Near real-time simulation of particle systems

Simulation of particle systems is time consuming. However, many particle system applications require fast interactive animations. For example, simulation of physically realistic complex dust behaviors is very useful in training, education, art, advertising, and entertainment. There are no published models for real-time simulation of dust behavior generated by a traveling vehicle. In this paper we use particle systems, computational fluid dynamics, and behavioral simulation techniques to simulate dust behavior in real time. First, we analyze the forces and factors that affect dust generation and the behavior after dust particles are generated. Then, we construct physically-based empirical models to generate dust particles and control the behavior accordingly. We further simplify the numerical calculations by dividing dust behavior into three stages, and establishing simplified particle system models for each stage. We employ motion blur, particle blending, texture mapping, and other computer graphics techniques to achieve the final results. Our contributions include constructing physically-based empirical models to generate dust behavior and achieving simulation of the behavior in real time.