Abstract
Scientific illustrations are used for centuries in several scientific domains to communicate an abstract theory and are still created manually. In this article we present a GPU-based illustration pipeline with which such illustrations can be created and rendered in an interactive process. This is achieved by combining current non-photorealistic-rendering algorithms with a manual abstraction mechanism and a layer-system to combine multiple techniques. The pipeline can be executed completely on the GPU.

@ 15. Anwendungsbezogener Workshop zur Erfassung, Modellierung, Verarbeitung und Auswertung von 3D-Daten, Berlin (2012)
3DNordOst2012.bib

Abstract
Scientific illustrations play an important role in the paleontological domain and are complex illustrations that are manually drawn. The artist creates illustrations that feature common expressive painting techniques: outlines, both irregular and periodic stippling as well as an abstract shaded surface in the background. We present a semi- automatic tool to generate these illustrations from 3D-models in real-time. It is based on an extensible GPU-based pipeline to interactively render characteristic into image-layers that are combined in an image-editing fashion. The user can choose the techniques used to render each layer and manipulate its key aspects. Using 3D- and 2D-painting the artist can still interact with the result and adjust it to his or her liking.

@ XXII Congreso Español de Informática Gráfica, Jaén
CEIG2012.bib

Abstract
Scientific illustrations play an important role in the research of natural sciences and are complex drawings that are manually created. The desired images usually combine several drawing techniques such as outlines, distinctive types of stippling or an abstract shaded surface in a single image, as is exemplified in figure 2. Each of these elements aim to focus the viewers attention to certain details like e.g. shape, curvature or surface structure. As to our knowledge no tool exists with which similar images can be produced and the creation of such an illustration is a tedious and time-consuming task, we examined paleontological scientific illustrations together with researchers and artists from Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum with the intention to create an application to render scientific illustrations from a 3D-model.

@ SIGGRAPH 2012, Los Angeles
SIGGRAPH2012.bib

selected as semifinalist of ACM SIGGRPAH Student Research Competition (SRC)