| A major problem challenging opera designers is the inability to coordinate lighting, projection systems, and set designs in the preliminary planning phase. This thesis presents a suite of new computer graphics techniques that provide set and lighting designers the opportunity to evaluate, test, and control opera designs prior to the construction of full-scale sets and installation of the lighting apparatus. There are four novel parts: light source input and attribute assignment, simulation of directional lighting, modeling of scenic projection systems, and an approach for the design and preview of time-dependent intensity variations. When integrated, these components demonstrate the potential for the use of computer graphics in lighting design.;First, the light source input component consists of a program for assigning light source attributes by using a set of theater lighting icons. This module allows a designer to specify light source characteristics in a way familiar to the discipline and to make preliminary evaluations of the lighting conditions. Second, an extended progressive radiosity method is introduced to simulate the directional lighting characteristics that are specified by the input program. Third, a projection approach is presented to simulate the optical effects of scenic projectors. In addition, a solution to the distortion problem produced by angular projections is described. Fourth, a system for designing and previewing complex, time-dependent, lighting intensity variations by rapid image compositing is given. After minimal pre-processing, real-time playback is achieved regardless of scene and lighting complexity. To accelerate the pre-processing, the algorithm uses a minimal basis set of global solutions to construct the entire time sequence. The sequence is progressively refined by computing basis solutions in order of increasing overall contribution, producing useful approximations very quickly. A design methodology is presented that shows how the algorithm can be used for interactive design. The techniques are demonstrated with several complex models based on actual stage sets. |
