What is it about?

We paint digital 3D models by employing their real-world counterparts (e.g., 3D prints). The user paints the real-world object, i.e., the proxy, directly and requires no computer knowledge. The real-world painting is observed by a camera and applied to the digital 3D model. We also allow skipping the real-world paint entirely by having the user paint with a fake brush. The brush is automatically located in the camera image and its configured color applied to the digital 3D model. Visual feedback is given by either observing the digital model on a monitor or projecting the color with a projector.

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Why is it important?

Digital colorization, like all digital data, benefits from many advantages like simple copying, editing without harming the original, and convenient algorithmic tools that assist the user in processing the data. However, painting digital 3D models on a computer is a difficult task for non-experts. Our Proxy Painting system digitizes the paint automatically and the user can focus on painting the real-world object with conventional paint brushes, requiring no expertise in 3D paint programs.

Perspectives

We developed Proxy Painting mainly to make projection mapping on arbitrarily shaped objects more accessible. Projection mapping is a fascinating way to add color or notes to an object, especially if the target object must not be harmed, for example in cultural heritage projects, or if a multitude of different designs must be tested without creating a new prototype for each first. However, users must have quite some knowledge in digital 3D painting to create the actual projection content. I hope that Proxy Painting gives people the chance to benefit from projection mapping without having to be experts in digital painting.

Vanessa Klein
Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Proxy Painting, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, October 2020, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3377145.
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