Sketch-Based Modelling in a 2D and 3D World

Abstract

With the development of 3D modeling applications, there is an increasing demand for more intuitive interfaces, such as in engineering, art, design and education fields. Although traditional user interfaces in modeling following the WIMP (Window, Icon, Menu, Pointer) paradigm were functional and powerful, it was still cumbersome for a novice user to take advantage of these interfaces. As a result, more accessible and natural interfaces, sketch-based interfaces have developed gradually. The main challenge in SBIM is sketch interpretation, because of sparse information offered by sketches and ambiguity that many objects could project to the same 2D sketch. To solve this problem, we could use constructive systems that reconstruct a 3D object from a sketch based on rules alone or evocative systems that have some “memory” of 3D shapes built in, guiding the interpretation of input sketches. Besides, we could take hatching strokes into consideration to obtain more illumination and shading information and guidance. Last but not least, although most of research work about sketches focus on generating the 3D shape from the 2D sketch, as VR technology develops, how to turn a 3D sketch drawn in a virtual space into the 3D shape will arouse more and more attention.