Invited talks and artist talks will be shared among the conferences, and sessions will be mixed. Participants will be able to freely switch between the sessions, so as to see the talks of their own field of work and also be inspired by talks from related domains. The submission, review, and publication process for the event will be handled jointly across the three conferences. Each paper submission should be designated as belonging to one of the three tracks.

Computational Aesthetics

Computational Aesthetics (CAe) bridges the analytic and synthetic by integrating aspects of computer science, philosophy, psychology, and the fine, applied & performing arts. It seeks to facilitate both the analysis and the augmentation of creative behaviors. CAe also investigates the creation of tools that can enhance the expressive power of the fine and applied arts and furthers our understanding of aesthetic evaluation, perception, and meaning. The Computational Aesthetics conference brings together individuals with technical experience of developing computer-based tools to solve aesthetic problems and people with artistic/design backgrounds who use these new tools. Refereed CAe papers and artworks aim to facilitate a dialog between scientists and engineers who are creating new tools, and also artists and designers who use them. Presentations will provide a snapshot of the latest technical breakthroughs and the most recent artistic or design achievements in applying computer-based techniques to solve aesthetic problems.

Technical submissions are invited across the broad range of areas covered by Computational Aesthetics. Specific technical areas include, but are not limited to:

    computational analysis and modeling of creative behavior (AI, A-life)
    artistic image transformation techniques (colors, edges, patterns, dithering)
    image style and salience analysis (paintings, photographs, others)
    visualization (perceptual or aesthetics based)
    sketching, simplification techniques (artistic, cognitive)
    composition, visual balance, layout
    non-photorealistic and illustrative rendering addressing computational aesthetics
    empirically based metrics of aesthetical attributes
    applied visual perception (color appearance, spatial vision, and other aspects)
    measuring and describing aesthetics
    computational tools for artists 

Successful submissions can, for example, describe novel technical approaches that address one or more of the areas mentioned above (or beyond). However, we are equally interested in papers that discuss the use of existing techniques but combine them in an interesting new way or apply them in a new context that addresses problems in computational aesthetics.

Sketch-Based Interfaces and Modeling

Advances in pen-based computer hardware have enabled digital sketch-based interfaces to emerge as a powerful way to combine the quick and intuitive feel of paper with the power of computation. However, fully realizing the potential of these sketch-based systems requires effective input devices, user interface design and underlying algorithms to analyze the input. The goal of this symposium is to explore models, algorithms and technologies needed to enable effective sketch-based interfaces. It investigates novel methods for classification and recognition of hand-drawn shapes, and ways of using these techniques for creating or editing digital models, text, mathematics, and 3D shapes. Likewise, the symposium explores the application of sketch-based interfaces to 3D computer graphics, animation, CAD, and computer games, as well as other specific applications such as diagram editing, note taking and novel input devices. Finally, the symposium welcomes empirical user studies aimed at clarifying the nature of sketch-based interfaces and comparing them to other interaction techniques.

Created in 2004, SBIM provides a unique venue for researchers, students and practitioners interested in sketch-based techniques to interact with one another, share lessons learned, show new results and discuss open issues.

Topic areas for SBIM 2015 include but are not limited to:

    Multimodal interfaces for sketching
    Novel sketch input and editing devices
    Novel pen-based interaction techniques
    Low level ink processing and pen stroke segmentation
    Sketch parsing, classification and recognition
    Sketch-based interfaces for CAD systems
    Sketch-based modeling and editing of 3D shapes
    Sketch-based control of animations
    Sketch-based interfaces for other applications (surface editing, diagram creation, mathematical annotations, games, etc.)
    Rendering techniques for sketch-based systems (NPR)
    Sketches for Medical and Volume data editing
    Sketch-based retrieval of multimedia information
    Usability studies of sketch-based systems
    Studies of the impact of sketching on creativity and design
    Multi-touch interfaces and applications 

Non-Photorealistic Animation and Rendering

Non-Photorealistic Animation and Rendering (NPAR) refers to computational techniques for visual communication. Such techniques usually generate imagery and motion which is expressive, rather than photorealistic, although they may incorporate realistic elements.

We invite researchers, artists, and practitioners of all areas connected to non-photorealistic animation and rendering to submit papers and posters on their work. Submitted papers should be self-classified into one of the following three categories:

    Research: new algorithms, scientific studies, analysis, or data (i.e., traditional NPAR papers). These must contain novel results that make a substantive contribution to the field.
    Production: candid discussion of the process of creating a work (e.g., film, image, game) or art tool (e.g., paint or CAD program, software library).
    Meta: statements about research that do not contain new results, e.g.: grand challenges, position papers, evaluation standards, surveys, and primers on art / aesthetics / psychophysics for a computer science audience. 

All work must be previously unpublished and contain a novel contribution. Production and Meta papers need not contain original research or results.

Topic areas of NPAR 2015 include, but are not limited to:

    Expressive character animation and physics
    Abstraction and stylization of images/video
    Interaction techniques
    Accounts of real productions (e.g., animated films)
    NPAR in real software products (e.g., modeling, visualization, presentation software)
    Visual composition
    Hardware acceleration
    Evaluation methods for NPAR algorithms
    Psychophysics of NPAR
    Rendering and layout for text and presentation graphics
    Quantitative analysis of human artists
    Generative or evolutionary approaches
    Style transfer
    Temporal and spatial coherence
    Adapting classic CG effects like motion blur, depth of field, and lighting for NPAR
    Simulation of natural media and traditional styles
    Non-traditional camera models
    Position papers on grand challenges 

Technical Paper Submissions

Technical papers should present original, unpublished work. There is no absolute maximum length for paper submissions; please use the SIGGRAPH length guidelines. In particular, note that papers longer than 8–10 pages must make a very significant contribution to be accepted. Manuscripts must be written in English, and should follow the ACM SIGGRAPH-sponsored conference formatting instructions, including a title page with an abstract and keywords, and a bibliography. The submission is electronic in PDF format; supplemental video and images may also be submitted. Research papers are reviewed double-blind and so must be anonymous when submitted. Information on the submission process will be available on our website.

Please also note that only PDF files will be accepted for your submission. Make sure that all fonts are embedded in your PDF file. Additional material such as additional images or videos may be submitted as PDF or as a zipped archive (ZIP files) with a maximum size of 30 MB. For videos please ensure that a commonly available format and codec is used. For example, make sure that the video plays with VLC, which is available on most platforms.

Accepted papers will be published as a single conference proceedings by ACM and will be available online via both the ACM Digital Library and the Eurographics Digital Library. Posters will not be archived. Posters may be submitted in PDF format as either an extended abstract (1–2 pages) or as a draft of the poster itself. Rejected papers may be considered for the poster track.

NEW: Authors of selected papers will be invited to submit significantly revised and extended versions of their manuscripts to be considered for publication in a special section of Elsevier’s “Computers and Graphics” journal via a fast-track review process.

Other submission categories

Presentation of work previously published in a journal: The intent of this category is to allow authors who prefer (or need) to publish their work in journal form the opportunity to present that work at Expressive. These papers will not appear in the Expressive proceedings.

Requirements: The work should be published in the July 2014 to July 2015 time frame, and not have been previously presented at a conference or symposium.

What to submit: A copy of the paper abstract and a link to the published paper or a pre-print of it. Submissions will be reviewed by the program committee for suitability of content. Note that accepted presentations are subject to the same rules as regular papers, namely that at least one author must register for the conference.
Deadline: June 6, 2015.

Posters, demos, and technical artwork submissions: You are invited to submit to these programs any time before June 6; every effort will be made to return a response within two weeks. Poster submissions should be in the form of a ~2 page abstract, written in English, and should follow the ACM SIGGRAPH-sponsored conference formatting instructions, including a title page with an abstract and keywords, and a bibliography (see instructions and templates). The submission is electronic in PDF; supplemental video and images may also be submitted (but are not required). The demos and technical artwork submissions should be in the form of a one-page abstract describing the submission and how it was created, along with an image or video. They will be demonstrated and/or displayed at the Expressive venue, and should be related to recent technical work that falls under the Expressive umbrella. Authors of accepted posters are encouraged to bring a demonstration of their work as well. (That is, you do not need to create a separate submission for a poster and a demo or technical artwork if they refer to the same project).