My research interests fall into the general areas of interactive 3D graphics and visualization. I am particularly interested in novel applications of geometric and physically based models in animation, virtual sculpting, data and information visualization, and other sub-disciplines of visual computing. Currently, I am working with colleagues at Stony Brook University to investigate new techniques for high-dimensional datasets. For more information on any of these projects please email me at .
This page is divided into the following sections:
- Visualization
- Point-based Free-form Deformation
- Interdisciplinary Projects
- Volumetric Subdivision & Applications
- Surface Reconstruction of Unorganized Point Clouds
- Network Protocol Modeling & Behavior Verification
Visualization
My recent work in visualization has involved visualizing of multidimensional or irregular data-sets, which includes subdivision volumes. In an earlier effort I collaborated to develop CEASAR, a centerline extraction algorithm that delivers smooth, accurate, and robust results. Centerlines are needed for accurate measurements of length along winding tubular structures. Centerlines are also required in automatic virtual navigation through human organs, such as the colon or the aorta, as they are used to control movement and orientation of the virtual camera.
Relevant Publications
- Lujin Wang, Joachim Giesen, Kevin T. McDonnell, Peter Zolliker and Klaus Mueller. "Color Design for Illustrative Visualization." To appear in IEEE Transactions on Visualizations and Computer Graphics (Special Issue on Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 2008), 2008.
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Klaus Mueller. "Illustrative Parallel Coordinates. "Computer Graphics Forum (Special Issue on Proceedings of the Joint Eurographics/IEEE-TCVG Symposium on Visualization (EuroVis 2008), 27(3):1031-1038, 2008.
- Kevin T. McDonnell, Neophytos Neophytou, Klaus Mueller and Hong Qin. "Subdivision Volume Splatting." In Proceedings of the Joint Eurographics/IEEE-TCVG Symposium on Visualization (EuroVis 2007), pages 139-146, May 2007.
- Neophytos Neophytou, Klaus Mueller, Kevin T. McDonnell, Wei Hong, Xin Guan, Hong Qin and Arie Kaufman. "GPU-Accelerated Volume Splatting With Elliptical RBFs." In Proceedings of the Joint Eurographics/IEEE-TCVG Symposium on Visualization (EuroVis 2006), pages 13-20, May 2006.
- Neophytos Neophytou, Kevin T. McDonnell, and Klaus Mueller. "On the simplification of radial basis function fields for volume rendering: some practical insights." Stony Brook University, Department of Computer Science Technical Report, June 2006.
- Ingmar Bitter, Mie Sato, Michael Bender, Kevin T. McDonnell, Arie Kaufman, and Ming Wan. "CEASAR: A Smooth, Accurate and Robust Centerline Extraction Algorithm." In Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 2000, pages 45-52, October 2000.
Point-based Free-form Deformation
My recent efforts have included the development of a purely point-based technique for free-form deformation we call PB-FFD. The idea is to decompose the deformation space using a collection of radial basis functions (RBFs), as opposed to a deformation lattice, which is traditionally used in FFD. This approach avoids the need to construct a complicated 3D mesh to enclose the deformed object, is very efficient, and is quite easy to implement.
Relevant Publications
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "PB-FFD: A Point-based Technique for Free-Form Deformation."Journal of Graphics Tools, 12(3):25-41, 2007.
Interdisciplinary Projects
The relatively small nature like Dowling College has given me the opportunity to work closely with people in other disciplines and to apply my knowledge of computer graphics and visualization in fields like environmental chemistry and applied mathematics. Although this work was very much applied, visualization provided a key role in these projects in revealing trends in data and significant characteristics of recursive formulas.
Relevant Publications
- Lori Zaikowski, Kevin T. McDonnell, Robert F. Rockwell and Fred Rispoli. "Temporal and spatial variations in water quality on New York South Shore Estuary tributaries: Carmans, Patchogue, and Swan Rivers." Estuaries and Coasts, 31:85-100, 2008.
- Jeffrey J. Feuer and Kevin T. McDonnell. "On the eventual periodicity of xn+1 = max{1/xn,An/xn-1} with a period-five parameter." Computers and Mathematics with Applications, 56(4):883-890, 2008.
Volumetric Subdivision & Applications
My dissertation work involved the investigation of subdivision volumes, which comprise a class of geometric shapes for representing volumetric objects of arbitrary topologies. Although my primary interest was in applications like virtual sculpting and interactive deformation, we also developed several new schemes along the way. My latest efforts in this area have involved techniques for interactively visualizing subdivision volumes.
Relevant Publications on New Subdivision Schemes
- Kevin T. McDonnell, Yu-Sung Chang and Hong Qin. "Interpolatory, Solid Subdivision of Unstructured Hexahedral Meshes." The Visual Computer, 20(6):418-436, 2004.
- Yu-Sung Chang, Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "An Interpolatory Subdivision for Volumetric Models over Simplicial Complexes." In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Shape Modeling and Applications, pages 143-152, May 2003. Color plate.
- Yu-Sung Chang, Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "A New Solid Subdivision Scheme Based on Box Splines." In Proceedings of the Seventh ACM Symposium on Solid Modeling and Applications, pages 226-233, 2002.
Relevant Publications on Virtual Sculpting
- Kevin T. McDonnell, Yu-Sung Chang and Hong Qin. "DigitalSculpture: A Subdivision-based Approach to Interactive Implicit Surface Modeling." Graphical Models, 67(4):347-369, 2005.
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "Dynamic Sculpting and Animation of Free-form Subdivision Solids." The Visual Computer, 18(2):81-96, 2002. (Invited paper)
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "Virtual Clay: Haptics-based Deformable Solids of Arbitrary Topology." In Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Articulated Motion and Deformable Objects, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer-Verlag, pages 1-20, November 2002. (Invited paper)
- Kevin T. McDonnell, Hong Qin and Robert A. Wlodarczyk. "Virtual Clay: A Real-time Sculpting System with Haptic Toolkits." In Proceedings of the 2001 ACM Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics, pages 179-190, March 2001.
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "Dynamic Sculpting and Animation of Free-form Subdivision Solids." In Proceedings of IEEE Computer Animation 2000, pages 126-133, May 2000. Selected as the best paper in the conference.
Relevant Publications on Finite Element Models
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "A Novel Framework for Physically Based Sculpting and Animation of Free-form Solids." The Visual Computer, 23(4):285-296, 2007.
- Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "FEM-based Subdivision Solids for Dynamic and Haptic Interaction." In Proceedings of the Sixth ACM Symposium on Solid Modeling and Applications, pages 312-313, June 2001.
Relevant Publications on Visualization
- Kevin T. McDonnell, Neophytos Neophytou, Klaus Mueller and Hong Qin. "Subdivision Volume Splatting." In Proceedings of the Joint Eurographics/IEEE-TCVG Symposium on Visualization (EuroVis 2007), pages 139-146, May 2007.
Surface Reconstruction of Unorganized Point Clouds
In this work we tackled the challenging problem of recovering surface models from point cloud data. We developed a novel surface reconstruction algorithm that can recover high-quality surfaces from noisy and defective data sets without any normal or orientation information. We introduce a set of new techniques to afford extra noise tolerance, robust orientation alignment, reliable outlier removal, and satisfactory feature recovery. Our sophisticated iterative fitting algorithms afford improved noise tolerance both in topology recognition and geometry accuracy. In addition, this iterative fitting algorithm, coupled with a local model selection scheme, provides a reliable sharp feature recovery mechanism, even in the presence of bad input.
Relevant Publications
- Hui Xie, Kevin T. McDonnell and Hong Qin. "Surface Reconstruction of Noisy and Defective Data-Sets." In Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 2004, pages 259-266, October 2004.
Network Protocol Modeling & Behavior Verification
Using local model checking, as provided by the Concurrency Factory specification and verification environment, we showed (for a particular network configuration), that the real-time Ethernet protocol RETHER makes good on its bandwidth guarantees to real-time nodes without exposing non-real-time nodes to the possibility of starvation. In the course of specifying and verifying RETHER, we identified and alternative design of the protocol that warranted further study due to potential efficiency gains. Again using model checking, we showed that this alternative design also possesses the properties of interest.
Relevant Publications
- Xiaoqun Du, Kevin T. McDonnell, Evangelos Nanos, Y. S. Ramakrishnan, and Scott A. Smolka. "Software Design, Specification, and Verification: Lessons Learned from the RETHER Case Study." In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology, Sydney, Australia, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer-Verlag, pages 185-198, December 1997.