009 | Cloth Simulation Using Hardware Tessellation
Cloth simulation has long been a topic of interest in computer graphics since the early
works of Terzopoulos et al. [21]. Over the years many techniques have been developed
to simulate cloth. Though the general concern has been on the physical accuracy of the
simulation. As the simulation gets closer to computational sciences the complexity also
increases which at times may come at the cost of real-time performance. With newer and
more powerful graphics hardware coming out each year, researchers are starting to shy
away from the traditional CPU implementation and turning towards the GPU to offload
work. As the parallel nature of the graphics hardware offer much better performance,
researcher can process many tasks, originally sequential tasks, simultaneously on the GPU.
I propose a solution that will map current industry standard’s position-based dynamics
on to the new graphics pipeline. The focus is on performance and visual realism rather
than physical accuracy. By implementing such solutions on the graphics hardware, more
detailed cloth behavior can be simulated with real-time performance. In this paper, the
described cloth simulation solution will be done completely on the GPU through the use
of hardware tessellation on the new DirectX 11 graphics pipeline. The solution though
originally designed specifically for cloth may also be adapted for generic deformable object
(soft body dynamics).
008 | Cornerstone
007 | Realtime Radiosity
This was a project to investigate techniques in global illumination. Our goal was to build a system that supports realtime global illumination. We did some research on both real time and baked approaches. Eventually, we settle on a deferred shading approach.
006 | Distributed Rendering
005 | Rift
Rift is a fast paced real time strategy game (RTS) based around space combat and territory control. As a space overlord the player is the supreme commander of a space fleet and it is their goal to eliminate their competition. Unlike traditional RTS games, Rift focuses on quick combat and tactics. Each fleet revolves around a mothership and to win players need to destroy the enemy motherships while protecting their own.
Resource gathering, construction, and tech trees are eliminated in Rift freeing the player to focus on the battle. This war takes place across solar systems and asteroid belts and each heavenly body under the player's control automatically produces new ships for the fleet. The real challenges comes from gaining strategic control of territory and deploying battlefield tactics. Multiple ship types, special planetary attributes and an arsenal of tide-turning command point attacks impact the way each battle plays out. Space is an cold place, the warfare will be unforgiving.
Rift is designed for gamers who love fast paced strategy but don't have time to devote to traditional RTS titles. The stripped down and streamlined gameplay is what makes Rift fun; players aren't hassled with tedious duties like managing cities, collecting resources and researching tech trees. In Rift you get your units and you go on the offensive!
004 | NPR
A quick prototype at non-photorealistic rendering. In this prototype, we attempted a pencil sketching technique.
003 | Agent
Agent is a three-dimensional, sci-fi game where the user takes on the role of a spy/assassin hired by one corporation to sabotage a rival. The game is played primarily from a third person point of view with a focus on using social engineering techniques as a means of gaining information. The player will be able to use this information to complete mission objectives without arousing suspicion in the people working within the company. The atmosphere of the game is generally Orwellian in nature, featuring heavy use of security cameras, general distrust of co-workers, and a highly segregated class system. The actual gameplay is somewhat akin to the old adventure games from the 90s (The Maniac Mansion games, The Kings Quest series, etc).
This was an independent study project that spanned two school quarter during my undergraduate years. Over 18 people were involved in this project, most of whom are students and from different colleges. This interdisciplinary study included students from Computer Science, Software Engineering and 3D Digital Graphics.
002 | Planetpaluza
001 | Mica2D
Mica2D is a 2D game engine developed for the RIT SSE game competition. It uses a common normal mapping technique seen in 3D graphics to give our 2D sprite a twist.