SCIENCE ALIVE Mauritius 3 D Graduation Project Bodo

SCIENCE ALIVE Mauritius 3 D Graduation Project Bodo Schütze, Computer Graphics (CG) Artist University of Applied Sciences Breda (NHTV) International Game Architecture and Design (IGAD) University of Amsterdam (Uv. A) Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)

Introduction • Mauritius has lost most of its native forests due to human interference over last 400 years • Loss of natural habitat and overhunting led to extinction of endemic animal species like the wingless Dodo bird and giant tortoises • IBED has carried out extensive paleo-ecologic research on remote oceanic islands, in particular for Mauritius Location of Mauritius, 800 km east of Madagascar • Statistical data available from microfossil analysis, showing ecosystem dynamics from last glacial maximum (LGM) till recent times • High demand for a modern visual reconstruction of pristine (pre-human) ecosystems of Mauritius • Goal is to raise public awareness on the importance and vulnerability of island biodiversity and aspects of nature conservation in general Deforestation of Mauritius after Cheke & Hume (2008) Poster by Erik de Boer (2013)

Motivation • Inspiring internship at Naturalis led to Uv. A (paper in progress) • Growing personal interest in environment visualization • Reconstruction of virtual landscapes based on scientific findings • High level of detail and realism aspired and possible • Opportunities for personal growth and knowledge building in academic environment • Nature conservation aspects add meaning to my work

Requirements and Goals • Thorough research of original environments to understand dynamics and achieve high level of realism in visualization • Extensive study of plant morphology (architecture) to increase likeness of digital models • Aquisition and use of Digital Elevation Map (DEM) data to resemble aspects of the original locations in Mauritius • Production of a large number of plants with growth variations to give the impression of a diverse system

Challenges • Setting geographical focus for explorable area (size vs. resolution) • High level of detail while maintaining reasonable computer performance • 12 different professional software packages required for production of all aspects

Methods Fieldwork - Overview • 3 weeks of fieldwork in May 2012 to gather essential data for creation of realistic digital reconstructions • Studied best preserved and maintained nature reserves • Identification of dominant native plant species with local researchers • List of 86 plant taxa accross several vegetation layers within 10 distinct biomes

Methods Fieldwork – High Quality Image Acquisition < Identification and capturing of relevant plant species in their environment in photo and video < Gathering of physical plant samples Mobile Photo Studio to take well -lit, high resolution images of plant samples for use in visualization >

Methods Fieldwork –Photo Archive of 4200 images • Environment compositions • Individual whole plants • Plant parts / details • Bark structures • Ground surfaces • Basalt / Rock structures

Methods Procedural Texture Creation • Procedural, node based texture creation using Filter. Forge • Using RGB Math • High level of control (if you know what you are doing)

Methods Procedural Plant Modeling • Define rules that describe the morphology • Detail vs. computational cost in real-time environment

Methods Terrain Generation • DEM Data • ESRI Arc. GIS • World Machine • Geo. Control • Contour lines > Heightmap

Applications • Alternative method for spatial palaeo-ecological reconstructions • Educational, interactive installation in museums • Avatar for commercial reforestation or coastal defense projects • Powerful tool to create awareness for nature conservation and restoration

Future Targets • Visualize additional biomes (i. e. coast, palm savannah, dry and wet forests) • Implement animated (extinct) animals (i. e. birds, bats, tortoises) • Allow player interaction with selected elements • Improve visual quality and performance

FIN Thank you for watching. Any questions or ideas ? contact@bodoschuetze. de