CS599, Spring 2010, Assignment 2: Constrained Particle System

Due Tuesday Mar 9, 2010, by noon

Instructions

Please download the assignment writeup here. You can use your OpenGL setup from Assignment 1 as a starting point.

Useful (free) software for solving linear systems (you are not bound to using any particular solver software, listed or not):

• GNU Scientific Library
• CLAPACK

Some hints for solving linear systems in the assignment:

• The system described in class is symmetric, but not necessarily positive-definite. You need to use a linear system solver that supports symmetric indefinite matrices.
• Baraff and Witkin's course notes give an alternative system version which is symmetric and positive-semi-definite.
• In some (isolated) configurations, the system matrix can be singular.

How to submit the assignment

Upload your entire solution as one zip file to the Blackboard. Don't forget to include your README file, the compiled executable (Windows or Mac, include all the required DLLs), the animation frames, and any other material required by the assignment writeup. For the animation, use the same format as with Assignment 1. Please submit JPEG frames (assumed frame rate is 15 fps), at the 640x480 resolution. Do not exceed 300 frames.

Example screenshots

Click for larger image

Extra credit ideas

• Implement a time-varying random force field. For example, you can use Perlin noise.
• Make a screen-saver (driven by the time-varying random force field).
• Implement a higher-order integrator, e.g., Runge-Kutta 4th order.
• Any creative extra credit contributions are encouraged.