Supporting interactivity in automated 3D illustrations

Abstract

An interactive intent-based illustration is a picture designed to satisfy an input communicative intent, and which can be interactively redesigned as it is viewed. We describe how the architecture of IBIS (Intent-Based Illustration System) automates the design of 3D interactive intent-based illustrations. The types of interaction that IBIS supports include changes in the world, as objects move and otherwise change state; changes in the communicative intent, as modified by the user or other programs; queries, in which the user can request additional information; and self-evaluation, in which other programs can request IBIS to analyze various properties of the illustration, such as how well an illustration's communicative intent is satisfied or which graphical techniques it uses. We show how IBIS's design process and rule base make possible these forms of interaction.