As a follow up of my previous post, I tried to check the behavior of the FVG approach with respect to closed curves. More precisely, I want to see if it would be possible for an author to edit a complex image by editing closed regions of the image. This would simplify the editing. The problem is that the closed regions have to be independent. One doesn’t want the outside of a region to change when tweaking the inside. This is valid for simple diffusion curves proposed by Orzan as they are solution to the Laplace equation and this property is actually used for culling and fast rendering of diffusion curves (see “Diffusion curve textures for resolution independent texture mapping”, by Sun et al.). How true is this for FVG curves, especially given that the solution is not the solution of a Laplace equation but to complex energy minimization? Continue reading Freeform Vector Graphics Properties →

As part of my interest for Vector Graphics technologies, I had look at the Freeform Vector Graphics (FVG) technology proposed by Microsoft Research. After all, it differs from SVG only by one letter.

The paper describing the technology is available here. A video presenting the approach is also provided by the authors here. The approach is in general an extension or alternative to the work on Diffusion Curves. It enables the control of the interpolation of colors between diffusion curves (or points), with a higher order of smoothness if necessary.

This post reports on my understanding of the method and of its implementation, focusing on the use of the software and on some aspects not dealt with in the paper and is intended for people who have already a good understanding of the paper. If you notice any mistake, if it is unclear or if you disagree, please leave a comment. Continue reading Experimenting with Freeform Vector Graphics →