Methods for Comparing 3D Surface Attributes

A common task in data analysis is to compare two or more sets of data, statistics, presentations, etc. A predominant method in use is side-by-side visual comparison of images. While straightforward, it burdens the user with the task of discerning the diierences between the two images. The user is further taxed when the images are of 3D scenes. This paper presents several methods for analyzing the extent, magnitude, and manner in which surfaces in 3D diier in their attributes. The surface geometry are assumed to be identical and only the surface attributes (color, texture, etc.) are variable. As a case in point, we examine the diierences obtained when a 3D scene is rendered progressively using radiosity with diierent form factor calculation methods. The comparison methods include extensions of simple methods such as mapping diierence information to color or transparency, and more recent methods including the use of surface texture, perturbation, and adaptive placements of error glyphs.