Background. Shadow mapping is a method that is used for generating and imitating shadows in 3D-spaces. This technique has been used in the entertainment media industry in the form of games, movies and 3D renderings of environments to create a more realistic experience for consumers. Shadow mapping is not a perfect technique, and is performance costing on the GPU; however, some methods save performance by reducing the complexity of geometrical shapes and textures depending on the distance between observer and object. These techniques are based on that the observer will not notice the complexity reductions; can the usage of such methods be extended to textures covered in shadows without any consequences in the aspect of visual appearance and preference? Objectives. This thesis aims to examine if there is a possibility to extend the usage of LOD techniques to shadowed textures and to analyze individuals’ preferences of texture variants that are covered in shadows. Additionally, proposing the method of lowering texture resolution by using DirectX:s sampler data type, which is configurable to increase the level of details with mipmapping when sampling textures. Methods. This document presents a user study using the Two-alternative forced choice method and PsychoPy application to create a visual test. The visual test was conducted in a controlled and observed environment with volunteering participants. The objective of the visual test was to go through several sets of different images, and to choose which image of each set that was preferred. The stimulus was repeated with the initial images fading in and out slowly to prevent carry over effects. After the test participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed if they noticed any differences within the shadows, and if they had any additional thoughts about the experiment. Results. The results from the study were then evaluated through a binomial test that yielded that there was no statistically significant difference in preference between the lowered texture resolution in shadows and normal texture resolution in shadows. Separately evaluating the environments showed that there was a preference for shadowed low-resolution textures in environments that were dark. The environments with high illumination had more varied results. There were 17 participants that volunteered in the test and were ranging from the ages 18 to 29. Conclusions. With the results presented it was shown that the shadowed lowresolution textures were preferred in environments with low illumination. This suggests that the proposed concept method is better suited for similar environments. However, several factors may have affected the results. Factors such as images being too dark, the lack of exaggerated images, images fading in and out too fast, few participants, more partaking will assure there is less chance for bias.

For this study three questions are being studied. Question one: “How does the audio compressionaffect the perceived video quality?” Question two is somewhat reversed: “How does the texturedetail affect the perceived audio quality?” The final question follows: “How do the audiocompression and texture detail affect the perceived overall quality?” The experiment was done on 36different untrained listeners, whereof 2 didn’t give complete answers and were therefore notincluded in the results. In total the result was based on 34 test subjects. Subjects participating in theexperiment had to play through three levels, one level for each research question. In each levelsubjects evaluated the game’s different qualities. In one level only the texture detail changed (LevelVV), in the other only audio compression rate changed (Level AA) and in the third both audiocompression and texture detail changed (Level AV). The texture detail ranged from low to medium tohigh setting, while the audio compression had four different levels ranging from 49 kbit/s to 150kbit/s, in the compressed format of ogg vorbis. The result shows that subjects did not perceive animprovement in quality in either of the single quality tests, i.e. levels AA and VV. In the last level withmultiple changing stimuli (AV), subjects could identify the lower video quality from medium and high.Subjects also showed a significant difference in perceived overall quality in the AV level, subjectsshowed that they could identify a difference in audio quality better, when video quality was on thelow setting.

No description available.

Work is focused on visualization of large data sets, especially on high resolution terrain models. Thus the goal of this work is to design a library which can divide large models to small regular parts for fast render of whole scene using level of detail techniques. Further goal is theoretical analysis how the library for fast and smooth visualization of large scenes in real time can be used.

Large-scale developments undergo a process known as Environmental ImpactAssessment (EIA) in order to assess the environmental effects that the constructionmight incur, carried out by the municipal office. Only projects of a large area coverage such as highways and railroads are covered by this procedure. However, the effects of urban sprawl tend to be of significantly greater size than individual large-scale projects. This is handled via the principal of zoning, planning the area usage of city developments. To lend a greater understanding and awareness of the environmental effects of urban sprawl, and how to minimise these, the application of EIAs to the zoning work may prove viable. This investigation is conducted via a qualitative research methodology employing literary review, surveys and interviews to garner data on current opinion and knowledge to provide possibility for development. The data collected points to a disparate view of the application of EIAs in municipal work, based on reliance on external consultants and varying degrees of locally founded methods of application, as well as a lack of proper follow up to performed EIAs. In order to combat these issues and grant an increased efficacy of EIA appliance within environmental issues, and namely urban development, a potential for legal reclassification is advised, to require some form of relevant follow up, describe a more foundational groundwork in legal documentation. The potential for EIAs to counter the effects of urban sprawl are inherently boosted by these actions, but an attempt to directly apply this would be an increase in intensity for EIA appliance during regional zoning, to prevent overreliance on detailed zoning plans on each other.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A height field is a set of height distance values sampled at a finite set of sample points in a two-dimensional parameter domain. A height field usually contains a lot of redundant information, much of which can be removed without a substantial degradation of its quality. A common approach to reducing the size of a height field representation is to use a piecewise polygonal surface approximation. This consists of a mesh of polygons that approximates the surfaces of the original data at a desired level of accuracy. Polygonal surface approximation of height fields has numerous applications in the fields of computer graphics and computer vision. Triangular mesh approximations are a popular means of representing three-dimensional surfaces, and multiresolution analysis (MRA) is often used to obtain compact representations of dense input data, as well as to allow surface approximations at varying spatial resolution. Multiresolution approaches, particularly those moving from coarse to fine resolutions, can often improve the computational efficiency of mesh generation as well as can provide easy control of level of details for approximations. This dissertation concerns the use of wavelet-based MRA methods to produce a triangular-mesh surface approximation from a single height field dataset. The goal of this study is to obtain a fast surface approximation for a set of height data, using a small number of approximating elements to satisfy a given error criterion. Typically, surface approximation techniques attempt to balance error of fit, number of approximating elements, and speed of computation. A novel aspect of this approach is the direct evaluation of wavelet coefficients to assess surface shape characteristics within each triangular element at a given scale. Our approach hierarchically subdivides and refines triangles as the resolution level increases. / Ph. D.

Perhaps the quintessential project for an architect is the design of a house. This thesis takes the approach of designing a house by way of a unique construction method. Influenced by the strickbau, or woven wood, method of stacking timber most commonly seen in the Swiss chalet, the project explores materials and details to address the limitations of the strickbau method of construction. The centerpiece of the project is a robust model, which acts as an analogue to the actual construction method. / Master of Architecture