Pai and Van Doel introduce an interesting framework for the simulation of sounds produced by colliding objects in a virtual reality environment. The framework is based on vibration dynamics of bodies. This allows the audience to obtain important auditory clues about the objects in the environment, as well as about the locations on the objects of the collisions.

I would like to apply the framework to create a tool for simulating sound in an animation. Instead of creating sound track separately from the animation and trying to synchronize it later manually, we can apply the simulation at the time of contact or collision to make realistic sounds.

The following information will be important: how long the contact or collision lasts, how much energy causes surfaces of objects to vibrate and as a result, emit sound waves, shapes of objects and their material properties.

A test scene can be an environment created with a wooden floor with a flock of rubber balls, like basketballs bouncing or an animated hand playing a string instrument.

Deliverables will include movie files animated using the above method with sound simulation, documented source code and a report discussing my findings and explorations.

Reference

1. Kees van den doel and Dinesh K. Pai. The Sounds of Physical Shapes. http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/kvdoel/sound_shapes.html.