Deformable Geometry Using Volumetric Data
By: Daniel C. Talaber
Supervisor: Wouter van Oortmerssen
Masters of Interactive Technology degree conferred March 23, 2007
Thesis / Project completed: March 21, 2007

Deformable geometry in games is expensive and appears infrequently. Using a volume representation of geometry along with a spatial hierarchy is one method of making it feasible. I extend an existing surface extraction method by Stan Melax, which uses a variation of the Marching Cubes algorithm, by using an octree to store the volumetric data. The method generates a new surface in real time whenever a deforming object intersects the existing surface during editing and the underlying state of the volumetric data changes. It allows for terrain with arches and cliffs without separate static meshes. The key to the method is efficiently using the octree to store and access the data. Hardware buffer allocation and octree state change efficiency proved to be particularly interesting in this project.

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