This book explores environments where art, imagination, and creative practice meet urban spaces at the point where they connect to the digital world. It investigates relationships between urban visualizations, aesthetics, and politics in the context of new technologies, and social and urban challenges toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Responding to questions stemming from critical theory, the book focuses on an interdisciplinary actualization of technological developments and social challenges. It demonstrates how art, architecture, and design can transform culture, society, and nature through artistic and cultural achievements, integration, and new developments. The book begins with the theoretical framework of social aesthetics theories before discussing global contemporary visual culture and technological evolution. Across the 12 chapters, it looks at how architecture and design play significant roles in causing and solving complex environmental transformations in the digital turn. By fostering transdisciplinary encounters between architecture, design, visual arts, and cinematography, this book presents different theoretical approaches to how the arts' interplay with the environment responds to the logic of the constructions of reality. This book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and upper-level students in aesthetics, philosophy, visual cultural studies, communication studies, and media studies with a particular interest in sociopolitical and environmental discussions.

1) Engineering approach, applications oriented 2) Numerous examples and exercises to illustrate concepts and their implementation 3) Clearly written and concise 4) Learn concepts so that the reader can develop their own algorithms 5) Software tools provided for both C and Matlab

Provides tools from different disciplines and shows how they can be used in the game design world. Offers practical tools for all the main aspects of game design from conception through to testing. Gives concrete examples of how to use each tool with practical applications.

Multiplayer Online Games (MOGs) have become a new genre of "play culture," integrating communication and entertainment in a playful, computer-mediated environment that evolves through user interaction. This book comprehensively reviews the origins, players, and social dynamics of MOGs, as well as six major empirical research methods used in previous works to study MOGs (i.e., observation/ethnography, survey/interviews, content and discourse analysis, experiments, network analysis, and case studies). It concludes that MOGs represent a highly sophisticated, networked, multimedia and multimodal Internet technology, which can construct entertaining, simultaneous, persistent social virtual worlds for gamers. Overall, the book shows that what we can learn from MOGs is how games and gaming, as ubiquitous activities, fit into ordinary life in today's information society, in the moments where the increased use of media as entertainment, the widespread application of networked information technologies, and participation in new social experiences intersect. Key Features: Contains pertinent knowledge about online gaming: its history, technical features, player characteristics, social dynamics, and research methods Sheds light on the potential future of online gaming, and how this would impact every aspect of our everyday lives - socially, culturally, technologically, and economically Asks promising questions based on cutting-edge research in the field of online game design and development

The new realities are here. Virtual and Augmented realities and 360 video technologies are rapidly entering our homes and office spaces. Good quality audio has always been important to the user experience, but in the new realities, it is more than important, it's essential. If the audio doesn't work, the immersion of the experience fails and the cracks in the new reality start to show. This practical guide helps you navigate the challenges and pitfalls of designing audio for these new realities. This technology is different from anything we've seen before and requires an entirely new approach; this book will introduce the broad concepts you need to know before delving into the practical detail you need. Key Features This book covers audio for all types of new reality technology. At the moment, VR and 360 video are getting a lot of press, but in a few years we will be hearing a lot more about Augmented and Mixed reality technologies as well. A practical guide to creating, designing and implementing audio for this new technology by a leading sound design and implementation expert. Conceptual explanations address the new approaches necessary to designing effective audio for the new realities. Real-world examples and analysis of what does and does not work including detailed case study discussions.

This book is aimed at faculty, postgraduate students and industry specialists. It is both a text reference and a textbook that reviews and analyses the research output in this field of binary image processing. It is aimed at both advanced researchers as well as educating the novice to this area. The theoretical part of this book includes the basic principles required for binary digital image analysis. The practical part which will take an algorithmic approach addresses problems which find applications beyond binary digital line image processing.
The book first outlines the theoretical framework underpinning the study of digital image processing with particular reference to those needed for line image processing. The theoretical tools in the first part of the book set the stage for the second and third parts, where low-level binary image processing is addressed and then intermediate level processing of binary line images is studied. The book concludes with some practical applications of this work by reviewing some industrial and software applications (engineering drawing storage and primitive extraction, fingerprint compression).

The book:

* outlines the theoretical framework underpinning the study of digital image processing with particular reference to binary line image processing
* addresses low-level binary image processing, reviewing a number of essential characteristics of binary digital images and providing solution procedures and algorithms
* includes detailed reviews of topics in binary digital image processing with up-to-date research references in relation to each of the problems under study
* includes some practical applications of this work by reviewing some common applications
* covers a range of topics, organised by theoretical field rather than being driven by problem definitions

* Covers the entire process of creating animated films in an accessible and approachable way. * Includes colour-coded exercises to help readers practice the theories explained within. * Heavily illustrated with full colour images.

Based on the experiences of the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Pisa and the Radar and Surveillance System (RaSS) national laboratory of the National Interuniversity Consortium of Telecommunication (CNIT), Radar Imaging for Maritime Observation presents the most recent results in radar imaging for maritime observation. The book explores both the areas of sea surface remote sensing and maritime surveillance providing key theoretical concepts of SAR and ISAR imaging and more advanced and ad-hoc techniques for applications in maritime scenarios. The book is organized in two sections. The first section discusses the fundamentals of standard SAR/ISAR processing and novel imaging techniques, such as Bistatic, Passive, and, 3D Interferometric ISAR. The second section focuses on the applications and results obtained by processing real data from maritime observations like SAR image processing for oil spill, detection in SAR images and fractal analysis. Useful to both beginners and experts in maritime observation, this book provides several examples of (mainly space-borne) radar imaging of maritime targets. Nevertheless, the same principles and techniques apply to the case of manned or unmanned carriers and to ground and air moving targets.

Digital fundus images can effectively diagnose glaucoma and diabetes retinopathy, while infrared imaging can show changes in the vascular tissues. Likening the eye to the conventional camera, Image Analysis and Modeling in Ophthalmology explores the application of advanced image processing in ocular imaging. This book considers how images can be used to effectively diagnose ophthalmologic problems. It introduces multi-modality image processing algorithms as a means for analyzing subtle changes in the eye. It details eye imaging, textural imaging, and modeling, and highlights specific imaging and modeling techniques. The book covers the detection of diabetes retinopathy, glaucoma, anterior segment eye abnormalities, instruments on detection of glaucoma, and development of human eye models using computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer principles to predict inner temperatures of the eye from its surface temperature. It presents an ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) system for anterior chamber angle imaging and proposes an automated anterior segment eye disease classification system that can be used for early disease diagnosis and treatment management. It focuses on the segmentation of the blood vessels in high-resolution retinal images and describes the integration of the image processing methodologies in a web-based framework aimed at retinal analysis. The authors introduce the A-Levelset algorithm, explore the ARGALI system to calculate the cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), and describe the Singapore Eye Vessel Assessment (SIVA) system, a holistic tool which brings together various technologies from image processing and artificial intelligence to construct vascular models from retinal images. The text furnishes the working principles of mechanical and optical instruments for the diagnosis and healthcare administration of glaucoma, reviews state-of-the-art CDR calculation detail, and discusses the existing methods and databases. Image Analysis and Modeling in Ophthalmology includes the latest research development in the field of eye modeling and the multi-modality image processing techniques in ocular imaging. It addresses the differences, performance measures, advantages and disadvantages of various approaches, and provides extensive reviews on related fields.

This book covers the distinguishing characteristics and tropes of visual novels (VNs) as choice-based games and analyzes VNs like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors; Hatoful Boyfriend; and Monster Prom, some of the best examples of the genre as illustrations. The author covers structuring branching narrative and plot, designing impactful and compelling choices, writing entertaining relationships and character interactions, understanding the importance of a VN's prose, and planning a VN's overall narrative design and story delivery. The book contains exercises at the end of chapters to practice the techniques discussed. By the end of the book, if the reader finishes all the exercises, they may have several portfolio pieces or a significant portion of their own VN project designed. Features: Discusses different aspects and genres of VNs, what makes them enjoyable, and successful techniques developers can incorporate into their own games Analyzes various VNs and choice-based games that use these successful techniques Shares tips from developers on portfolio pieces, hiring a team to work on VNs, and plotting and outlining VNs Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue: Designing and Writing Visual Novels is a valuable resource for developers and narrative designers interested in working on VNs. The book will show them how they can design their own VN projects, design branching narratives, develop entertaining plots and relationships, design impactful and compelling choices, and write prose that's a pleasure to read.

Key features include: Introduction to Projective Geometry, Image Based Lighting (IBL), Global Illumination solved by the Monte Carlo Method (Pathtracing), an explanation of a set of Optimization Methods, and the techniques used for Calibrating One, Two, and Many cameras, including how to use the RANSAC algorithm in order to make the process robust, and providing code to be implemented using the Gnu Scientific Library. C/C++ code using the OpenCV library, to be used in the process of tracking points on a movie (an important step for the matchmove process), and in the construction of Modeling Tools for Visual Effects. A simple model of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of surfaces and the Differential Rendering Method, allowing the reader to generate consistent shadows, supported by a code that can be used in combination with a software like Luminance HDR.

Journalism Design is about the future of journalism. As technologies increasingly, and continually, reshape the way we interact with information, with each other and with our environment, journalists need new ways to tell stories. Journalists often see technology as something that improves what they are doing or that makes it more convenient. However, the growing might of technology companies has put journalism and news organisations in a difficult position: readers and revenues have moved, and platforms exert increasing control over story design. Skye Doherty argues that, rather than adapting journalism to new technologies, journalists should be creating the technologies themselves and those technologies should be designed for core values such as the public interest. Drawing from theories and practices of interaction design, this book demonstrates how journalists can use their expertise to imagine new ways of doing journalism. The design and development of the NewsCube, a three-dimensional storytelling tool, is detailed, as well as how interaction design can be used to imagine new forms of journalism. The book concludes by calling for closer ties between researchers and working journalists and suggests that journalism has a hybrid future - in newsrooms, communities, design studios and tech companies.

This is a beginner's guide to learning and implementing the essential aspects of modeling organic objects and using an organic workflow to model anything. This book gives an aspiring modeler all the tools that they need to know in order to begin creating great models that are efficient and laid out properly for rigging and texturing. The reader will be taken through all the primary techniques and methodologies for making "liveable" creatures for video, film, or games. The reader will also learn the basic physical structure that designates something as organic vs artificial, and how these varying structures can be tackled from a modeling perspective.through a practical, hands-on approach. Features Designed to approach organic modeling in a software-independent manner. Builds fundamental knowledge of 3D digital art from the ground up. Each lesson builds on the previous lesson. Has industry standard knowledge, based on simplicity and efficiency that will work for either production rendering or game development. Defines what organic modeling is and how it works, and why each technique was developed and implemented as it currently stands.

* Provides a comprehensive approach to Motion Design as Design Practice with specific areas of focus for a range of audiences. * Integrates professional examples, case studies, and interviews to validate its themes. * Written from ongoing and pragmatic experience in both education and professional practice.

Scholars and professionals from all over the world, across experience levels and the gender and sexuality spectrum, share experiences and analysis of romance and sexuality in video games. Whether discussing casual sex in the Star Wars universe; analyzing various Otome games; examining "the gaze" in various games; player romance behavior in games; or exploring the ethical ramifications of sexuality in virtual reality and other emerging technologies, this book discusses what players want in video game romance, and how developers can best deliver it. Key Features: Examines the past, present, and future of romance in single-player, role-playing games Discusses common presentations of romance in single-player, role-playing games- both in the category and game mechanics that drive romance Discusses research on how players define a satisfying game romance and what specific steps narrative designers can take to design satisfying games Explains the notion of the empathic game and explores its importance in relation to romance in game design

Avoiding heavy mathematics and lengthy programming details, Digital Image Processing: An Algorithmic Approach with MATLAB (R) presents an easy methodology for learning the fundamentals of image processing. The book applies the algorithms using MATLAB (R), without bogging down students with syntactical and debugging issues. One chapter can typically be completed per week, with each chapter divided into three sections. The first section presents theoretical topics in a very simple and basic style with generic language and mathematics. The second section explains the theoretical concepts using flowcharts to streamline the concepts and to form a foundation for students to code in any programming language. The final section supplies MATLAB codes for reproducing the figures presented in the chapter. Programming-based exercises at the end of each chapter facilitate the learning of underlying concepts through practice. This textbook equips undergraduate students in computer engineering and science with an essential understanding of digital image processing. It will also help them comprehend more advanced topics and sophisticated mathematical material in later courses. A color insert is included in the text while various instructor resources are available on the author's website.

Giannalberto Bendazzi brings to light some of the lost relics of animation history with his new book, Twice the First: Quirino Cristiani and the Animated Feature Film. Unlike other works, however, Bendazzi focuses on the growth of animation in non-western countries. This book particularly emphasizes the contributions of Quirino Cristiani and how his work influenced other animators. Bendazzi provides in-depth coverage about Cristiani's life, both professionally and personally. Twice the First takes the reader on an exciting journey through the historical development of animation through the eyes of Quirino Cristiani. Key Features A look back at the modest beginnings of feature film animation. An exciting account of some facts never before revealed in the history and development of animated film Among the fascinating information the reader can learn from this book, is that not all the action in cinematography took place in North America and Western Europe This book provides an important service in documenting the early period of animation and filling in the gaps in the history of the development of animation.

The analysis of QoE is not an easy task, especially for multimedia services, because all the factors (technical and non-technical) that directly or indirectly influence the user-perceived quality have to be considered. This book describes different methods to investigate users' QoE from the viewpoint of technical and non-technical parameters using multimedia services. It discusses the subjective methods for both controlled and uncontrolled environments. Collected datasets are used to analyze users' profiles, which sheds light on key factors to help network service providers understand end-users' behavior and expectations. Important adaptive video streaming technologies are discussed that run on unmanaged networks to achieve certain QoS features. The authors present a scheduling method to allocate resources to the end-user based on users' QoE and optimizes the power efficiency of users' device for LTE-A. Lastly, two key aspects of 5G networks are presented: QoE using multimedia services (VoIP and video), and power-saving model for mobile device and virtual base station.

High Efficiency Video Coding and Other Emerging Standards provides an overview of high efficiency video coding (HEVC) and all its extensions and profiles. There are nearly 300 projects and problems included, and about 400 references related to HEVC alone. Next generation video coding (NGVC) beyond HEVC is also described. Other video coding standards such as AVS2, DAALA, THOR, VP9 (Google), DIRAC, VC1, and AV1 are addressed, and image coding standards such as JPEG, JPEG-LS, JPEG2000, JPEG XR, JPEG XS, JPEG XT and JPEG-Pleno are also listed. Understanding of these standards and their implementation is facilitated by overview papers, standards documents, reference software, software manuals, test sequences, source codes, tutorials, keynote speakers, panel discussions, reflector and ftp/web sites - all in the public domain. Access to these categories is also provided.

Punk Playthings Provocations for 21st Century Game Makers "Punk was an attitude. It was never about having a Mohican haircut or wearing a ripped T-shirt. It was all about destruction, and the creative potential within that." Malcolm Mclaren Warning: If you want a silver bullet solution for efficient game making or a step-by-step guide to receiving Indie Game Dev hero worship, you're in the wrong place. Put the book back on the shelf. Punk Playthings is an antidote to complacency and orthodoxy. Packed with probes and provocations that explore game making through fresh lenses for uncertain times, it challenges gaming monoculture by constructing a trading space for ideas and learning from across domains and cultures. Punk Playthings has zero respect for boundaries between mediums, industries, sectors, specialisms or disciplines. Instead, it challenges you to expand your cultural capital, think laterally and make new connections. Punk Playthings advocates a truly independent mindset and DIY approach for creating playful experiences with cultural resonance. It proclaims creative entrepreneurship as the true legacy of punk. Punk Playthings is not for everyone. But it might be for you.

This book presents in a systematic manner the advanced technologies used for various modern robot applications. By bringing fresh ideas, new concepts, novel methods and tools into robot control, robot vision, human robot interaction, teleoperation of robot and multiple robots system, we are to provide a state-of-the-art and comprehensive treatment of the advanced technologies for a wide range of robotic applications. Particularly, we focus on the topics of advanced control and obstacle avoidance techniques for robot to deal with unknown perturbations, of visual servoing techniques which enable robot to autonomously operate in a dynamic environment, and of advanced techniques involved in human robot interaction. The book is primarily intended for researchers and engineers in the robotic and control community. It can also serve as complementary reading for robotics at the both graduate and undergraduate levels.

Successfully Navigate the Evolving World of Mobile and Social Game Design and Monetization Completely updated, Mobile and Social Game Design: Monetization Methods and Mechanics, Second Edition explains how to use the interconnectedness of social networks to make "stickier," more compelling games on all types of devices. Through the book's many design and marketing techniques, strategies, and examples, you will acquire a better understanding of the design and monetization mechanics of mobile and social games as well as working knowledge of industry practices and terminology. Learn How to Attract and Retain Gamers and Make Money The book explores how the gaming sector has changed, including the evolution of free-to-play games on mobile and tablet devices, sophisticated subscription model-based products, and games for social media websites, such as Facebook. It also demystifies the alphabet soup of industry terms that have sprouted up around mobile and social game design and monetization. A major focus of the book is on popular mechanisms for acquiring users and methods of monetizing users. The author explains how to put the right kinds of hooks in your games, gather the appropriate metrics, and evaluate that information to increase the game's overall stickiness and revenue per user. He also discusses the sale of virtual goods and the types of currency used in games, including single and dual currency models. Each chapter includes an interview with industry leaders who share their insight on designing and producing games, analyzing metrics, and much more.

Want to create studio-quality work and get noticed? Just coming off Flash and looking for a Toon Boom intro? Are you a traditional pencil-and-paper animator? From scene setup to the final render, learn how to navigate the Toon Boom interface to create animation that can be published on a variety of platforms and formats. Animate to Harmony guides you through Toon Boom's Animate, Animate Pro and Harmony programs, teaching you how to create high-quality 2D animation of all complexities. The main text focuses onfeatures that are common across all three programs while "Advanced Techniques" boxes throughout the book elaborate on Pro and Harmony features, appealing to all levels of experience with any of the three main Toon Boom products.

Building Science Graphics: An illustrated guide to communicating science through diagrams and visualizations is a practical guide for anyone-regardless of previous design experience and preferred drawing tools-interested in creating science-centric illustrated explanatory diagrams. Starting with a clear introduction to the concept of information graphics and their role in contemporary science communication, it then outlines a process for creating graphics using evidence-based design strategies. The heart of the book is composed of two step-by-step graphical worksheets, designed to help jump-start any new project. This is both a textbook and a practical reference for anyone that needs to convey scientific information in an illustrated form for articles, poster presentations, slide shows, press releases, blog posts, social media posts and beyond.

This book offers a thorough examination of digital work by women comedians in the US, exploring their use of digital media to perform jokes, engage with fans, remake their reputations, and become political activists This book argues that despite its many adverse effects, digital work is changing comedy, empowering women to create new comic forms and negotiate the contentious political climate incited by former President Donald. J. Trump Chapters are focused on video-podcasting, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the streaming platform Netflix - each containing informative case studies on significant women comedians who use them, including Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer, Leslie Jones, Mindy Kaling, Colleen Ballinger, Lilly Singh, Ms. Pat, Whitney Cummings, Issa Rae, and others To understand their strategies, this book examines the popularity of their digital content, their career-outcomes in television and film, as well as the ups and downs of their critical reputations in magazines, newspapers, the trade press, and with their participatory audiences online This insightful and timely work will appeal to scholars researching and teaching in the areas of media studies, digital communication, gender studies and performance