Patent · US Active

System and method for simulating shallow water effects on arbitrary surfaces

US7921003B2 · kind B2 · utility

10Cited by
3References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 22, 2008
Grant dateApr 5, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 6, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2210/24
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for shallow water simulation may provide a framework for solving General Shallow Wave Equations (GSWE) to efficiently simulate 3D fluid effects on arbitrary surfaces using a height field representation. The height field representation may include height columns constructed along surface normals, which may be dependent on a condition of boundary cells adjacent to fluid cells and/or artificial viscosity effects. The framework may provide implicit schemes for solving for the effects of external forces applied to the fluid, including gravity and surface tension, and explicit schemes for solving for advection effects. The system and method may be implemented on general-purpose CPU(s) and/or GPU(s) and may be capable of simulating a variety of fluid effects including: waves, rivulets and streams, drops, and capillary events. In some embodiments, the system and method may achieve real-time fluid control and fluid shape design through user-interaction (e.g., in a graphical painting application).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.