Student Research
Sleddin’
John Pettingill
John is leading a collaborative student group to create a short 3D film.
Weecho Velasquez
Weecho’s work focuses on how the internet uses CG to visualize and advertise fetishes and relationships.
Stephanie Keske
Stephanie’s work focuses on how students use online communication tools to collaborate on multi-located group animation projects.
Tyler Rosas
Tyler is conducting a case study on an independent collaborative multi-located group animation project.
Perceptual Animation
Spencer Cureton
Spencer is working on generating procedural quadrupedal gait patterns based on video footage.
Applying hand-drawn effects design principles to the creation of 3D effects
Sarah Beth Eisinger
Sarah Beth’s research focuses on applying hand-drawn effects design principles to the creation of 3D effects.
Man Li
Man Li is interested in combining aesthetics from hip-hop and traditional Chinese culture.
Modular rigging utilizing XML and node-based editing
Logan Kelly
Logan’s research focuses on creating a node-based interface for making 3D character rigs.
Open-source procedural fur styling system
Landon Hagan
Landon is working on creating an open-source fur plug-in for Maya.
Splat generation and rendering for nebulae and galaxies
Kendall Litaker
Kendall’s research focuses on generating realistic looking 3D particle systems to represent nebulae and galaxies.
Perception-based locomotion generation for quadrupedal characters
Junze Zhou
Junze’s research focuses on creating a simple user-friendly animation system that creates cyclic animations for quadrupedal characters.
Ragnarök
Jeff Gustafson
Jeff is creating a short 3D film based on Ragnarök, a story by Jorge Luis Borges.
Companion gaming
Jake Ross
Jake’s research focuses on studying the successfulness of video games that have additional companion games or apps.
Dream Home
Hemali Tanna
Hemali’s research focuses on creating a visualization of her dream home, modeled after butterflies.
Thandav Nritya
Ganesh Rao
Ganesh’s work centers on collaborating with dancers and using a generative system to create artificial life from the dances.
Brandon Jarratt
Brandon’s work focuses on analyzing pipelines in CG film and video game industries and applying their structures to educational environments.
Anahita Salimi
Anahita’s work focuses on creating character design styles based on the combination of 2D and 3D characteristics.
Research work from 2011
“Uncanny Valley in Digital Faces”
Scot Andreason
Scot’s research focuses on trying to simulate the uncanny valley in digital faces. This presentation includes his current attempts to simulate it.
“3D Painting”
Ariel Chisholm
His committee includes Prof. Joshua Bienko, Prof. Carol LaFayette and Prof. Richard Davison
“Current Research”
Austin Hines
Austin introduces his new thesis of creating a philosophical film "Now and Everlasting".
“Group Based Rigging of Realistic Feathered Wings”
Heather Howard
Heather’s research focuses on creating a rigging system for a feathered wing based on a real birds wing movement and feathers. The wing, similar to a human arm, woul be rigged in a similar manner while the feather groups would be simpli?ed to a fan shape in movement and range.
“Phasing Loops”
Rodrigo Guinski
Rodrigo’s research focuses on phasing loops.
“Generative Sculptures”
Sowjanya Kollu
Sowjanya’s reasearch focues on generative sculptures through use of patterns.
“A Painterly Aprroach to Light Transfer in Participating Media”
Jose Guinea Montalvo
Jose is researching alternative methods to achieving light transport through participating media based on diffuse scattering and discreet simplification of the participating media. Jose’s research goal is to achieve control and visually compelling result of light transport. In his free time he also strives to reach the light at the end of this tunnel.
“Collage Sculptures”
Elizabeth Muhm
Elizabeth’s research focuses on creating collage sculptures.
“Chimera”
Brandi Parrish
Brandi’s research focuses on chimera. She uses a program she created to generate chimera based on their genetic makeup.
“Thesis Work”
Natalie Pittman
Natalie introduces her current thesis work.
“Thesis Work”
Julie Pool
Julie’s thesis research aims to analyse and compare existing movement notation systems to identify concepts and symbols that could be adapted to meet the specific needs of computer animators. She will then use these concepts to design new symbols and then combine and streamline them make a shorthand system that would be intuitive and useful to animators.
“Figuring Things Out”
Ganesh Rao
Ganesh introduces his current work and future plans.
“GPU Accelerated Fluid Sim in Houdini”
Mat Sandford
Mat’s research focuses on GPU accelerated fluid sim in Houdini.
“Goal-directed Locomotion of Tentacled Creatures”
Seth Schwartz
Seth’s thesis research attempts to produce visually plausible tentacle motion with minimal input from an animator. The tentacled creature will be physically based and procedural. It would be capable of moving about and reacting to its own environment. His committee includes Prof. Tim McLaughlin, Prof. Philip Galanter and Prof. John Keyser.
“Thesis Motivation: Towards Believable Lace Texturing in 3D”
Suruchi Sharma
Suruchi introduces her thesis motivation of creating believable lace texturing in 3D. She shows current films use in lace and compares it to traditional artwork, and points out the flaws and improvements she plans to undertake for her thesis.
“Dream Home”
Hemali Tanna
Hemali’s focus shows concept art for dream homes, such as a butterfly house.
“Attractiveness in Animated Characters”
Megan Walker
Megan’s research focuses on the characteristics that make animated characters attractive. She introduces current research in the topic and her future plans on research work in the field.
“Node-Based GUI Design”
Tim Withers
Tim’s research focuses on node-based GUI design for visual effects.
Watch Tim’s Viz Symposium video
Research work from 2010
“Morality and Meaning in games: A New Approach to Christian Game Design”
Megan Bednarz
Megan’s thesis is centered around introducing morality and meaning in games through a Christian approach towards game design. Her approach is to use virtual and interactive parables, encouragement and Introspection, sublime and mystery, and alternative to violence in games. Her thesis committee includes Yauger Williams, Dr. Vinod Srinivasan and Karen Hillier from the Visualization Department, and Stephen Caffey from the Department of Architecture.
“Modding for Emergence: Using Cellular Automata, Randomness, and Influence Maps in the Source Game Engine”
Ben Bertka
Ben’s thesis committee includes Dr. Vinod Srinivasan and Prof. Philip Galanter from the Visualization Department and Dr. Dennie Smith from the College of Education and Human Development.
“Character Visualization: Hindu God Yamah in Burton Style”
Ranjith Chandy
Ranjith’s research involves exploring the characteristic features of the visual style used by the American film director, Tim Burton and to apply them in the visualization of a digital character representing the Hindu God, Yamah.
“Application of Stylized Facial Expressions in 3D Models and Animation”
Jerry Chang
Jerry’s thesis involves creatively exploring the use of 2D Japanese stylized facial expressions and to adapt them to 3D models and animation. He aims to preserve the look of anime by adhering to the 2D style producing results that will be computer generated animated scenes that use these adapted stylistic facial expressions.
“Novel Approach to Volumetric Painting”
Ariel Chisholm
His committee includes Prof. Joshua Bienko, Prof. Carol LaFayette and Prof. Richard Davison.
Watch Ariel’s Viz Symposium video
“A Rigging Convention for Isosurface-Based Characters”
Megha Davalath
Megha is researching how to develop a standard for joints and controls particular to amorphous characters with Isosurfaces (using Renderman’s RIBlobby binding). The research will lead to the creation of a graphical user interface (GUI) to convert this method into a concise production-ready application. Megha’s thesis committee comprises of Prof. Tim McLaughlin and Prof. Ergun Akleman from Visualization Department, and Prof. John Keyser from the Department of Computer Science.
“Eye Tracking in the Development & Usability Evaluation of E-learning Tools”
Punit Deotale
Punit’s research explores development and usability evaluation of e-Learning applications meant to teach basic concepts in industrial engineering to students that include basic 3d animations of industrial processes and interactive flash applications.
“Art Directable Tornados”
Ravindra Dwivedi
Ravindra’s thesis focuses on simulating tornadoes while giving artistic controls to stylize the simulation. The tool is meant to allow user to create animations that reflect the visual characteristics of tornadoes. His committee includes Dr. Vinod Srinivasan, Dr. John Keyser and Dr. Wei Yan
“Group Based Rigging of Feathered Wings”
Heather Howard
Heather’s research focuses on creating a rigging system for a feathered wing based on a real birds wing movement and feathers. The wing, similar to a human arm, woul be rigged in a similar manner while the feather groups would be simpli?ed to a fan shape in movement and range.
“Interactive Stereoscopic Installation: A Photographic Collage”
Shyam Kannapurakkaran
Shyam’s committee members include Prof. Karen Hillier, Prof. Carol LaFayette, and prof. Jeff Morris.
“Developing Games for Children with Autism”
Naureen Mahmood
Naureen’s thesis research is regarding developing learning games for children with autism. The focus of this thesis is to formulate a framework of strategies for anyone developing games or interactive programs for children with autism. Her advising committee include Dr. Vinod Srinivasan and Dr. Ann McNamara from the Visualization department, and Dr. Ronald Zellner from the Department of Educational Psychology.
“Alternative Method to Achieve Light Transport”
Jose Montalvo
Jose is researching alternative methods to achieving light transport through participating media based on diffuse scattering and discreet simplification of the participating media. Jose’s research goal is to achieve control and visually compelling result of light transport. In his free time he also strives to reach the light at the end of this tunnel.
“Recovery of Lighting Information from Synthetic Images”
Brent Musat
Brent’s research aims to help automate the process used by compositing and lighting artists. The process will be developed using synthetic computer generated images where color, position, depth and surface normal are known, using tools such as Houdini, OpenEXR and Python. Brent’s thesis committee includes Dr. Ergun Akleman and Dr. Ann McNamara from the Visualization Department, and Dr. Wei Yan from the Department of Architecture.
“Adapting Movement Notation Systems for Computer Animation”
Julie Pool
Julie’s thesis research aims to analyse and compare existing movement notation systems to identify concepts and symbols that could be adapted to meet the speci?c needs of computer animators. She will then use these concepts to design new symbols and then combine and streamline them make a shorthand system that would be intuitive and useful to animators.
“The Motion Music Dream – Guitar driven generative music and sound reactive visual systems”
Ganesh Rao
Ganesh’s committee members include Prof. Karen Hillier, Prof. Jeff Morris and Prof. Philip Galanter.
“Developing a Prototype System for Goal-Directed Tentacle Creature Animation”
Seth Schwartz
Seth’s thesis research attempts to produce visually plausible tentacle motion with minimal input from an animator. The tentacled creature will be physically based and procedural. It would be capable of moving about and reacting to its own environment. His committee includes Prof. Tim McLaughlin, Prof. Philip Galanter and Prof. John Keyser.
“The Role of Camera Usage in the Visual Structure of a Classic Narrative”
Leticia Silva
Leticia’s research intends to understand and demonstrate how camera usage supports classical narrative story structure. It analyzes classical linear narrative, non-linear narratives and non-narrative structures and compare them. She will examine camera choices used through the storyboard and layout phases of an animated short created for this research and demonstrate how the storyboarding and layout phases solve different visual problems through camera usage.
“Art Directed Dissection”
Jon Simpson
Jon explores methods for dividing a 3D mesh into parts from a user painted tecture map.
“Dreamhome: An architect’s vision blind to any limitations”
Hemali Tanna
“Celtic Knot Weaving”
Qing Xing
Qing aims to create Celtic knot looking weaving based on input images for her thesis research. The process involves modifying a 2D mesh grid from input image, labeling edges with proper twist numbers and then generating weaving geometry from the mesh. Qing’s thesis adviser is Dr. Ergun Akleman