Greg Turk

Dr. Greg Turk and his research group are investigating several directions in computer graphics related to 3D model creation and rendering. Dr. Turk has explored several methods of taking a large polygonal model and creating simplified versions of the model for more rapid display. Another recent theme in his research is that model and image creation can be performed better if various aspects of people's visual perception are taken into account. Two examples of this are the high contrast display technique of his student Jack Tumblin, and the image-driven model simplification method of his student Peter Lindstrom. He has also recently been investigating the creation and manipulation of surfaces using a new form of interpolating implicit function. The resulting implicit surfaces are useful for shape transformation, for surface reconstruction from noisy data, and for the creation of implicit surfaces that match a given polygonal model. His other interests include vector field visualization, texture synthesis, and biological pattern formation.