Hapto-visual representation of three dimensional incompressible flows

Abstract

Imagine a videogame in which you impersonate a wizard who needs to create a potion by stirring substances in a cauldron. Through a desktop haptic probe, you are able to stir and feel how the fluid changes its viscosity, velocity and other properties. So far solid or deformable objects have been experimented for haptic-tactile feedback. In this thesis we innovate by devising techniques that enable the haptical rendering of shape-less objects, such as fluids. We achieved the real-time 3D fluid simulation of multiple substances based on the Navier-Stokes equation and coupled it with a discreet mass-spring particle system representing its deformable surface. We overcame the challenges that arise during the integration of both haptics and graphics workspaces, the free-view visualization of 3D fluid volume, and the rendering of haptic forces. Our system is flexible to accommodate different kinds of fluids, such as liquid and smoke, to be co-simulated.