Robust Methods for the Physically-Based Animation of Large Deformations in Computer Graphics

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The goal of this research project is the development of robust and efficient methods for the physically-based animation of large deformations in computer graphics applications. This project has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for 18 months. In this time period our research group first investigated the stability problems in finite element simulations caused by degenerate and inverted elements. We were able to solve these problems using a method based on an analytic polar decomposition. Further, in the first project phase we developed a novel, very efficient simulation method based on a corotated elasticity model, which is more than a hundred times faster than previous methods using the same model. This enabled us to perform animations with multiple hundred thousand elements in real-time. In computer graphics time integration is mostly performed using the implicit Euler method due to its good stability. However, this method suffers from numerical damping which leads to a loss of important details and realism. Therefore, our group developed a stable implicit time integration method of higher order, which provides more accurate results and which reduces the numerical damping significantly. In the continuation of this project we plan to investigate the application of new material models to robustly simulate large deformations. More precisely, we want to investigate micropolar models, which were already successfully used in computer graphics to simulate elastic rods and fluids. These models define additional rotational degrees of freedom which enable a better representation of the bending and torsion of a deformable body. The improved representation has the advantage that less elements are required in elastic rods simulations. Moreover, it was shown that the numerical damping could be significantly reduced in simulations of turbulent fluids using a micropolar model. In the next phase of this research project we plan to use micropolar material models for the animation of two- and three-dimensional deformable bodies. To the best of our knowledge this has not been done before in computer graphics. In this way we want to benefit from the advantages of micropolar models, especially when simulating large deformations with rotations. First, we plan to develop a simulation method for volumetric bodies. Then we want to extend this method to simulate two-dimensional shells. To perform the time integration, the method, which we developed in the first phase, should be extended to solve the additional equations required for the micropolar models. Further, we plan to investigate the animation of plastic deformations considering the rotational degrees of freedom. Finally, we want to use the additional degrees of freedom to realize a detailed visualization with high-resolution surface meshes.