Method and device for generating a procedural map from an external parameter such as an image characteristic

• US 8,635,558 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Allegorithmic
• Inventors: Deguy, Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/568,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,205 Days
• Field of Search: 715853-855, 715708-712, 715736-738, 715771-772
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

Method to generate a procedural map (50) having a tree structure (40) comprising a plurality of levels (43), each one with at least one node (41) to which is associated at least one parameter, comprising the steps consisting in:

• providing a tool for parameter setting adapted to parameterize the tree corresponding to the map to provide and adapted to be connected to at least one external source of parameters;
• receiving, via the tool for parameter setting (or generation of procedural maps) the parameters of the map to be provided;
• at least one of said parameters coming from an external source;
• processing said parameters, in order to generate said map;

Such a map comprises parameters and a structure allowing it to provide “special” effects in the field of image processing.

The invention further provides a tool for generation and/or modification for the implementation of said method.

Claims

1. A process to modify an image processing procedural map having a tree structure comprising a plurality of levels, each one with at least a node to which is associated at least one modifiable parameter, comprising the steps of:

establishing an at least temporary connection with an external source capable to provide at least one input value of at least one parameter to be applied to at least one modifiable parameter of at least one node of said image processing procedural map for a modification of a previous value of said modifiable parameter;

parameterizing a procedural map with sub-steps consisting in;

providing a node selection tool, allowing selection of at least one node of at least one level of the tree structure;

receiving the selection of at least one node, of at least one level of the procedural map to be modified, to which the input value of external parameter is intended;

providing an external parameter selector, allowing selection of a type of external parameter;

providing a parameter modification tool allowing modification of the value of at least one parameter of the at least one selected node, by an input value of the selected type of parameter from the external source;

applying said input value of the external parameter to the selected at least one node; and

processing said procedural map, including node parameter modified with the input value, in order to generate said modified image procedural map having a tree structure;

wherein the tree structure includes nodes (j, k) in which j is a current level and k is a displacement vector for each node;

wherein the type of input external parameter is selected in a list comprising;

a “

morphlet”

F, a maximum number of levels (jmax), a Hurst parameter (H), a random number (ξ

), an intermittency parameter (p), and a displacement value (D); and

wherein at least one accessor is provided to allow a conversion of the external parameter value into a value adapted to said node parameters.

2. The process of claim 1, in which said map thus provided, is a locally modifiable image processing procedural map having a tree structure.

3. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one other node, from at least one level;

receiving a selection of at least one parameter of the at least one other node;

applying a new value for the at least one other node;

generating the map according at least to these values.

4. The process of claim 1, in which the procedural map having a tree structure can be represented by an equation of the type:

Σ

F(2^jx−

k)

(j, k)ε

T

in which;

F is a function (or “

morphlet”

) Rⁿ→

R

x is a vector of the type (x1, x2, . . . , xn);

T is a tree comprising the nodes (j, k) and in which

j represents the selected level, among a total number of potential levels jmax (j ε

(0, 1, 2, . . . , jmax)

k is a displacement vector for each node N, of the type (x1, x2, xn).

5. The process of claim 1, in which the map may be represented by an equation of the type:

Σ

2<sup>−

jH</sup>F(2^jx−

k)ξ

_{(j, k)}

(j, k)ε

T_{D, p}

in which;

F is a function (or “

morphlet”

) Rⁿ→

R

x is a vector of the type (x1, x2, . . . , xn);

TD, p represents a tree structure provided with an intermittency parameter (p), comprising nodes (j, k), and a displacement value (D), in which

j indicates the selected level, among a total number of potential levels jmax (j ε

(0, 1, 2, . . . jmax)

k is a displacement vector for each node N of the type (x1, x2, . . . , xn)

H represents a value of roughness;

ξ

represents a random number.

6. The process of claim 1, in which the parameters are affected in a recursive way to children nodes of the selected nodes.

7. The process of claim 1, in which the map is time dependant.