Protecting 3D Graphics Content (original) (raw)
David Koller andMarc Levoy, Stanford University
Communications of the ACM, 48(6):74-80, June 2005
Abstract:
Valuable 3D graphical models, such as high-resolution digital scans of cultural heritage objects, may require protection to prevent piracy or misuse, while still allowing for interactive display and manipulation by a widespread audience. This article considers some techniques for protecting 3D graphics content, and describes a remote rendering system that we have developed for sharing archives of 3D models while protecting the 3D geometry from unauthorized extraction. Additionally, we demonstrate how digitized 3D models can be used to generate accurate physical replicas of artworks such as Michelangelo's_David_.
Article:
- PDF Format (2.0 MB) (see the Errata below)
- HTML Format
Errata:
The article as printed in the CACM issue (and in the PDF file above) contains some errors. These are corrected in the HTML version above. The errors we know about are:
- In the sidebar "Generating A Replica of Michelangelo's David," the ordering of the images does not properly correspond to the references in the text or the figure caption. From left to right, the images in the published article are of the laser scanner, three photographs of the replica master under construction, a computer rendering of the 3D model, and a photograph of an inexpensive replica purchased from a street vendor. There is no photograph of the final replica. One photograph of the replica appears on the front cover of the issue (shown at the top of this web page). Another photograph, showing our replica at the same size and with the same coloring as the street vendor replica, can be seen in the corrected version of the sidebar, in the HTML file (linked above).
- The color, intensity, and cropping of the two renderings in Figure 3 should be identical.
Related Links:
- Our SIGGRAPH 2004 paper includes an expanded discussion of our system for protecting 3D graphics.
- A photographic essay about our physical replica of Michelangelo's David.
- The ScanView remote visualization software is freely available for viewing 3D models, including the David.