PySubdiv 1.0: open-source geological modeling and reconstruction by non-manifold subdivision surfaces

Abstract

Abstract. Sealed geological models are commonly used as an input to process simulations, for example, in hydrogeological or geomechanical studies. Creating these meshes often requires tedious manual work, and it is therefore difficult to adjust a once-created model. In this work, we propose a flexible framework to create and interact with geological models using explicit surface representations. The essence of the work lies in the determination of the control mesh and the definition of semi-sharp-crease values, which, in combination, enable the representation of complex structural settings with a low number of control points. We achieve this flexibility through the adaptation of recent algorithms from the field of computer graphics to the specific requirements of geological modeling, specifically the representation of non-manifold topologies and sharp features. We combine the method with a particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach to enable the automatic optimization of vertex position and crease sharpness values. The result of this work is implemented in an open-source software (PySubdiv) for reconstructing geological structures while resulting in a model which is (1) sealed/watertight, (2) controllable with a control mesh and (3) topologically similar to the input geological structure. Also, the reconstructed model may include a lower number of vertices compared to the input geological structure, which results in reducing the cost of modeling and simulation. In addition to enabling a manual adjustment of sealed geological models, the algorithm also provides a method for the integration of explicit surface representations in inverse frameworks and the consideration of uncertainties.