Mass-Spring System (MSS) 3D simulation of a thin flexible membrane with a new model of the elasticity parameters

Abstract

Mass-Spring System (MSS) 3D simulation of a thin flexible membrane with a new model of the elasticity parametersMass Spring Systems (MSS) are often used to simulate the behavior of deformable objects, for example in computer graphics (modeling clothes for virtual characters) or in medicine (surgical simulators that facilitate the planning of surgical operations) due to their simplicity and speed of calculation. This paper presents a new, two-parameter method (TP MSS) of determining the values of spring coefficients for this model. This approach can be distinguished by a constant parameter which is calculated once at the beginning of the simulation, and a variable parameter that must be updated at each simulation step. The value of this variable parameter depends on the shape changes of the elements forming the mesh of the simulated object. The considered mesh is built of elements in the shape of acuteangled triangles. The results obtained using the new model were compared to FEM simulations and the Van Gelder model. The simulation results for the new model were also compared with the results of the bubble inflation test.