3D Fluid Field Sensor

Immersive Environment for the TransLab Space (MAT 261 A/B : Transvergence, Fall 2010)

The TransLab is a space installed with IR trackers, multiple projectors and a 16-channel speaker system. This project involved  creating an immersive environment  where the user was surrounded by a fluid field that he could measure, interact with and manipulate with a sensor in his hand. The sensor was implemented with touchOSC on an iPhone. The fluid density values around the user were displayed on the iPhone as well as the projector screens and also played back as frequency modulations of sine tones, hence making it natural for the user to explore the space around him in trying to locate the fluid source. The sensor screen as seen by the user is displayed in the image below.

The 3D fluid field simulation was implemented by adapting Jos Stam’s 2D real-time fluid simulation algorithm for games  using 8000 points, with OpenGL in C++. Check out the video to see how the simulation looks in it’s mouse interactive version:

Real Time 3D Fluid Field Simulation from Ritesh L on Vimeo.