FERMIUM: A Framework for Real-time Procedural Point Cloud Animation and Morphing

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for generating real-time procedural animations and morphing of 3D point clouds. Point clouds or point-based geometry of varying density can easily be acquired using LiDAR cameras or modern smartphones with LiDAR sensors. This raises the question how this raw data can directly be used in the creative industry to create novel digital content using animations. For this purpose, we describe a framework that enables the implementation and combination of animation effects for point clouds. It takes advantage of graphics hardware capabilities and enables the processing of complex datasets comprising up to millions of points. In addition, we compare and evaluate implementation variants for the subsequent morphing of multiple 3D point clouds.