New e-Review in Computer Graphics

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A French-written electronic bulletin on computer graphics, REFIG aims at reaching a 200-strong community of researchers as well as corportate readership. Irisa Stéphane Donikian is editor-in-chief.

“The idea was raised within AFIG, the French association of computer graphics, Donikian (1) explains. The decision to publish this review dates back to 2004. It took us two years to put it on track. The project is supported by the Computer Graphics GDR (2), a research group funded by French CNRS (2) with mission of animating this specific community" that gathers some 200 researchers and teacher-researchers. But the e-Review plans to reach readership beyond national borders. Not all of its members are even French.

Proclaimed goal is “to open a recognized communication channel for our expressivity in our mother tongue.” The review ambitions to reach not only a community of researchers but also the corporate world, in particular in the IT sector. “We come accross business people complaining they can't always find the information they need about computer graphics. So this review is for them too.”

REFIG takes form of an open access free-for-all web site (3). It will start on a “quarter annual" basis, "with hope of doing more.” The first issue will comprise six papers. The review is structured along four themes : “modelisation, animation, rendering and interaction”.

Chaired by Stéphane Donikian, the editorial committee includes three other editors (4), so that there will be one per theme. On receiving paper proposals in his field, each editor will pick proofreaders who will help make an opinion. Four options from there: accepted, accepted with minor changes, not accepted without major modifications and lastly... rejected. Also bound to be refused: “work that has already been published previously, whether in French or English. Except if the papers brings at least 30% of new material.” This proofreading stage is “capital, Donikian insists. The community dedicates specific days to young researchers, but without any such proofreading.” By the same token, “in our field, there is no journal that is peer-reviewed.”

Refig also aims at “providing a fast reviewing processs”, something that not all print reviews can deliver. Backstage, of course, it's a lot of work and a lot of time.” One or our motivations comes from “the feeling of being part of a community” : these “130 to 140 persons who meet for the annual gathering.”

(1) Within Irisa, Stéphane Donikian is head of BUNRAKU, a research team that specializes in the interaction of real and virtual humans in virtual environments, and the impact on real environments.

(2) GDR : Groupe de Recherche : resarch group.

(2) Refig was attributed a ISSN publication number by the French National Library. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France will extract web content and guarantee perennial archiving.

(4) Others current editors are: Dominique Bechmann (LSIIT UMR 7005 CNRS-ULP Strasbourg), Dominique Michelucci (LE2I, Dijon) and Mathias Paulin, (IRIT-CNRS-UPS, Toulouse)

Practical :
Subscribe to the review.
Submit a paper.

First issue content:

Tangentes à une courbe fractale	Résumé PDF
Hicham Bensoudane, Christian Gentil, Marc Neveu

Déformation asymétrique de houppiers pour la génération de représentations paysagères réalistes	Résumé PDF
Frédéric Boudon, Gilles Le Moguédec

Extension multirésolution des cartes combinatoires : application à la représentation de surfaces de subdivision multirésolution	Résumé PDF
Pierre Kraemer, David Cazier, Dominique Bechmann