Example-based authoring of expressive space curves

Abstract

In this paper we present a novel example-based stylization method for 3D space curves. Inspired by image-based arbitrary style transfer (Gatys et al., 2016), we introduce a workflow that allows artists to transfer the stylistic characteristics of a short exemplar curve to a longer target curve in 3D—a problem, to the best of our knowledge, previously unexplored. Our approach involves extracting the underlying, unstyled form of the exemplar curve using a novel smoothing flow. This unstyled representation is then aligned with the target curve using a modified Fréchet distance. To achieve precise matching with reduced computational cost, we employ a semi-discrete optimization scheme, which outperforms existing methods for similar curve alignment problems. Furthermore, our formulation provides intuitive controls for adjusting stylization strength and transfer temperature, enabling greater creative flexibility. Its versatility also allows for the simultaneous stylization of additional attributes along the curve, which is particularly valuable in 3D applications where curves may represent medial axes of complex structures. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through a variety of expressive stylizations across different application contexts.