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If I understand correctly, this is essentially using neural nets to compress the information representing a 3D mesh [1], similar to how neural nets can do image
by gdubs 6y ago
If I understand correctly, this is essentially using neural nets to compress the information representing a 3D mesh [1], similar to how neural nets can do image upscaling on 2D images?
Either way, the technology of Star Trek The Next Generation went through a period in the late 90s where it all seemed ridiculous, and now we’ve come full circle and it all seems plausible again.
More specifically: I’d love to see a generative adversarial network that can materialize 3D worlds in real time, like the holodeck. More and more the holodeck seems plausible as a system of nets upon nets upon nets. Nets for generating models, nets for generating stories...
1: In this case the meshes are not polygons, but rather signed distance fields. Metaballs are commonly made with this technique.
Edit: thanks for catching the spelling mistake. Metaballs misspelled as Meatballs is a plague that continues for over two decades. Usually I try to avoid the trap altogether and say Implicit Surfaces :)
- harperlee 6y agoMetaballs also, not only meatballs ;)
- ben_w 6y agoFor TNG-style holodecks, I think the future is smart-dust drones and beamed power.
- ryandamm 6y agoRe: GANNs generating 3D worlds, there are a couple startups that appear to be... well, sniffing around the edges, anyway: https://www.wunderparc.com/ https://www.wunderparc.com/ https://www.prometheanai.com/ https://www.prometheanai.com/ I haven't tried either one out; someone in my industry pointed them out to me recently.
- dartmoose 6y agoI don't think the point is compression, SDFs even when represented with a neural net have a much larger memory footprint and are significantly more expensive to render. The main benefit of a SDF are that you don't have topological issues to worry about, which makes them great for reconstruction problems where a surface is evolving over time.