chorus would sing in unison, (given the same set of instructions), however a complex musical sequence emerges from such a simple set of instructions to the performers. What is also interesting is that no matter who performs the work it tends to sound the same. Paragraph 7 is an example of algorithmic music composition, where a simple set of instructions define the development and performance of the music (rather than the explicit notation of pitch and duration for each note, as in conventional musical notation). The complexity of the finished composition is several orders of magnitude greater than the instructions used to define it.

Here is an audio recording of a live performance of Paragraph 7 (at First iteration) with about 10 singers (requires MP3 player, e.g. Quicktime).

The aim of this project is to develop a software system that will allow computer-based performances of algorithmic compositions like The Great Learning. The system should consist of a 'general purpose' compositional language that can be run on multiple hosts connected via TCP/IP (i.e. the Internet). Programs (compositions) written in the language consist of a series of instructions along with a collection of sound samples or MIDI instruments that are played by the program. Many copies of the software ('agents') run on multiple computers, connected over a network.

It is not necessary to have a musical background to complete this project, but some knowledge of sample playback and MIDI functionality would be helpful.

 

 
  • The musical score for Paragraph 7
  • Info. on Cardew
  • Info. on MIDI

  • Cardew, C. Scratch Music, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1969.
  • Nyman, M. Experimental Music : Cage and Beyond (Music in the Twentieth Century), Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, 1999.
  • Roads, C. The Computer Music Tutorial, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1995.
 
    Project: Web Architecture
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
   
 

 

In the early days of Web site development, people would hand author hundreds of web pages to make up a site's 'content'. While this is suitable for simpler sites, there are several problems with this approach. Firstly, there are a number of different browser versions in active use along with different plugins installed, screen sizes, colours and so on. Web sites that make use of certain features such as Flash, Shockwave, Dynamic HTML and so on may be isolating a considerable part of their audience who do not have these features in their current browser configuration. In addition, much of a sites content may be 'dynamic', and relying on manual updates to web pages is both time consuming and easy to neglect. Finally, some of a sites content many be generated 'on the fly' through things like search and database queries.

The aim of this project is to design and construct tools for the CEMA web site's dynamic content. Dynamic content includes things like weekly research seminars, calendar of activities, search queries, references, publications announcements, etc. The project will involve research and understanding of the site's information architecture, information design and graphic elements. You will need to know the basics of HTML, Javascript, Perl, and C++ programming. You will need to devise an intelligent and workable solution that can integrate informational and stylistic elements of the site and present them to web users.

For this project you will also gain hands-on experience with web construction tools such as Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks.

 

 
  • Norman, D. A. The Design of Everyday Things, DoubleDay, New York, 1989.
  • Rosenfield, L. & Morville, P. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, O'Reilly & Associates, Sebastopol, 1998.
  • Wildbur, P. & Burke, M. Information Graphics: Innovative Solutions in Contemporary Design, Thames and Hudson, London, 1998.
 

 

  Project: Self-organizing Imagery
Supervisor: Alan Dorin
     

 

     

 

The making of an original image is usually a task achieved by an artist or possibly a computer program with some form of representation of the work as a 'whole'. The purpose of this project is to develop animated and still imagery which is the result of the interactions between many individual agents acting under the instructions of their own internal rules.
A real-world example of such a collaborative work is the construction of an ant nest by a colony's workers. No single ant contains a blueprint for the whole nest, yet when they work together (following their own simple instructions and acting only on the simple input they receive from their immediate environment), they are able to create a nest of considerable intricacy.

The project will require the development of a system for specifying the elements of a picture and the agents responsible for maintaining/manipulating it. The end result will be a series of still images and a short animation demonstrating some results achieved using the new system.

Students wishing to apply for this project will need to have (or develop/research) the following areas: computer graphics & animation, procedural modelling, artificial life, and non-representational art. It is recommended that the student completing this project also take the course: Advanced Topics in Graphics (CSC415).

 

 
  • Watt, A. H. & Watt, M. Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques, Addison-Wesley, New York, 1992
  • Levy, S. Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology, Vintage Books, 1993

 

 

 

  Project: Virtual Worlds
Supervisor: Jon McCormack
     

 

     

 

This project aims to allow the creation of interactive 3D virtual worlds by building on an existing multimedia authoring tool. The project has two parts.

The first part involves implementing a 3D extension to Macromedia Director (a multimedia authoring tool) to allow 3D elements to be part of Director's 'cast'. This will involve authoring an 'XTRA' (plug-in) for the software. This XTRA will use the OpenGL system to render 3D objects in real-time, hardware permitting of course! OpenGL however, provides only display list processing of objects and doesn't maintain more complex 3D graphics structures such as scene graphs, so it will be necessary to build this functionality into the systems 3D engine.

Once this 3D component has been successfully designed and built, the second part of the project is to demonstrate it's functionality by designing and implementing a 3D game. The design of the game is up to you (in consultation with your supervisor), but should highlight the real-time 3D capabilities you have created for Director.

For this project you will need to know (or learn) Director, plus have a good knowledge of real-time 3D graphics systems and techniques.

It is recommended that the student completing this project also take the course: Advanced Topics in Graphics (CSC415).

 

 
  • Director (authoring software)
  • 3D Groove (existing 3D xtra for director)
  • OpenGL Programming Guide and OpenGL Reference Manual, Addison-Wesley, 1992.
  • Wernecke, J. The Inventor Mentor: Programming Object-Oriented 3D Graphics with Open Inventor, Addison-Wesley, 1994.

 

 

 

  Project: Iconic Messenger
Supervisor:
Alan Dorin
     

 

     

 

The old UNIX tools talk and write, and the text-based communication they facilitate are the basis of many internet messenger systems. Whilst some messenger systems utilize video and sound, the purpose of this project is to move beyond such modes of communication towards a hybrid visual/textual system. This will blend emoticons, icons, avatars and textual information together seemlessly in a new form of quirky but intelligent messenging system.
Rather than have the computer sit idly by whilst the user sends and receives messages. Important phrases, frequent requests, items or exchanges will be gathered during conversations with individuals and stored locally. These common phrases will be developed into a simple iconic language which will become the means of communication between users.
Many simple messages are questions or requests. They include times, places and events as well as people's names. Standard icons need to be devised amongst a sub-culture of users for communicating these concepts. These might be conventional still bitmaps or they may be simple animated signs. The computer might use the phrasebook it has created to suggest new concepts be iconized.

Standard icons might be 'built in' to the system for things such as: yes and no; for various times of day such as morning and afternoon, evening and night or lunchtime; for places such as the cafe, bookshop and library. Additionally, new icons could be developed by users for inclusion in the messenging system. A bank of down-loadable icons which users have contributed might be stored on the WWW.

To operate the messenger, besides typing text, a user might drag icons into a space designated for communication between individuals. These would appear in a similar space at the other end. If icons are not recognized by a user, simply moving the mouse over the icon or clicking a button could convert individual symbols or whole phrases into their plain-text equivalents.

Students wishing to complete this project will need to have (or develop/research) the following areas/skills: visual communication, TCP/IP client/server protocols, avatars and online chat systems, netiquette, and a sense of humour.

This project will be implemented using Macromedia's Director multimedia authoring software.

 
  • Director (Authoring Software)
  • Casa Electronics (Japanese)
  • Post Pet (English site)
  • Yahoo Messenger
  • AOL Messenger
  • Norman, D. A. The Design of Everyday Things, DoubleDay, New York, 1989.
  • Digital Creativity, Issue on Iconic Communication, Vol. 10, No. 2, Swets & Zeitlinger, 1999.
  • Bliss, C. Semantography (Blissymbolics), Semantography-Blissymbolics Publications, Sydney, 1965.

 

 
                   
Monash University