Proceedings of the 2006 symposium on Interactive 3D graphics and games
Venue: Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics (2006)

These proceedings represent the technical program for the "second annual" ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics and Games, held in Redwood City, California, March 14-17, 2006. I3D started as a workshop in 1986 and was held roughly bi-annually in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005. In 2005, I3D switched to an annual schedule, making 2006 the first I3D to be held on a year that would previously have been skipped. Our new annual status shows the degree to which interactive 3D graphics have permeated our field and society. I3D continues its emphasis on games, as the leading form of interactive application, and the industry that drives interactive 3D development and consumes the ideas, methods and results we produce. In the past, ideas incubated at I3D have taken years to percolate into common use, ideas like potentially visible sets, real-time shading, networked virtual environments, and real-time collision detection in large scenes. We are actively trying to shorten this chain, fostering communication between researchers and the game community.The 28 papers contained in this volume represent some of the best work in a wide range of topics surrounding interaction, 3D graphics, and games. They were selected from the 73 submissions from 11 countries on four continents through the diligent efforts of the international program committee and external reviewers, representing some of the best minds in the field. The review and selection process was managed entirely online, through an exceptionally successful week long virtual committee meeting. Committee members participated in sometimes-vigorous online discussion on the papers submitted, and had time to call in additional reviews when necessary. Further, the online discussion provided an audit trail of the discussions; so all committee members could clearly recall exactly what was said, making for a very fair, efficient (and cost effective) selection process. We were also able to rescue a number of exciting papers that might otherwise have been lost through a conditional acceptance process. We would like to offer a particularly heart-felt thanks to the committee members who served as shepherds for these gems in the rough.In addition to the papers program, we are expanding the posters program begun in 2005 to include innovative demonstrations as well. The posters and demos represent an opportunity for the I3D community to see and experience works in progress, new and exciting ideas not yet ready for publication, student projects, and innovative techniques in games or other commercial applications. Poster and demo presenters will give a brief teaser of their work in a "fast-forward" session, while still allowing the in-depth discussions that a casual poster setting allows.New this year, we are introducing a doctoral seminar. The doctoral seminar will allow in-progress PhD students to present their topics and research in an informal setting. Interactive discussion will be encouraged, allowing the future stars of I3D to show their work and get ideas for future directions from their peers, experts, and industry participants.