Max-Planck Institut für Informatik (MPII) Stuhlsatzhausweg 85 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany

MPI Informatik

At a recent meeting the International Scientific Advisory Board of the institute has rated MPII as "the best institute of its kind in the world". MPII is knowledge oriented and open to applied research in computer science, and it is part of the German infrastructure for cutting-edge research in computer science that includes the Max-Planck-Institut (MPII), the Dagstuhl International Conference and Research Center for Computer Science (IBFI), the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), and the large Computer Science Department at the Universität des Saarlands (all conveniently located within direct reach of each other). In a recent evaluation of all German computer science departments by external faculty members, conducted by the Center for University Development (CHE), researchers at MPII and at the computer science department at the Universität des Saarlands have been ranked number one nationwide (with an optimal grade of 1.0).

MPII has been designated a EU Marie Curie training site for complex computer systems and participates in various research projects on a national and international level. Of particular relevance in the context of this proposal are the EU projects (FP5) SIMULGEN , ViHAP3D , RealReflect and the EU training network MINGLE.

Expertise and experience within the computer graphics group include the following areas: Mesh processing, Free-Form Surfaces, Subdivision Surfaces, Shape Analysis, Facial Modeling and Animation, Model Acquisition with Realistic Reflection Properties, Image Based Rendering and Motion from Video, Realistic Hardware-Supported Shading and Lighting, Global Illumination, Perception Issues in Rendering and Animation, Scientific Visualization, Virtual Environments, 3D Image Analysis and Synthesis.

Computer Graphics Group

Visual Computing and Communication are at the very core of the technologies enabling the Information Society. The research of the Computer Graphics Group is headed by Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Seidel .

An important characteristic of his work is the development of new algorithms, which are closely dovetailed with the opportunities and perspectives of modern graphics hardware, alongside a seamless consideration of the whole processing chain from data acquisition, via modeling (creation of views from a suitable digital description) to image synthesis (creation of views from the description of a scene). According to this point of view, one of the key research challenges then is the development of good models and modeling tools to efficiently handle the huge amount of data during the acquisition process and to facilitate further processing and rendering.

Research Topics and Structure of the Computer Graphics Group

The research is currently organized into the following eight research areas:

• Mesh Processing
  
• Free-Form Surfaces, Subdivision Surfaces, and Shape Analysis
  
• Facial Modeling and Animation
  
• Model Acquisition with realistic Reflection Properties
  
• Image Based Rendering and Motion from Video
  
• Realistic Hardware-Supported Shading and Lighting
  
• Global Illumination
  
• Perception Issues in Rendering and Animation