Method and system for performing computer graphic simulation of a fluid using target-driven control
US7479963B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 13, 2005 |
| Grant date | Jan 20, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2210/24
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Method and system for efficiently controlling animated smoke which utilizes a sequence of target smoke states to generate a smoke simulation in which the smoke is driven towards each of these targets in turn, while exhibiting natural-looking interesting smoke-like behavior. This control is made possible by two new terms added to standard flow equations: (i) a driving force term that causes the fluid to carry the smoke towards a particular target, and (ii) a smoke gathering term that prevents the smoke from diffusing too much. These terms are explicitly defined by the instantaneous state of the system at each simulation time step. Thus, no expensive optimization is required, allowing complex smoke animations to be generated with very little additional cost compared to ordinary flow simulations. The invention is also applicable to animation of other fluid flow phenomena.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.