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Creative Designs At Chip Olympics

 

The Chinese writing brush, as we know it today, derives from a design conceived by General Meng Tian in the Qin Dynasty.

 

2000 years later, PhD candidate Nelson Chu of the Department of Computer Science has brought this traditional writing instrument into the IT era.

His Bristle Studio, also called MoXi, is a digital ink painting software package that makes use of a pressure sensitive pen and tablet device to simulate Chinese calligraphy and ink painting on the computer screen.

Last year, Nelson presented a technical paper on his new technology at the world-renowned SIGGRAPH, the International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques.

SIGGRAPH is the most prestigious annual event in the computer graphics and animation sector.  Papers on the latest research findings are presented while hardware and software vendors compete to demonstrate state-of-the-art industrial technologies.

An afficionado of Chinese calligraphy for many years, Nelson said of his attendance at SIGGRAPH: "I hope our exposure will further promote the arts of calligraphy and ink painting."

He became a computer fan at primary school. From then, it was always one of his ambitions to bring these disparate hobbies together. "People today are reluctant to practice Chinese brush techniques because they are quite time consuming. Computers are more popular now and relatively convenient. I hope MoXi will encourage more people to appreciate this kind of art."

One of Nelson's goals now is to develop Bristle Studio into a computer teaching tool. Teachers can use the software to capture the correct ways of writing. In addition, students can try different writing styles and papers at no cost.

He also wants to promote Chinese painting arts elsewhere: "For instance, the software can help Western artists appreciate the characteristics of Chinese brushes and expose them to more artistic effects," he said. Recently, artists from the US and Brazil have expressed their interest in Nelson's software.

"Ink simulation software still has much room for development. I hope computers will further develop the art traditions by bringing about new artistic effects not achievable before," he concluded.

 

Related links: - MoXi
    - SIGGRAPH2005
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
   
   
 
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