VR Seminar: Prof Nils Thuerey

Data-driven Fluid Simulation

Prof. Nils Thuerey, Assistant Professor, TU Munich

30th September 2016

Abstract

Physics simulations for virtual smoke, explosions or water are by now crucial tools for special effects. Despite their wide spread use, it’s still very difficult to get get these simulations under control, or to make them fast enough for practical use.

In this talk I will present recent research projects that aim for solving and alleviating these issues. A central part of this talk will be devoted to methods for interpolating fluid simulations. I will describe a method that uses 5D optical flow to register two space-time volumes of simulations. Once the registration is computed, in-between versions can be generated very efficiently. In contrast to previous work, this approach uses a volumetric representation, which is beneficial for smooth and robust registrations without user intervention.

I will show several examples of smoke and liquid animations generated with this interpolation method, and discuss limitations of the approach. The talk will be concluded by giving an outlook of open questions in the area.