Sketch-based Collaborative Interactive Implicit Modelling at a Distance

Abstract

With the increased complexity in state of the art models created using common digital content creation applications, such as AutoCAD, Maya or XSI, the need to have more than one person work on a single model is common. Ideally people would work on the same model at the same time, from several workstations possibly at distant locations. Using a mesh based modelling approach requires synchronizing thousands of triangles over the network between all participating workstations. In contrast the BlobTree is based on combining skeletal primitives using standard CSG and various blending operators. Using this methodology complex models can be encoded with a smaller memory footprint than mesh based systems, thus allowing for less traffic across a network to synchronize two or more workstations with one model. In this paper we propose a network protocol to allow collaborative, sketch-based implicit modelling using the BlobTree.