#10: Level Set and PDE Methods for Computer Graphics

Organizer
David Breen (California Institute of Technology)
Guillermo Sapiro (University of Minnesota)

Lecturers
David Breen (California Institute of Technology)
Ronald P. Fedkiw (Stanford University)
Stanley Osher (University of California, Los Angeles)
Guillermo Sapiro (University of Minnesota)
Ross Whitaker (University of Utah)

Overview
The underlying concepts, equations, and numerical methods for level set and partial differential equation (PDE) methods, and how they may be used in a variety of graphics applications, including image inpainting, pattern formation, 3D curve computation, 3D shape reconstruction, surface editing, image and shape morphing, and fire and water simulation.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, and computer graphics, including geometric modeling and computer animation. Some familiarity with differential geometry, differential equations, numerical computing, and image processing is strongly recommended but not required.

Topics
Fundamentals (level set and PDE concepts, derivation of level set equations and other PDEs, numerical methods). Practical considerations (building a level set library, importing conventional geometry). Applications (image inpainting, pattern formation, curve computation, image and volume processing, shape reconstruction, image and volume segmentation, image and shape morphing, surface editing, anistropic diffusion, and natural phenomena simulation).

Course #10 Notes (PDF, 57MB)