Invited Talk: Shape Modeling for Dummies

The creation of novel 3D content is one of the major bottlenecks of modern computer graphics. Commercial modeling systems are targeted toward expert users and require significant time, expertise and artistic talent to generate 3D shapes. Hence, much of the emphasis in recent research is on simplifying model creation. One approach is to provide simpler interfaces, such as sketching tools. Another recent trend focuses on reuse of existing models by providing robust editing tools. Most of those tools still require the user to have modeling expertise and nonnegligible artistic ability. In this talk I will review some recent trends in providing simple modeling interfaces. I will then demonstrate that by narrowing the scope of the problem, and focusing on modeling within a specific set of models, it is possible to develop a true "modeling for dummies" interface which does not require any modeling expertise or talent. Despite its simplicity the interface allows for creation of rich geometric content within a matter of minutes. The proposed modeling system, Shuffler, operates on sets of models that have a similar part-based structure. Example sets include quadrupeds, humans, chairs, and airplanes.