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Mesh Compression for 3D Graphics
IanDanforth writes "A new algorithm that uses successive approximations of detailed models to get significant compression has been revealed by researchers at The University of Southern California. Just as MP3s remove high frequencies we can't hear, this algorithm removes the extra triangles in flat or near flat surfaces that we can't see. Experts in the field are giving this work high praise and imply that is will be immediately applicable to 3D modeling in games, movies, CAD and more."
MP3 is patented. Chilling or not, just about everyone is using it.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
I'm surprised no one's done this before, actually. Good texture maps, and especially bump maps can alleviate the need for a lot of triangles. I wonder if this compression routine takes those things into account. It would be great if you could pass in a detailed mesh, and get a simple mesh + texture + bump map back out.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
is probably not going to be seen by the end user in games or movies or otherwise, as has been noted 3d models are allready as low poly as they can be. The only use that comes to mind is in the area of scanning real models into computers which outputs huge files and many many poly's, this is where an algorithym like this would be very useful to get a model that can be used without being overtaxing on system resources.
The real reason 3D content hasn't taken off is that it frankly isn't very useful for every-day browsing.
Just wait until the porno industry gets involved. Imagine being able to freeze frame and get Matrix-like fly arounds of the money shot.
Seriously, my first jpgs and gifs were of porno. Not schematics, or technical info. But big bouncing boobies. I'd be willing to bet that most of you who go back to the 1980s or before had a similar experience. Or how about streaming video? Porno and Mac World expos were the first streaming videos that I ever heard about. If this type of thing is going to take off it'll be because of smut. Sad isn't it?
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Sad? How is it sad? As far as I'm concerned, the porno industry is the "perfect" industry from a geek perspective. They are technological innovators that are always willing to try something new and are always on the bleeding edge of technology, they believe in free speech instead of trying to squish it, and they, unlike their **AA counterparts, aren't trying to sue the pants off of the online world, or run to Congress whining.
It's not a sad thing, it's a great thing. The fact that the content is what it is, is unimportant; what counts is that there's an industry out there that's willing to "do things right" the first time, rather than be dragged kicking and screaming.
they believe in free speech instead of trying to squish it, and they, unlike their **AA counterparts, aren't trying to sue the pants off of the online world, or run to Congress whining.
Nice random MPAA/RIAA dig there (is it all Slashdotters think about anymore that they have to interject it at every opportunity?), but the fact is that there have been several articles in the past five years about how the porn industry is worried about P2P because it pirates their material. Ever done a search on eMule to see how much porn is out there ripped from the subscription sites?
The porn industry doesn't run to Congress because Congress isn't going to take a porn industry seriously! Painting them as some sort of free speech golden defenders is hilarious--they're a sleazy, money-grubbing business like any other (and they like to buy ad space through horrible spyware delivers like CoolWebSearch).