Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 408B
A practical guide to finite-element-method (FEM) simulation of 3D deformable solids reviews essential offline FEM simulation techniques: complex nonlinear materials, invertible treatment of elasticity, and model-reduction techniques for real-time simulation.
Simulations of deformable solids are important in many applications in computer graphics, including film special effects, computer games, and virtual surgery. FEM has become a popular method in many applications. Both offline simulation and real-time techniques have matured in computer graphics literature.
This course is designed for attendees familiar with numerical simulation in computer graphics who would like to obtain a cohesive picture of the various FEM simulation methods available, their strengths and weaknesses, and their applicability in various simulation scenarios. The course is also a practical implementation guide for the visual-effects developer, offering a very lean yet adequate synopsis of the underlying mathematical theory. The first section introduces FEM deformable-object simulation and its fundamental concepts, such as deformation gradient, strain, stress, and elastic energy, discusses corotational FEM models, isotropic hyperelasticity, and numerical methods such as conjugate gradients and multigrid. The second section presents the state of the art in model reduction techniques for real-time FEM solid simulation. Topics include linear modal analysis, modal warping, subspace simulation, domain decomposition, and which techniques are suitable for which application.
COURSE SCHEDULE
9 am
PART 1: The Classical FEM Method and Discretization Methodology
• Introduction to Elasticity and Finite Elements
• Elasticity in Three Spatial Dimensions
• Nonlinear Elastic Materials
• Practical Discretization
• Special Materials and Modeling tasks. Common Challenges
Sifakis
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
PART 2: Model Reduction
• Vega FEM: A Free Simulator for Nonlinear (unreduced) FEM Elasticity
• Introduction to Model Reduction
• Linear Modal Analysis (and free software)
• Model Reduction for Large Deformations (and free software)
• Deformation Warping
• Model Reduction and Domain Decomposition
Barbic
Level
Intermediate
Prerequisites
Familiarity with linear algebra and calculus.
Intended Audience
Film special effects specialists, game developers, graduate students, researchers.
Instructor(s)
Eftychios Sifakis
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jernej Barbic
University of Southern California