Flow Simulation Controlled by Animated Triangle Meshes

Viktória Burkus, Attila Kárpáti, László Szécsi

Supervisor(s): László Szécsi

Budapest University of Technology and Economics


Abstract: Fluid behavior in both real-time and production systems must often be physically plausible while also allowing artistic control, possibly forcing otherwise impossible effects. In this paper we address the use of triangle meshes to influence flow behavior, including shaping, dissolving, morphing, separating, and animating liquid bodies. We discuss options for the underlying flow simulation, and describe an approach based on smoothed-particle hydrodynamics that allows forcing liquids to take shapes dictated by triangle mesh solid models. We discuss algorithms for translating the constraints to simulation features, and elaborate on issues influencing simulation efficiency. We also describe the approach we used to visualize the particle-based fluid simulation. The method reconstructs the liquid surface using metaballs. Visualization with large particle counts requires the construction of lists of relevant metaballs for every pixel in every frame. We evaluate alternatives to build these lists. With this approach we can render the results of simulations that consist of large numbers of moving metaballs.
Keywords: Animation, Real-time Graphics, Rendering
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Year: 2020