Geometric, Variational Integrators for Computer Animation

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Date
2006
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Eurographics Association
Abstract
We present a general-purpose numerical scheme for time integration of Lagrangian dynamical systems an important computational tool at the core of most physics-based animation techniques. Several features make this particular time integrator highly desirable for computer animation: it numerically preserves important invariants, such as linear and angular momenta; the symplectic nature of the integrator also guarantees a correct energy behavior, even when dissipation and external forces are added; holonomic constraints can also be enforced quite simply; finally, our simple methodology allows for the design of high-order accurate schemes if needed. Two key properties set the method apart from earlier approaches. First, the nonlinear equations that must be solved during an update step are replaced by a minimization of a novel functional, speeding up time stepping by more than a factor of two in practice. Second, the formulation introduces additional variables that provide key flexibility in the implementation of the method. These properties are achieved using a discrete form of a general variational principle called the Pontryagin-Hamilton principle, expressing time integration in a geometric manner. We demonstrate the applicability of our integrators to the simulation of non-linear elasticity with implementation details.
Description

        
@inproceedings{
:10.2312/SCA/SCA06/043-051
, booktitle = {
ACM SIGGRAPH / Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation
}, editor = {
Marie-Paule Cani and James O'Brien
}, title = {{
Geometric, Variational Integrators for Computer Animation
}}, author = {
Kharevych, Liliya
and
Yang, Weiwei
and
Tong, Yiying
and
Kanso, Eva
and
Marsden, Jerrold E.
and
Schröder, Peter
and
Desbrun, Matthieu
}, year = {
2006
}, publisher = {
The Eurographics Association
}, ISSN = {
1727-5288
}, ISBN = {
3-905673-34-7
}, DOI = {
/10.2312/SCA/SCA06/043-051
} }
Citation