Visualization of dynamic fluid simulations: waves, splashing, vorticity, boundaries, buoyancy

Abstract

A software package is developed for the modelling and animation of viscous incompressible fluids. The full time‐dependent Navier‐Stokes equations are used to simulate 2D and 3D incompressible fluid phenomena which include shallow and deep fluid flow, transient dynamic flow, vorticity and splashing in simulated physical environments. The package also allows the inclusion of variously shaped and spaced static or moving obstacles that are fully submerged or penetrate the fluid surface. Stable numerical analysis techniques based on finite‐differences are used for the solution of the Navier‐Stokes equations. To model free‐surface fluids, a technique based on the Marker‐and‐Cell method is presented. Based on the fluid’s pressure and velocities obtained from the solution of the Navier‐Stokes equations this technique allows modelling of the fluid’s free surface either by solving a surface equation of by tracking the motion of marker particles. The latter technique is suitable for visualization of splashing and vorticity. Furthermore, an editing tool is developed for easy definition of a physical‐world which includes obstacles, boundaries and fluid properties such as viscosity, initial velocity and pressure. Using the editor, complex fluid simulations can be performed without prior knowledge of the underlying fluid dynamics equations. Finally, depending on the application fluid rendering techniques are developed using standard Silicon Graphics workstation hardware routines.

Citation

Foster, N. and Metaxas, D. (1995), "Visualization of dynamic fluid simulations: waves, splashing, vorticity, boundaries, buoyancy", Engineering Computations, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/02644409510799505