Publications

Bayesian Assembly of 3D Axially Symmetric Shapes from Fragments
Andrew Willis and  David B. Cooper
Abstract
We present a complete system for the purpose of automatically assembling 3D pots given 3D measurements of their fragments commonly called sherds. A Bayesian approach is formulated which, at present, models the data given a set of sherd geometric parameters. Dense sherd measurement data is obtained by scanning the outside surface of each sherd with a laser scanner. Mathematical models, specified by a set of geometric parameters, represent the sherd outer surface and break curves on the outer surface (where two sherds have broken apart). Optimal alignment of assemblies of sherds, called configurations, is implemented as maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of the surface and break curve parameters given the measured sherd data for all sherds in a configuration. The assembly process starts with a fast clustering scheme which approximates the MLE solution for all sherd pairs, i.e., configurations of size 2, using a subspace of the geometric parameters, i.e., the sherd break curves. More accurate MLE values based on all parameters, i.e., sherd alignments, are computed when sherd pairs are merged with other sherd configurations. Merges take place in order of constant probability starting at the most probable configuration. This method is robust to missing sherds or groups of sherds which contain sherds from more than one pot. The system represents at least three significant advances over previous 3D puzzle solving approaches : (1) a Bayesian framework which allows for easily combining diverse types of information extracted from each sherd, (2) a search which reduces comparisons on false positives, i.e., incorrect matches of high probability, and (3) a robust computationally reasonable method for aligning break curves and sherd outer surfaces simultaneously. In addition, a number of insights are given which have not previously been discussed and significantly reduce computation. Methods proposed for (1),(2), and (3) represent important contributions to the field of puzzle assembly, 3D geometry learning, and dataset alignment and are critical to making 3D puzzle solutions tractable to compute. Results are presented which include assembling a 13 sherd pot where only an incomplete set of 10 sherds is available.

BiBTeX Citation Entry
@InProceedings{CVPR:3DPuzzleSolving:Willis:2004,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Cooper, D.},
   title           = {Bayesian Assembly of 3D Axially Symmetric Shapes from Fragments},
   booktitle   = {{CVPR}},
   volume      = {I},
   pages         = {pp. 82--89},
   month       =  {June},
   year           = {2004},
}

PDF file of the article (~410k)

Surface Sculpting with Stochastic Deformable 3D Surfaces
Andrew Willis , Jasper Speicher, and  David B. Cooper
Abstract
This paper introduces a new stochastic surface model for deformable 3D surfaces and demonstrates its utility for the purpose of 3D sculpting. This is the problem of simple-to-use, intuitively interactive 3D free-form model building. A 3D surface is a sample of a Markov Random Field (MRF) defined on the vertices of a 3D mesh where MRF sites coincide with mesh vertices and the MRF cliques consist of subsets of sites. Each site has 3D coordinates (x,y,z) as random variables and is a member of one or more clique potentials which are functions of the vertices in a clique and describe stochastic dependencies among sites. Data, which is used to deform the surface, can consist of, but is not limited to, an unorganized set of 3D points and is modeled by a conditional probability distribution given the 3D surface. A deformed surface is a MAP (Maximum A posteriori Probability) estimate of the joint distribution of the MRF surface model and the data. The generality and simplicity of the MRF model provides the ability to incorporate unlimited local and global deformation properties. Included in our development is the introduction of new data models, new anisotropic clique potentials, and cliques which involve sites that are spatially far apart.

BiBTeX Citation Entry
@InProceedings{ICPR:3DMRFSculpting:Willis:2004,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Speicher, J. and Cooper, D.},
   title           = {Surface Sculpting with Stochastic Deformable 3D Surfaces},
   booktitle   = {{ICPR}},
   volume      = {II},
   pages         = {pp. 249--252},
   month       =  {August},
   year           = {2004},
}

PDF file of the article (~400k)

Alignment of Multiple Non-overlapping Axially Symmetric 3D Datasets
Andrew Willis and  David B. Cooper
Abstract
Uknown to us, an axially-symmetric surface is broken into disjoint pieces along a set of break-curves, i.e., the curves along which the surface locally breaks into two pieces. A subset of the pieces are available and for each of them we obtain noisy measurements of its surface and break-curves. Using the piece measurements and knowledge of which pieces share a common break-curve, we propose a method for automatically estimating the unknown axially-symmetric global surface. Surface and break-curve estimation is then an alignment problem where we must estimate the unknown axially-symmetric surface and break-curves while simultaneously estimating the Euclidean transformation that positions each measured piece with respect to the a-priori unknown surface. A stochastic approach is taken which computes the Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) of the unknown parameters given the measured data where the unknown parameters are : (1) the parameters of the axially-symmetric surface, which are the coefficients of an axially-symmetric implicit polynomial surface; (2) the true break-curve, modeled as a sequence of 3D points; and (3) the Euclidean transformation parameters for each of the pieces. This new approach is robust, fast, and accurate. It handles chipped, eroded free-form pieces and noisy data. Experimental results are presented which solves an application of interest, specifically the reconstruction of archaeological pots from subsets of their surface pieces.

BiBTeX Citation Entry
@InProceedings{ICPR:AxialAlignment:Willis:2004,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Cooper, D.},
   title           = {Alignment of Multiple Non-overlapping Axially Symmetric 3D Datasets},
   booktitle   = {{ICPR}},
   volume      = {IV},
   pages         = {pp. 96--99},
   month       =  {August},
   year           = {2004},
}

PDF file of the article (~380k)

Accurately Estimating Sherd 3D Surface Geometry with Application to Pot Reconstruction
Andrew Willis , Xavier Orriols , and  David B. Cooper
CVPR 2003 Workshop
Madison, Wisconsin June 16--20, 2003


Abstract
This paper deals with the problem of precise automatic estimation of the surface geometry of pot sherds uncovered at archaeological excavation sites using dense 3D laser-scan data. Critical to ceramic fragment analysis is the ability to geometrically classify excavated sherds, and, if possible, reconstruct the original pots using the sherd fragments. To do this, archaelogists must estimate the pot geometry in terms of an axis and associated profile curve from the discovered fragments. In this paper, we discuss an automatic method for accurately estimating an axis/profile curve pair for each archeological sherd (even when they are small) based on axially symmetric implicit polynomial surface models. Our method estimates the axis/profile curve for a sherd by finding the axially symmetric algebraic surface which best fits the measured set of dense 3D points and associated normals. We note that this method will work on 3D point data alone and does not require any local surface computations such as differentiation. Axis/profile curve estimates are accompanied by a detailed statistical error analysis. Estimation and error analysis are illustrated with application to a number of sherds. These fragments, excavated from Petra, Jordan, are chosen as exemplars of the families of geometrically diverse sherds commonly found on an archeological excavation site. We then briefly discuss how the estimation results may be integrated into a larger pot reconstruction program.

@InProceedings{CVPR:AxisStatistics:Willis:2002,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Cooper, D. and others},
   title           = "{Accurately Estimating Sherd {3D} Surface Geometry with Application to Pot Reconstruction}",
   booktitle   = {{CVPR Workshop : ACVA}},
   month       =  {June},
   year           = {2003},
}

PDF file of the article (~540k)


Bayesian Pot-Assembly from Fragments as Problems in Perceptual-Grouping and Geometric-Learning
David B. Cooper, Andrew Willis, Stuart Andrews, Jill Baker, Yan Cao, Dongjin Han, Kongbin Kang, Weixin Kong, Frederic F. Leymarie, Xavier Orriols, Senem Velipasalar, Eileen L. Vote, Martha S. Joukowsky, Benjamin B. Kimia, David H. Laidlaw, David Mumford
ICPR 2002
International Conference on Pattern Recognition - Quebec City, Canada - August 11-14, 2002

Abstract
A heretofore unsolved problem of great archaeological importance is the automatic assembly of pots made on a wheel from the hundreds (or thousands) of sherds found at an excavation site. An approach is presented to the automatic estimation of mathematical models of such pots from 3D measurements of sherds. A Bayesian approach is formulated beginning with a description of the complete set of geometric parameters that determine the distribution of the sherd measurement data. Matching of fragments and aligning them geometrically into configurations is based on matching break-curves (curves on a pot surface separating fragments), estimated axis and profile curve pairs for individual fragments and configurations of fragments, and a number of features of groups of break-curves. Pot assembly is a bottom-up maximum likelihood performance-based search. Experiments are illustrated on pots which were broken for the purpose, and on sherds from an archaeological dig located in Petra, Jordan. The performance measure can also be an aposteriori probability, and many other types of information can be included, e.g., pot wall thickness, surface color, patterns on the surface, etc. This can also be viewed as the problem of learning a geometric object from an unorganized set of free-form fragments of the object and of clutter, or as a problem of perceptual grouping.

BiBTeX Citation Entry
@InProceedings{ICPR:3DPuzzle:Willis:2002,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Cooper, D. and others},
   title           = {Bayesian Pot-Assembly from Fragments as Problems in Perceptual-Grouping and Geometric-Learning},
   booktitle   = {{ICPR}},
   volume      = {III},
   pages         = {pp. 297--302},
   month       =  {August},
   year           = {2002},
}

PDF file of the article (~400k)

Assembling Virtual Pots from 3D Measurements of their Fragments
David Cooper, Andrew Willis , Stuart Andrews, Jill Baker, Yan Cao, Dongjin Han, Kongbin Kang, Weixin Kong, Frederic F. Leymarie, Xavier Orriols, Senem Velipasalar,  Eileen Vote, Martha S. Juokowsky, Benjamin B. Kimia, David H. Laidlaw, David Mumford
VAST Conference 2001
Conference on Virtual Archaeology and Cultural Heritage - Athens, Greece - November 28-30, 2001

Abstract
A heretofore unsolved problem of great archaeological importance is the automatic assembly of pots made on a wheel from the hundreds (or thousands) of sherds found at an excavation site. An approach is presented to the automatic estimation of  mathematical models of such pots from 3D measurements of sherds. The overall approach is formulated and described and some detail is provided on the elements of the procedure. The end result is a representation suitable for comparisons, geometric feature extraction, visualization and digital archiving. Matching of fragments and aligning them geometrically is based on matching break-curves (curves on a pot surface separating fragments), estimated axes and profile curves for individual fragments and groups of matched fragments, and a number of features of groups of break-curves. Pot assembly is a bottom-up maximum likelihood performance-based search. In our case, associated with subassemblies of fragments is a loglikelihood which is a sum of energy functions. Experiments are illustrated on pots which were broken for the purpose, and on sherds from an archaeological dig located in Petra, Jordan.
 
BiBTeX Citation Entry
@InProceedings{VAST:3DPuzzle:Willis:2001,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Cooper, D. and others},
   title           = {Assembling Virtual Pots from {3D} Measurements of their Fragments},
   booktitle   = {{VAST} International Symposium on Virtual Reality
                          Archaeology and Cultural Heritage},
   pages         = {pp. 241--253},
   year           = {2001},
}

PDF file of the article (~550Kb)


Extracting Axially Symmetric Geometry From Limited 3D Range Data
Andrew Willis , Xavier Orriols , Senem Velipasalar,  David B. Cooper, Xavier Binefa

SHAPE Lab Technical Report 2000-01

Abstract
 This paper describes a new, novel low computational-cost approach for recovering geometric structure and pose information of a 3D surface rotationally symmetric about an axis given an unorganized set of 3D range data which covers only a small patch of the surface. Self occluding contours are not seen here. All the parameters necessary to completely define the corresponding surface are estimated. The estimated parameters of the data patch consist of a line describing the axis and a set of parameters which  describe the profile curve with respect to the axis. Global algebraic surfaces and local splines consisting of frustrums of cones are used as models for the surface estimation.

BiBTeX Citation Entry
@TECHREPORT{TR:AxisEstimate:Willis:2001,
   author       = {Willis, A. and Orriols, X. and Velipasalar, S. and Cooper, D. and Binefa, X.},
   title        = {Extracting Axially Symmetric 3D Geometry from Limited 3D Range Data},
   institution  = {{SHAPE} Lab, Brown University, Providence, RI},
   type         = {{SHAPE-TR-2001-01}},
   year         = {2001},
   note         = {http://www.lems.brown.edu/vision/publications/index.html}
}

PDF file of the article (~540Kb)