# Incorporating 3D-Rendered Materials in Visualization

Sotiris Piliouras, Pierre Dragicevic, Michel Beaudouin-Lafon, Theophanis Tsandilas

► To cite this version:

Sotiris Piliouras, Pierre Dragicevic, Michel Beaudouin-Lafon, Theophanis Tsandilas. Incorporating 3D-Rendered Materials in Visualization. EUROVIS 2025 - 27th Eurographics Conference on Visualization, Jun 2025, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. 10.2312/evp.20251127. [hal-05421311](https://HAL Id: hal-05421311)

https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05421311v1

Submitted on 25 Dec 2025

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<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>
# Incorporating 3D-Rendered Materials in Visualization

Sotiris Piliouras<fnref n="1" /> ID, Pierre Dragicevic<fnref n="2" /> ID, Michel Beaudouin-Lafon<fnref n="1" /> ID, and Theophanis Tsandilas<fnref n="1" /> ID

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 1:** A snapshot of our evolving design space exploring the use of 3D-rendered materials in information visualization, featuring visual examples that illustrate various possibilities within each category. All examples were created by the first author in Houdini [Sid25].</figcaption></figure>

## Abstract

We investigate how 3D-rendered materials can support expressive forms of information visualization. We introduce an early snapshot of our design space, describing how inherent material properties and their state or structural transformations can be used as visual channels or simply as contextual attributes for sensory activation. We explore the potential of rendered materials to evoke emotional engagement, curiosity, aesthetic pleasure, and crossmodal sensory experiences.

## CCS Concepts

* **Human-centered computing** → Visualization theory, concepts and paradigms; Information Visualization;

## 1. Introduction

Information visualization spans a wide spectrum from stripped-down designs that emphasize data clarity to embellished visuals that seek to engage audiences or tell stories. Edward Tufte famously criticized visual embellishments, demonstrating cases where they can detract from clarity and hinder effective communication [TGM83]. However, subsequent research has challenged some of these arguments [BMG*10, BARM*12, ACPB23], offering guidelines for effective use of visual embellishments to support exploration, context and aesthetics [CLW*22].

The realistic depiction of materials is a form of visual embellishment used in professional practice, yet it has received little

attention in visualization research. Advances in 3D graphics and physically-based rendering (PBR) enable strikingly lifelike material representations [GCM*23, PJH23], which are increasingly accessible through modern design software. 3D-rendered materials can enhance visual richness and intuitively convey properties such as texture and depth that the human brain can infer from visual cues alone [Fle14]. They can also communicate more complex material properties, such as those perceived as “rough,” “soft,” and “burned,” as well as transformations and interactions perceived as “breaking,” “exploding,” or “rotting.”

Our goal is to systematically describe and categorize the visualization qualities of rendered materials through a structured design space. While several authors [SDBEA*23, WCA23] have studied

<footnote n="1">¹Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Inria, LISN, France</footnote>

<footnote n="2">²Inria, CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, France</footnote>

<footnote>© 2025 The Author(s).
Proceedings published by Eurographics - The European Association for Computer Graphics.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</footnote>
<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 2:** Realistic materials depicting data in context: (a) *Wood and bone reinforce the associated data semantics* (Chit Chart ©, https://chitchart.com). (b) *Varying volumes of plastic convey data about “Garbage Dumps in the Ocean”* (Science Communication Lab ©, https://scicom-lab.com/project/explore-the-ocean).</figcaption></figure>

the use of imagery in charts generated with generative AI models, we focus here on procedural modeling techniques that let creators parametrically control the material qualities of interest.

## 2. Related work

3D-rendered materials have been used in scientific visualization and recognized for their potential to enhance interpretability and realism, making complex scientific datasets more accessible to both experts and general audiences [BCE*12, BCK*19, JSA*19]. Materials also appear in physical form in data physicalizations, defined as “physical artifacts whose geometry or material properties encode data” [JDI*15]. They are inherent parts of such representations, conveying information through multisensory channels—including visual and tactile—but can also communicate implicit information about metaphors and environmental context [HH-HVK24]. While physical objects afford unique perceptual (e.g., haptic) and action-related advantages, visual proxies, such as photos, can engage many of the same perceptual mechanisms [SC21]. Furthermore, rendered materials can go beyond the constraints of the real world, such as to exaggerate, alter, or challenge reality.

## 3. Realistic materials and subjective experiences

We began by collecting and analyzing visualizations and procedural art that incorporate realistic materials (see Figure 2). Realism is sometimes used in journalistic infographics to support data storytelling. In such cases, the goal is generally not to simulate reality but to harness the metaphors and physical qualities of rendered materials to reinforce contextual information, stimulate mental imagery [SD13, EK22], provoke emotion, or simply engage readers.

We identify several experiential outcomes that materials can potentially support: (1) **emotional response**, such as disgust [SLV23] and calmness, recognized as a possible factor of value in visualization [WSK*19]; (2) **intrigue and curiosity**, described also in data practice as “Whizbang” or the “cool factor” that draws people into visualizations [Pos20]; (3) **sensory activation** via crossmodal mental imagery – “a process occurring in one sensory modality as the result of the presentation of a stimulus in another” [SD13], such as when seeing images of food evokes a sense of taste [SMB05];

and (4) **aesthetic pleasure** [CLW*22]. We recognize these aspects as potentially valuable strategies and effects, particularly for visualizations aimed at engagement and storytelling.

## 4. A design space of 3D-rendered materials for visualization

We present a snapshot of our evolving design space, informed by existing examples (see Figure 2) and our own design explorations using procedural 3D software (see Figure 1).

**Surface attributes and physical states.** Surface material properties, e.g., color, reflectance, transparency, and roughness, can be isolated and used to convey specific aspects of data [JSA*19]. However, we can manipulate a combination of such properties to simulate higher-level material states and chemical changes, such as the wood-burnt effect in our example (see Figure 1, top-left), which can then be used, for example, to communicate deforestation data.

**Structural properties.** Materials have structural properties, such as stiffness, elasticity, and fracture behavior, that determine their response to external forces. In our examples, glass shattering and fabric unfolding (Figure 1, center) illustrate how these properties manifest through shape transformations. From a 3D-rendering perspective, these effects go beyond texture adjustments and are achieved through geometry manipulation or physical simulation.

**Populations and distributions** refer to the spatial distribution of material objects to create an accumulative effect, such as showing scattered plastic waste (Figure 2b) to visually represent pollution buildup. This approach has been used in visualizations and eco-feedback technologies to depict waste accumulation [APDH24].

**Multiple materials.** Different materials can be combined either discretely or continuously. Discrete combinations highlight contrasts among materials (Figure 2a) or create material palettes. Continuous combinations involve gradual morphing, forming “material gradients” that can encode continuous variables.

These examples also illustrate the potential of 3D-rendered materials for evoking crossmodal sensory experiences. We identified the senses most likely triggered by visual perception (see colored icons in Figure 1). All examples were created in Houdini [Sid25], a procedural 3D design and simulation tool. Procedural workflows support the creation of reusable polymorphic operators [EMP*02], enabling flexible transitions between materials, geometry, and spatial mappings. This flexibility fosters exploration and expressiveness, which are key aspects of creativity support workflows [CL14].

## 5. Conclusion and future directions

We presented our initial exploration and design space for integrating 3D-rendered materials in information visualization. As a next step, we will expand the collection and analysis of examples and conduct a study with data practitioners and 3D creative professionals to enrich our design space. A key challenge is the lack of tools that bridge 3D techniques with visualization workflows. Our longer-term goal is to develop techniques based on this framework for expressive material integration in visualization authoring tools.

## 6. Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the French National Research Agency under grant ANR-21-CE33-0002 GLACIS.
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