Fluxed Animated Boundary Method

Abstract: We present a novel approach to guiding physically based particle simulations using boundary conditions. Unlike commonly used ad hoc particle techniques for adding and removing the material from a simulation, our approach is principled by utilizing the concept of volumetric flux. Artists are provided with a simple yet powerful primitive called a fluxed animated boundary (FAB), allowing them to specify a control shape and a material flow field. The system takes care of enforcing the corresponding boundary conditions and necessary particle reseeding. We show how FABs can be used artistically or physically. Finally, we demonstrate production examples that show the efficacy of our method.