RESEARCH INTERESTS


Surface Science for Computer Vision and Computer Graphics

My current research work involves developing methods for both computer vision and computer graphics. The techniques employed include statistical modeling, signal processing and machine learning.

Specifically, my research interests are concentrated towards the area of surface science for computer vision and computer graphics. The way surfaces interact with light is of fundamental interest in order to predict and simulate appearance. Imaging conditions, i.e. the viewing direction, the illumination direction and the scale at which the surface is observed, greatly influence the appearance, due to effects such as local occlusions, shadowing and foreshortening. My current research is centered on three main tasks:
(1) surface modeling,
(2) surface measurements,
(3) integration of surface models into synthesis and recognition algorithms.






The same textured surface (rough plastic, from CUReT Database), captured under various imaging conditions (different illumination directions, different viewing directions, same scale). The change in appearance is really intriguing.




Skin BTF: Rutgers Skin Texture Database

Lately I am working on constructing a database of skin BTF's (bidirectional texture functions). This work is in collaboration with UMDNJ Department of Dermatology. Here's an example of how spectacular is the change in appearance of facial skin as the illumination is varied:
































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