Soil Deformation Models for Real-Time Simulation: A Hybrid Approach

Abstract

The simulation of soil deformation in real-time is a challenging task. Realizing the strengths and weaknesses of particle and mesh-based approaches we propose a hybrid model that combines both. Together with an adaptive sampling method, which effectively reduces the number of particles in the simulation, and a selective update technique our method is applicable in real-time VR environments. Furthermore, in order to account for the high degree of dynamics in soil behavior we consider soil as non-homogeneous and account for its degree of compaction. By incorporating soil mechanical formulations in our model and considering several physically plausible parameters the presented method allows for the simulation of soil as the material empirically investigated by civil engineers and soil mechanicians for decades.