Surface Processing on Graphics Hardware

Recent advancements in performance and programmability have made graphics hardware and important platform for performing general computation. In this research we examine the existing texture atlas methods available for the parameterization of triangulated meshed surfaces and show how they are limited with respect to processing surface data in graphics hardware. A new texture atlas method is proposed that is more amenable to graphics hardware allowing for seamless rendering as well as mip-map post-filtering. We further develop this parameterization method to be adaptable, allowing for the parameterization to be recomputed at interactive rates in the presence of both mesh deformations and changing surface signal information. Two new graphics hardware applications that used the new texture atlas scheme are discussed: a method for rendering real-time subsurface scattering effects, and a dynamic 3D painting system