My lab, the
Computational Motion Group, studies
Physics-Based Animation, which integrates
computer graphics and
computational physics for applications in visual effects, games, and more.
We often focus on the simulation of liquids and gases, but are
broadly interested in physical simulation as a
tool for generating, controlling, and
predicting motion of all kinds. We strive to design
algorithms that are supported by sound physical,
mathematical, and geometric principles, while being
amenable to efficient and robust practical
implementation.
Topics we have explored include...
- interactions between fluids and diverse dynamic objects (e.g., hair, cloth, elastic bodies, rigid bodies)
- viscous and non-Newtonian liquids which exhibit exotic behaviours like buckling, coiling, and bouncing
- surface tension-driven phenomena, including small-scale liquid droplets, bubbles, films, and
foams
- dynamic surface representations for evolving multimaterial flows and geometries
- solving PDEs in a spatially adaptive fashion on tetrahedral meshes and octree grids
- cut-cell mesh techniques that enable efficient simulations involving complex shapes
The animation and visual effects industries motivate
much of our work. My students and/or I have worked with
Side Effects
Software (makers of Houdini),
Weta Digital,
and
Exocortex
Technologies among others. Ideas we originally developed have made their way into
major fluid animation software packages such as
Side Effects Software's
Houdini FLIP Fluid solver,
Blender's FlipFluids plugin, and
Autodesk
(Maya/Bifrost), and as a result have contributed to dozens
of movies from major studios.
I maintain the
Physics-Based
Animation blog, which catalogues papers, people, and
software in this area.
I have also collected a few links to pieces of
advice for students.
Code and Data:
Below you'll find miscellaneous sample code and data from some
of my projects; in other cases you can find the code for a
given publication on its associated project page (linked
above). Buyer beware, of course, but I'd love to hear from you
if you do put any of it to use!