3dmodeling
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Axsotic 3D mouse takes a spherical stab at an age-old problem
The quixotic quest for the perfect 3D mouse has a long and storied history, but the German-built "Axsotic" 3D-Spheric-Mouse looks like a pretty good attempt. Axsotic tracks a 40mm ball, which can be twisted, pushed, pulled, lifted, and so forth inside its patent pending, sensor-laden cage. Optical tracking watches for rotation in three axis, while magnets track zoom and pan in three axis of their own. The design gives complete camera control in a 3D app to one hand, while your other hand is free to operate a mouse or other pointing device to actually interact with the 3D object in question. Axsotic actually works driver-free on Mac and Windows, and a plugin is available for popular 3D softwares. No word yet on price or availability. Check out some action videos after the break. %Gallery-106991%
VideoMocap creates 3D animation from any 2D clip (video)
If you've ever used a video editing program, you might be familiar with the concept of "keyframes," which define the beginning and end of a particular segment. Seeing where you came from and where you're going, the computer literally guesses what's in between, and creates smooth animation as a result -- the very same technique that students at Texas A&M University use to create motion capture that doesn't require arrays of cameras or ping-pong balls. Dropping the laws of Newtonian physics into their algorithms, Xiaolin Wei and Jinxiang Chai claim to have whipped up a computer program that can turn most any 2D video into simple 3D animation in real time, with just a few keyframes to start out. For instance, in a complex weightlifting segment 310 frames long where the camera panned, tilted and zoomed, animators had only to position eleven joints in thirteen keyframes (and make seven minute adjustments) to get the entire animation to turn out. See it in action after the break, or read their entire SIGGRAPH paper at our more coverage link.
Researchers aim to give surgeons 3D maps, directions of human body
While a GPS-style "navigation system" for surgeons may not seem like the best idea to anyone that's ever been led astray by their dash-mounted co-pilot, it apparently seemed like a good enough idea for a group of researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. While they do stretch the metaphor a bit, the group's TLEMsafe system does provide surgeons with a complete 3D map of the lower body, which can actually be personalized for each individual patient, giving surgeons a reference and means to practice before any actual surgery takes place -- and, yes, even an "automated navigation system" during surgery. Coincidentally, some researchers from the University of Colorado have also just announced that they've developed a similar modeling system that would give surgeons 3D views of arteries and let them see any blockages up close. It's even already been tested on patients, while the University of Twente says its system will be ready for clinical trials in about four years' time.
Cambridge's ProFORMA does 3D scanning with any stationary webcam
Never mind that silly name: ProFORMA (which stands for 'Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition', if you must know) is some cool system that turns any ordinary webcam into a powerful 3D scanning tool. In fact, a camera is pretty much all you need for some "on-line" modeling action -- no laser or green screen necessary -- meaning the 3D models are constructed on the spot while you slowly rotate the objects, although ProFORMA can also track fast moving objects as shown in the demo video after the break. Fans of machinima should also look into this for their next Warhammer drama series, but don't say you heard it from us.
