Virtual brush: a model-based synthesis of Chinese calligraphy

This paper describes the Virtural Brush, a model-based approach to synthesi zing realistically Chinese calligraphic writings. This approach simulates t he physical process of brush stroke creation using a parameterized model wh ich captures (a) the writing brush 3D geometric parameters, (b) the brush h air properties and (c) the variations of ink deposition along a stroke traj ectory. An analysis of some well-known Chinese brush writing styles is give n, with a view to establishing the relationship of these writing styles and the modeling process of simulating these different writing styles. We pres ent here our model formulation and the implementation of a software which i s capable of simulating some typical calligraphic writing styles on a PC pl atform. This parameterized model allows a compact representation for brush- written characters which can be used to synthesize characters at different levels of detail. with various brush effects. The result is applicable for very high-quality publishing purpose. Additionally. by appropriately transf orming and scaling the stroke trajectories which define a virtual brush cha racter, this technique can be used as a novel approach for scalable font de sign and generation, in comparison with traditional vector fonts or imaging techniques. More interestingly, with suitable interfacing techniques Virtu al Brush would allow users to "practice" calligraphy electronically. (C) 20 00 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.