A method of generating stone wall patterns

Recently, several kinds of mapping technology, e.g., texture mapping and bump mapping, have played a very important role in the achievement of more realistic image synthesis. The textures to be mapped often are obtained by using an optical scanner or a video camera. However, it is difficult to obtain a suitable image by taking a photograph. It is considered very important to be able to generate easily a variety of textures and patterns as required. This paper proposes a new method of generating stone wall patterns as a specific case of a generalized texture generator. The advantage of the method is that it allows the user to generate a variety of stone wall pictures by specifying a few simple parameters. The method is applied to a visual simulation system to represent such stone textures as walls, pavements, and steps. Some illustrated examples of its applications also are given.