IS&T Reporter Volume 25, Number 1

The only commonly known source for some in situ measured spectral radiances is ISO 17321-1. It describes the principle of how the color characterization of a digital camera works and provides spectral radiances for 14 common objects. This paper summarizes the results of a project that was started to collect several hundred measurements of all different kinds of objects under various illuminations keeping in mind typical scenes and objects that people take photographs of. In many cases the spectral radiation of objects is not only that of the reflected light. Sometimes the light coming form objects like leaves for example is a mixture of the reflected and the transmitted light. In other cases inter reflections between the objects modify the spectral radiance in scenes and some objects like the human skin appears totally different in real live compared to the skin tones of a reflective color target. The collected data can be used as a scientific data basis for different studies related to natural objects. But the main reason to collect the data was to provide training data for the color characterization of digital cameras. Future work will show whether a carefully collected subset of the database is sufficient to create an ideal matrix or look up table for a digital camera but for the time being all app. 2500 measurements are available and used to calculate camera matrices. Winner of the MERL Best Student Paper The tangiBook: A Tangible Display System for Direct Interaction with Virtual Surfaces Benjamin A. Darling and James A. Ferwerda, Rochester Institute of Technology (USA) Abstract: In this paper we introduce the tangiBook, a tangible display system that allows realistic simulation and direct interaction with virtual surfaces. The tangiBook is based on an off-the-shelf laptop computer that incorporates an accelerometer and a webcam as standard equipment. Custom software allows the orientation of the laptop screen and the position of the observer to be tracked in real-time. Using this information, realistic images of surfaces with complex textures and material properties, illuminated by environment-mapped lighting, are rendered to the screen at interactive rates. Tilting the laptop or moving in front of the screen produces realistic changes in surface lighting and material appearance. Thus the tangiBook allows virtual surfaces to be observed and manipulated as naturally as real ones, with the added benefit that the material properties of the surfaces can be changed in real-time. We demonstrate the potential utility of the tangiBook in three application areas: material perception research, computer-aided appearance design, and enhanced access to collections in digital libraries and museums. With its unique capabilities and commodity roots, the tangiBook can be broadly deployed and should be useful in a wide range of applications. In this paper we introduce the tangiBook, a tangible display system that allows realistic simulation and direct interaction with virtual surfaces. The tangiBook is based on an off-the-shelf laptop computer that incorporates an accelerometer and a webcam as standard equipment. Custom software allows the orientation of the laptop screen and the position of the observer to be tracked in real-time. Using this information, realistic images of surfaces with complex textures and material properties, illuminated by environment-mapped lighting, are rendered to the screen at interactive rates. Tilting the laptop or moving in front of the screen produces realistic changes in surface lighting and material appearance. Thus the tangiBook allows virtual surfaces to be observed and manipulated as naturally as real ones, with the added benefit that the material properties of the surfaces can be changed in real-time. We demonstrate the potential utility of the tangiBook in three application areas: material perception research, computer-aided appearance design, and enhanced access to collections in digital libraries and museums. With its unique capabilities and commodity roots, the tangiBook can be broadly deployed and should be useful in a wide range of applications. To view full papers go to www.imaging.org/ist/publications/reporter/index.cfm INSIDE THIS ISSUE Selections from Conference Abstracts. . . . . . . . 1 CIC17 Conference Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Standards Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vol. 25, No.1 January/February 2010