Using Surface Markings to Enhance Accuracy and
Stability of Object Perception in Graphic Displays
Roger A. Browse, James C. Rodger, and Robert A. Adderley
Abstract
Effective computer graphic applications should accurately convey three dimensional shape.
Previously, we investigated the contributions of shading and contour, specular highlights, and
light source direction to three dimensional shape perception. Our experiments use displays of
convex solid objects based on the superquadric parameterization, permitting continuous variation
in their cross-sectional shapes. Our present work concerns the impact of surface markings.
Rotating wireframe or uniformly shaded objects may produce perceptually distorting shapes. We
investigate the idea that such distortions interfere with shape judgements, and that surface
markings may either enhance perceptual accuracy by encouraging stability, or impair it by
interfering with global shading patterns. Our displays include rotating objects with no surface
markings, stripes, latitudinal or longitudinal stripes, each with two different scene illuminations.
Observers view pairs of objects, a target shape and a second object whose shape they adjust,
using mouse clicks, to match that of the target. Our principal result is that these surface patterns
do not enhance performance, even though the chosen stripe intensities minimize interference
with global shading, and the stripe patterns may actually encode surface curvature. We are now
investigating alternatives for applying surface patterns to modelled objects, including hardware
supported texture mapping. Our long term goal remains the identification of a comprehensive set
of conditions for optimising shape understanding of graphic objects.