3D-modeling technologies Archives | Research & Innovation

Artists to discuss how digital sculpture expanded their work

fmaquito — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The Toronto art-making duo Christian Giroux and Daniel Young (CGDY) have been working in 91��ɫ’s Digital Sculpture Lab over the past few months as artists-in-residence in the Department of Visual Arts. They will present an overview of their work in a free public lecture titled "The Making of Boole", Wednesday, March 24, at 3pm in 195A Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts at 91��ɫ’s Keele campus.

During their residency, Young and Giroux have been using the lab’s pioneering rapid prototyping equipment to expand upon their 2008 series Boole, which they created “in a formal dialogue with pieces of IKEA furniture.”

Right: The sculpture "Kermit", featured in Boole, illustrates CGDY's formal dialogue with pieces of IKEA furniture

Produced using precision-fabricated sheet metal, bringing objects from the domestic realm into collision with an industrial mode of manufacturing, Boole exists in conversation with the spirit of contemporary modernism. The title is derived from the term used to describe the basic 3-D computer modelling operations of addition and subtraction of simple forms in the creation of more complex ones.

The Globe and Mail described the original exhibition of Boole at Toronto’s as “almost lasciviously pleasing and puzzling furniture-like sculptures.” CGDY will present the new additions to their series in a second show at Diaz Contemporary opening April 9.

“The resources in 91��ɫ’s Digital Sculpture Lab are really quite tremendous,” says Young. “Having access to the lab has allowed us to produce a project that otherwise would have been impossible.”

The first of its kind in Canada, 91��ɫ’s lab features a wide range of specialized digital tools and technologies. They include the Torchmate plasma cutter, which can cut metal sheets up to 4 by 8 feet in size, and the FROG Mill 4th Axis which carves 3-D forms out of wood, plastic or foam in formats up to 12 by 8 by 4 feet. Two rapid prototyping 3D printers are used to create small-scale models for art works. The Objet Eden 260V builds models out of resin, rubber or plastic in dimensions up to 12 by 8 by 8 inches, while the Solidscape T612 builds slightly smaller models out of wax (ideal for casting metal).

These production technologies are complemented by the FROG Mill 3-D Scanner, which can be used to scan existing objects to create virtual/digital copies that can subsequently be remade using one of the four manufacturing processes available in the lab. The artist can also adapt these scanned objects, or circumvent scanning and create completely new objects to be cut, carved or printed.

“One of the primary goals of 91��ɫ’s Digital Sculpture Lab is to make cutting-edge digital fabrication technology accessible to both students and leading Canadian artists and researchers,” says Visual Arts Professor Brandon Vickerd, who was awarded a major grant by the in 2005 to create the lab. “By hosting their residency we’re providing CGDY with the opportunity to advance their practice in a unique way, and at the same time, giving students the opportunity to learn by observing the process of professional artists.”

have been creating sculpture, public art and film installations together since 2002. Their work has been shown at SCOPE Miami Beach (2004), Ace Art Inc. (Winnipeg, 2004), The Power Plant (Toronto, 2006), the EXiS festival (Seoul, 2009) and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (2009). Following its recent premiere at Toronto’s Mercer Union, their film installation 50 Light Fixtures from Home Depot was exhibited in Forum Expanded at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010 and will be shown this fall at the Beyond/In Western New 91��ɫ exhibit at the Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center in Buffalo.

Giroux and Young are just the latest in a long line of artists to hold residencies in 91��ɫ’s sculpture program. Previous guests include Britain's Anthony Caro and William Tucker, American sculptor Rona Pondick, and leading Canadian artists Liz Magor, Claire Brunet and James Carl.

Republished with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Researchers developing next generation of data analysis and visualization tools

fmaquito — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

$11.5 million interdisciplinary project includes computer scientists, vision scientists, designers, artists and social scientists at 91��ɫ, OCAD and U of T, with 14 industry partners

How do you look at millions of genomic patterns and see the diagnostic implications? How do you assimilate satellite data to better predict and visualize the effects of global warming, pollution, and weather patterns? How can you chart the global migration of millions of people under slavery? How do you assess the impact millions of blog entries have had on the print media economy? How do you sift global intelligence reports to identify the real threats?

Each day, humanity poses thousands of similar questions as we produce massive data sets in every field − but as the data grows, the challenge becomes translating this data for the human senses and delivering the best analysis to solve real-world problems.

The Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design (CIV-DDD), led by 91��ɫ in partnership with the (OCAD), promises to develop the next generation of data discovery, design, and visualization techniques by developing new computational tools, representational strategies, and interfaces.

The $11.5 million five-year project brings together a unique multidisciplinary team of over 50 researchers from 91��ɫ, OCAD, the University of Toronto, 14 industry partners, and significant international collaborators.

(left), Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision and Distinguished Research Professor of Vision Science at 91��ɫ, is the project’s principal investigator. , professor of artificial intelligence and data mining in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, will co-lead 91��ɫ’s team of 14 researchers, who include , professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, and , Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture and associate professor of film in the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Sara Diamond, visualization design researcher and president of the Ontario College of Art & Design, will lead OCAD’s team of 12 researchers, who include Vladimir Spicanovic, dean of the Faculty of Art, and Greg van Alstyne, professor in the Faculty of Design and director of Research, Strategic Innovation Lab.

has provided over $3.8 million in funding through the Ontario Research Fund-Research Excellence Program; industry partners will contribute over $3.6 million, with the remaining $4.1 million coming from the project’s institutional partners.

“Humans’ capacity to interpret sensory stimuli is limited, which is why the human processing strategy is to attend to the relevant and ignore the irrelevant,” says Tsotsos. “Determining what’s relevant is a key task. Equally important is discovering how best to present such data in a form that is quickly and effectively understood. By combining our team’s expertise in computer science, design, digital media, visual perceptual science, fine arts, and the social sciences, CIV-DDD will discover and provide new visualizations for underlying patterns, processes, and relationships within data sets. These in turn will suggest new research directions and applications, laying the foundation for a new wave of knowledge creation and technological products.”

CIV-DDD formalizes many existing research collaborations, both within 91��ɫ’s faculties and departments and among researchers at 91��ɫ, OCAD, and U of T. “In the new paradigm of data-driven discovery, art and design researchers have a profound role to play in partnership with scientists, making the invisible visible, heralding a new era of knowledge, cultural creation, and technological products,” said Diamond. “This preeminent research hub for the development of next-generation data visualization techniques is unique in its level of interdisciplinary fire power, strong collaboration with end-users and international links. It aggregates and extends much successful collaboration amongst the researchers, and between OCAD and 91��ɫ.”

Many techniques and technologies developed by research groups associated with CIV-DDD will become resources for the entire team as they focus on new data-driven design and information visualization solutions in four thematic areas:

bioinformatics and medicine
fine and performing arts
engineering and physical sciences
humanities and social sciences

Collaboration between industry and academia is crucial to the project’s success. “Platform Computing is honoured to support the CIV-DDD project and provide the students and researchers at 91��ɫ and the OCAD with cutting-edge technologies to explore and create the next generation of visualization solutions and services and help them tackle scientific, social and human challenges,” said Jingwen Wang, vice-president, products, at . “Collaboration and information sharing are fundamental to academic research and Platform products enable researchers and students to easily collaborate and manage data and resources to capture, simulate and analyze their results.”

CIV-DDD’s industry partners highlight its wide applicability across sectors, including:

Mass media and communications studies, ethnography, and cultural studies −
Enterprise and knowledge management businesses −
Technology service providers − , , and
Physics −
Sustainable, intelligent systems, and green technology −
Computer and communication technologies − , , and
Entertainment and Web-related industries − , , and
Research and innovative presentation −
Business intelligence work − and
Mobile technology and applications developers − Zameen
Medicine and bioinformatics − U of T’s , the , and McMaster University’s

“CIV-DDD responds both to a dramatic paradigm shift in the health, social and economic challenges facing Canadians and the need for more research capacity and state-of-the-art infrastructure in this region,” said Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president Research & Innovation. “It also builds on the existing strengths of 91��ɫ’s , the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies in the Faculty of Education, and in the Faculty of Fine Arts, among others.

“By leading the Consortium on New Media, Creative, and Entertainment R&D in the Toronto Region (CONCERT), 91��ɫ and its partner universities and industries identified the preconditions necessary to develop a high-end visualization industry in Ontario. This unique collaboration will help fulfill one of CONCERT’s long-term objectives, which was to grow the region’s entertainment, screen-based and other innovation-driven creative industries into a globally competitive cluster.”

CIV-DDD will also support Ontario’s economy by producing innovative technology for commercialization, such as new:

data-mining algorithms
3D-vision and 3D-modeling technologies
data-display tools and protocols
visualization-design methods and techniques
data-inquiry paradigms
user-friendly interfaces that can be scaled to a variety of screen displays
new aesthetics and research practices

“We’re proud of the cutting-edge work that our researchers do at 91��ɫ and the wealth and jobs they create in 91��ɫ West and across Ontario,” said , MPP for 91��ɫ West. “New discoveries will continue to be made and we want those people, those ideas and those jobs right here in our community.”

CIV-DDD is one of 21 projects funded by the Ontario Research Fund–Research Excellence program, which has provided almost $69.5 million to support more than 214 researchers in seven cities across Ontario. The Ontario Research Fund is a key part of the province’s Innovation Agenda, a $3.2 million strategy designed to move world-class research from the lab to the global marketplace in key areas such as life sciences, digital media, and green energy to ensure Ontario will be among the 21^st Century’s winning economies. The Research Excellence program helps develop Ontario’s research talent while ensuring Ontario researchers have the operating funding they need to undertake world-leading projects.

For a full list of funded projects, visit MRI’s .

91��ɫ’s researchers:

John Tsotsos, Canada Research Chair in Computational Vision, distinguished research professor of vision science, Faculty of Science & Engineering, and member of the Centre for Vision Research (CVR)
Nick Cercone, professor of artificial intelligence and data mining, Faculty of Science & Engineering
Amir Asif, associate professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering
Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture and assistant professor of film, Faculty of Fine Arts
Robert Allison, associate professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering
Melanie Baljko, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering
James Elder, associate professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and a member of CVR
Jimmy Huang, associate professor of information technology, Faculty of Science & Engineering
Michael Jenkin, professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering and a member of CVR
Jennifer Jenson, associate professor of pedagogy and technology, Faculty of Education
Paul E. Lovejoy, distinguished research professor in the Department of History and Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History
Don Sinclair, professor and coordinator of Fine Arts Cultural Studies, Faculty of Fine Arts
Wolfgang Stuerzlinger, associate professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering, and a member of CVR
Nell Tenhaaf, associate professor, Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, and associate dean, Graduate Studies, Research, Planning, in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Laurie Wilcox, associate professor of psychology and biology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and associate director of CVR
Richard Wildes, associate professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering

OCAD’s researchers:

Sara Diamond, visualization design researcher and president of the Ontario College of Art & Design
Vladimir Spicanovic, dean, Faculty of Art
Greg van Alstyne, professor, Faculty of Design and director of research, Strategic Innovation Lab
Patricio Davila, assistant professor, Faculty of Design
Paula Gardner, associate professor, Faculty of Liberal Studies
Julian Goss, professor, Faculty of Design, and chair of Industrial Design
Anda Kubis, associate professor, Faculty of Art, and chair of Drawing and Painting
Martha Ladly, associate professor and director of the Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design Program
Francis LeBouthillier, sculpture and installation artist and chair of Sculpture and Installation
Laura Millard, associate professor, Faculty of Art
Luke Painter, assistant professor, Faculty of Art
Barbara Rauch, assistant professor, Digital Futures Initiative, Faculty of Design
Suzanne Stein, associate professor, Digital Futures Initiative, Faculty of Design

U of T’s researchers:

Ravin Balakrishnan, associate professor of Computer Science and Canada Research Chair in Human-Centred Interfaces in the Department of Computer Science
Karan Singh, associate professor of Computer Science, Department of Computer Science

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer. Photos courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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