Topic (P8)

An interface for exchanging 3-d vegetation models between two simulation platforms


Description

There exist several approaches for creating virtual plants for 3-d scenes. The simulation model LIGNUM, designed by team in Finland, is based on physiological mechanisms and was used to generate trees under different situations of competition for light. Internally, it represents the architecture of the plant by a list structure, with "nodes" and "tree segments" as elementary units. The generic modelling platform GroIMP, developed by the Ecoinformatics group in Göttingen as an open-source project (written in Java), makes use of graph grammars to generate branched structures in a very flexible way. Calculation of light interception and consumption of other resources is also possible. The virtual plants are internally represented as graphs (where the plant organs are the nodes) and can be analysed by queries.

For a comparison of the different approaches for the generation of virtual vegetation, it is desirable to have a possibility to exchange the created virtual 3-d structures between both platforms. A data interface between LIGNUM and a third platform, OpenAlea (which is also an open-source project), was already implemented. This shall be adapted for GroIMP. Tests and rigorous evaluations shall be made for both directions of data export/import, from LIGNUM to GroIMP and vice versa. In a concluding case study, the efficiency and rendering performance of both platforms shall be compared at identical test scenes which were exchanged using the new interface, and proposals for improvement of both systems shall be made.





Literature:


  • GroIMP: http://sourceforge.net/projects/groimp/
  • Hemmerling, R.; Kniemeyer, O.; Lanwert, D.; Kurth, W., Buck-Sorlin, G. (2008): The rule-based language XL and the modelling environment GroIMP illustrated with simulated tree competition. Functional Plant Biology 35 (9/10), 739-750.
  • LIGNUM: http://www.metla.fi/metinfo/kasvu/lignum/index-en.htm
  • Perttunen, J.; Sievänen, R.; Nikinmaa, E.; Salminen, H.; Saarenmaa, H.; Väkevä, J. (1996): LIGNUM: a tree model based on simple structural units. Annals of Botany 77, 87-98.
  • Perttunen, J.; Nikinmaa, E.; Lechowicz, M. J.; Sievänen, R.; Messier, C. (2001): Application of the functional-structural tree model LIGNUM to sugar maple sap¬lings (Acer saccharum Marsh) growing in forest gaps. Annals of Botany 88, 471-481.
  • Pradal, C.; Dufour-Kowalski, S.; Boudon, F.; Fournier, C.; Godin, C. (2008): OpenAlea: a visual programming and component-based software platform for plant modelling. Functional Plant Biology 35 (9/10), 751-760.



B.Sc. thesis for 1 student (Applied Computer Science) /
Bachelorarbeit für 1 Studierende/n (Angewandte Informatik).


If you are interested please contact Mr. Prof. Dr. Kurth.