From May 19th to 26th in 2018, Zhejiang University State Key Laboratory of CAD&CG launched the “Better Innovation for Better Lives” technology week. In order to strengthen science education and help the public identify the national strategy for technological innovation, the lab has set up nine projects in the open week to share its high-end technology resources. The event allows the public to gain hands-on experience with the latest innovations, explore the world of technology and find their interest in science through the interactive process.

Researcher Wu Yingcai introducing the laboratory

The Ultra-high-definition Large-screen Visualization Analysis System was particularly eye-catching. Its massive display consisting of 33 smaller 55-inch screens can perform extensive data analysis.

The “Global-scale Atmospheric Data Visualization System” allows users to select different visualization methods and maps meteorological data into an interactive, three-dimensional scene.

The “Urban Big Data Integrated Analysis Platform” collects multi-source heterogeneous metropolitan data in Beijing, Tianjin, and Guiyang, making it easier to make big data-driven scientific decisions such as site selection. Many other issues can also be solved through big data and information technology to help us build smart cities.

The “Immersive & Shape Controllable Three-Dimensional Fireworks Interactive Simulation Platform” also attracted a lot of attention. After wearing the VR head-mounted display, users can immerse themselves in the stunning West Lake panoramic view with realistic sound effects. They can then use their wireless controller as a wand to draw shapes in the air. Water fireworks will be played according to the user’s drawing, and displayed above the distance lake. The practical significance of this project is that it lets people grasp the concept of virtual reality technology. Through this fun ride, the audience will experience the charm of virtual reality.

The Face Animation and Interactive Technology project was most loved by children. This project uses face tracking and animation technology to track the three-dimensional feature points of faces from a webcam, and generates a three-dimensional model to recreate the expression of the subject. This acquired facial expression can also be transformed into a virtual character, so when the expression of the person being photographed changes, the expression of the virtual character changes correspondingly. In addition, the facial features can also be used for the analysis of the user's expression. The significance of this technology in real life cannot be underestimated, as it can be applied to movies and games production. With this technology, it is no longer necessary for artists to handcraft expressions one by one, because the algorithm could translate a human performance directly into digital expressions, thereby saving time and cost.

The “Interactive Hairstyle Replacement Technology” can achieve replacement of hairstyles between different characters through interactive image segmentation of hair region and estimation of the scalp model.The Face Animation and Interactive Technology project was most loved by children. This project uses face tracking and animation technology to track the three-dimensional feature points of faces from a webcam, and generates a three-dimensional model to recreate the expression of the subject. This acquired facial expression can also be transformed into a virtual character, so when the expression of the person being photographed changes, the expression of the virtual character changes correspondingly. In addition, the facial features can also be used for the analysis of the user's expression. The significance of this technology in real life cannot be underestimated, as it can be applied to movies and games production. With this technology, it is no longer necessary for artists to handcraft expressions one by one, because the algorithm could translate a human performance directly into digital expressions, thereby saving time and cost.

The “Interactive Hairstyle Replacement Technology” can achieve replacement of hairstyles between different characters through interactive image segmentation of hair region and estimation of the scalp model.

The “3D Printing and Water Transfer Printing Technology” solves the problem of accurate coloring on three-dimensional objects with “point-to-point” aiming. This coloring technology can counter the disadvantages of high cost, slow speed, and low accuracy of 3D color printing equipment.

The “Mobile Augmented Reality Platform” can fuse virtual objects into real scenes through mobile devices such as smart phones or tablets. It can also reconstruct three-dimensional models of real objects/scenes online, and achieve rapid three-dimensional digitization of objects, occlusion as well as shadow synthesis between virtual and real objects --- all while ensuring high-fidelity integration effect.

The “Human Posture Tracking System” is widely used in animation, interaction, games, sports and other fields. It collects human motion video in real time through a common webcam; it then detects and locates several key points of the human body using a deep neural network to obtain the body's posture. The system can process multiple targets simultaneously.