September 18th, 2003
Ben
Final Project Proposal
Project Summary
Civilization relies heavily upon computer technology and reaps untold benefits from its
inevitable evolution. Analyze almost any situation from our daily lives and you will see how
substantially we rely upon computers. However, most people find the complex underlying
processes that drive practical computer applications confusing and unintelligible. Meanwhile,
computer science engineers attempting to explain recent breakthroughs in their field cannot
comprehend why or how this is the case. When the intelligible communication between
engineers and laypersons breaks down, the progression of technology is halted. Halting, or
delaying these applications of computer technology results in the loss of money and a decrease in
time efficiency that harms consumers and producers alike.
People must first understand the magnitude of our reliance upon these advances in
computer technology to realize the importance of bridging the communication gap that exists
between engineers and laypersons. For example, your weekly or bi-weekly trip to the local
grocery store incorporates computers in many ways, some of which are not immediately
noticeable. If we did not have computers to aid the store, exporters, manufacturers, and other
related corporations in almost every business transaction the prices of our groceries would
increase dramatically. In addition, computers are used to assist in the accurate and expedient
check out process. This increased efficiency helps grocery shopping become not only easier but
also less stressful. Recent advances in computer technology have given consumers the option of
a completely automated check out process. The new technology helps the store keep prices down
by allowing the store to make cutbacks in wages and insurance. Engineers, without the ability to
explain the benefits of their automated check out system to the owners of grocery store chains,
could not have helped better our lives in the aforementioned ways.
Society’s desire for advances in computer graphics is no different from the desire for
lower prices at grocery stores. Moreover, almost every organization including the entertainment
industry, physicians, businesses, architects, and universities extensively use computer graphic
applications. Doctors use computer graphics to assist in surgeries and diagnosing aliments.
Movie producers invest millions of dollars into computer graphics while architects find that
modeling their plans on a computer allows them to walk through their proposed building before
it is ever built. If anyone has doubts concerning society’s increasing desire for better computer
graphics I bring their attention to the video game industry.
The video game industry grossed 9.4 billion dollars while the movie industry grossed
8.5 billion dollars in the 2001 fiscal year. This monetary divide becomes greater with each
passing year as video games progressively become increasingly attractive to a larger and more
diverse audience. The video game industry’s recent prosperity is intrinsically bound to the
progression of computer graphics. Advances in computer graphics have had the natural effect of
increasing the aesthetic quality of all media, including video games. It is now an enjoyable
experience to watch someone play video games because the graphics are absolutely amazing.
Hence, video games have the ability to become the next big spectator sport. Every day, millions
of individuals simultaneously engage in massive multiplayer online gaming with up to, and
sometimes exceeding, thousands of people. If this experience is brought to a wider range of
individuals, businesses and consumers would reap untold benefits. This possibility could be
made readily abundant if there was a way to observe these games in a real-time multi-faceted
manner.
My project revolves around a previously published paper on a specific piece of software
that allows people to be spectators in many different games. Most online games are played
within buildings or arenas called maps. These maps can be very complex encompassing multiple
levels, intricate passages, and secret chambers. The software takes a map and renders it, in its
entirety, as a whole entity. Then it dissects the map into levels and splits them apart giving the
user an “exploded view” of the map. Through the software interface, the user will control the
way in which the map is viewed by controlling its movement on all axes, zooming in or out, and
specifying the amount blank space left in between the dissected levels. This software is truly
impressive because it allows the user to see where the action takes place in real time, zoom to the
spot, zoom back out, and continue viewing with boundless freedom until the match ends.
If this paper does not appear lucid to every reader of the technical journal it is slated to be
published in, the video game industry will not be the only one losing an extremely valuable
utility. Once the project is completed, architects who implement this software will view and
analyze their building plans with a level of freedom that has never been attainable until now.
Doctors will save more lives through the use of this rendering software because they will be able
to achieve superior control over dynamic life threatening surgeries and be able to diagnose
aliments with more certainty.
For my project I will edit the previously published eight page paper “Non-Invasive
Interactive Visualization of Dynamic Architectural Environments” for a less technical audience.
The paper will be published in Communications of the ACM, a technical journal, but one that
does not focus exclusively on this part of computer graphics. Therefore the final product must be
a synthesis between computer jargon and clear explanations any person can comprehend.
Moreover, Greg Humphreys, who is a professor of Computer Science at the University of
Virginia, wishes that the paper explore possible future applications of this software in more
detail. Thus, in addition to my revisions, I will have to write entirely new passages exploring
these future possibilities.
As an English major and computer science minor at the University of Virginia I am in the
perfect position to edit a technical article so that anyone can understand it. Furthermore, I am
currently taking CS445, intro to computer graphics, with Greg Humphreys which will make
paper related communication easy. I am planning on going into a computer science field of some
sort after completing my college undergraduate degree. Helping an accredited computer science
professor teaching at a distinguished university publish papers will be extremely beneficially to
me in many ways. In addition, since I am planning on transitioning from computer science to
creative writing on a professional level, this project will give me good experience as an editor
and will ease the difficulty of breaking into that field of work.
Task Breakdown
Each week I will make changes throughout the paper and then bring them back to him for
his approval. I will meet with professor Humphreys during his office hours (Friday 2:00pm –
4:00pm) to go over what I revised during the previous week. In addition to meeting with my
professor every Friday, I have set specific deadlines that will help me structure this large
editorial process:
Complete first edited copy by October 2nd
- Second draft by October 20th
- Third draft completed by November 3rd
- Final revision process completed by December 1st.