FEM-based subdivision solids for dynamic and haptic interaction

Abstract

In this research we systematically formulate a novel physics-based solid model that can overcome many of the limitations associated with conventional solid modeling techniques. Within our new dynamic modeling framework, free-form subdivision solids [2] are equipped with continuous mass and stiffness distributions, internal deformation energies, and other material and graphical properties such as color and density. In contrast with mature modeling techniques associated with subdivision surfaces, our solid formulations based on subdivision transcend surface-based approaches by defining geometry and topology both in the interior and on the boundary of solid objects. We have implemented a prototype design environment based on dynamic subdivision solids in which users can interact with virtual objects via forces and simulate and analyze their dynamic behavior either at run-time (for simple models) or offline (for complex models). 2 FEM-based Subdivision Solids