I was first introduced to the work of Takeo Igarashi at CMU in 1998, where he came to demonstrate his then-new application TeddySketch as part of the HCI Program’s Building Virtual Worlds showcase. I remember everyone in the audience being completely blown away as this young visiting researcher waved his mouse around and created 3D models seemingly effortlessly. Most of the students in that audience had spent many all-nighters that semester modelling, texturing and animating 3D models for their VR projects, and the sight of Igarashi using his tool to build cute 3D bears and birds with a few simple gestures was both inspiring and, with the memory of all-nighters still fresh, quite humbling.

Now an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo, Igarashi has contintued his research along the same lines, creating tools for easy animation, painting and illustration. His work has inspired many to re-think the focus of new creative tools, as it makes tangible the idea that they could emphasize grace and usability in addition to rendering-muscle and features.

Since 1999, TeddySketch has evolved into other software tools, including a GameCube and Playstation 2 game, and Igarashi was awarded an ACM-SIGGRAPH Significant New Researcher Award at SIGGRAPH 2006.

Check out the list of projects on his website.
Video of Teddy Sketch in Action
Video of As-Rigid-as-Possible Shape Manipulation

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