Patent ID: 9710966
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: G06T

Claim:
1. A method of generating image data for hair on a character, the character having a surface component represented by a two-dimensional (2D) polygonal character surface mesh within a three-dimensional (3D) space, the method comprising: adding a fully closed 3D polyhedral hair mesh to the 2D polygonal character surface mesh, the fully closed polyhedral 3D hair mesh including a surface comprising a source area at the interface between the 2D polygonal mesh and the fully closed 3D polyhedral hair mesh, one or more exit areas disjoint from the source area, and one or more boundary surfaces between the source area and the one or more exit areas; defining a plurality of fluid entrance points along the source area; defining a plurality of fluid exit points along the one or more exit areas; generating a plurality of fluid flow lines through the fully closed 3D polyhedral hair mesh by simulating a flow of fluid through the fully closed 3D polyhedral hair mesh from the plurality of fluid entrance points to the plurality of fluid exit points, wherein the flow of fluid is bounded within the fully closed 3D polyhedral hair mesh by the one or more boundary surfaces; determining a subset of the plurality of fluid flow lines that are visible from a viewpoint; and forming image data for a plurality of hairs, wherein each of the plurality of hairs extends along a respective fluid flow line from the subset of the plurality of fluid flow lines.