Animation Lab: Brittle Fracture

Related
Publications

Examples:

Glass Slab

Wall

Bowls I

Bowls II

Comparison

Trays

Windows

Bunnies

The End

SIGGRAPH Video

Graphical Modeling and Animation of Brittle Fracture

In this work, we augment existing techniques for simulating flexible objects to include models for crack initiation and propagation in three-dimensional volumes. By analyzing the stress tensors computed over a finite element model, the simulation determines where cracks should initiate and in what directions they should propagate. The object is then dynamically re-meshed to accommodate the resulting fractures.

We demonstrate our results with animations of breaking bowls, cracking walls, and objects that fracture when they collide. By varying the shape of the objects, the material properties, and the initial conditions of the simulations, we can create strikingly different effects ranging from a wall that shatters when it is hit by a wrecking ball to a bowl that breaks in two when it is dropped on edge.

Wall Example: Adobe wall being struck by wrecking ball.

Bowls I Example: Clay bowls with different material toughness

See list to the left for more examples.


		Project Members James F. O'Brien obrienj@cc.gatech.edu Jessica K. Hodgins (Faculty Advisor) jkh@cc.gatech.edu Questions or comments? Email obrienj@cc.gatech.edu