Computer Graphics
TU Braunschweig

Shape: A 3D Modeling Tool for Astrophysics


Shape: A 3D Modeling Tool for Astrophysics

We present a flexible interactive 3D morpho-kinematical modeling application for astrophysics. Compared to other systems, our application reduces the restrictions on the physical assumptions, data type and amount that is required for a reconstruction of an object’s morphology. It is one of the first publicly available tools to apply interactive graphics to astrophysical modeling. The tool allows astrophysicists to provide a-priori knowledge about the object by interactively defining 3D structural elements. By direct comparison of model prediction with observational data, model parameters can then be automatically optimized to fit the observation. The tool has already been successfully used in a number of astrophysical research projects.


Author(s):Wolfgang Steffen, Nicholas Koning, Stephan Wenger, Christophe Morisset, Marcus Magnor
Published:April 2011
Type:Article
Journal:IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) Vol. 17
DOI:10.1109/tvcg.2010.62
Project(s): Astrophysical Modeling and Visualization 


@article{steffen2010shape,
  title = {Shape: A 3D Modeling Tool for Astrophysics},
  author = {Steffen, Wolfgang and Koning, Nicholas and Wenger, Stephan and Morisset, Christophe and Magnor, Marcus},
  journal = {{IEEE} Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics ({TVCG})},
  doi = {10.1109/tvcg.2010.62},
  volume = {17},
  number = {4},
  pages = {454--465},
  month = {Apr},
  year = {2011}
}

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