System for modeling animated artificial water surfaces
OwnerJohn R. Van Rosendaleinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are described for an animated artificial water surface. A sheet of material having a glossy surface includes a three-dimensional pattern of waves extending along horizontal dimensions of the sheet. The waves have a scale-model height profile. A drive may be coupled to the sheet. The drive may be operable to move at least a portion of the sheet continuously and at a constant speed in one direction relative to the horizontal dimensions of the sheet wherein the waves model an animated water surface.
Claims21
A system for modeling an animated artificial water surface, comprising:
- a sheet of material having a glossy surface wherein said sheet comprises a disk, said glossy surface including a three-dimensional pattern of waves extending along horizontal dimensions of said sheet, said waves having a scale-model height profile;
- and
- a drive coupled to said sheet and operable to move at least a portion of said sheet continuously and at a constant speed in one direction relative to said horizontal dimensions of said sheet, wherein said waves model an animated water surface.
A system for modeling an animated artificial water surface, comprising:
- a sheet of material having a glossy surface wherein said sheet comprises a disk, said glossy surface including a three-dimensional pattern of waves extending along horizontal dimensions of said sheet;
- and
- a drive coupled to said sheet and operable to move at least a portion of said sheet continuously and at a constant speed, wherein a time-varying height of said portion of said sheet relative to said horizontal dimensions matches a model-scale time-dependent height profile H(x,y,t) of propagating scale waves.
A method for modeling an animated artificial water surface, comprising:
- by a model landscape including a land region adjacent to an open basin having a perimeter with the model landscape being sized in accordance with a model scale, and a sheet of material having a glossy surface with the glossy surface including a three-dimensional (3-D) pattern of waves extending along horizontal dimensions of the sheet with the waves having a height profile sized in accordance with the model scale, wherein the sheet is disposed partially under the land region wherein a portion of the sheet spans the open basin, wherein a portion of the 3-D pattern lies within the perimeter, and wherein a remainder of the 3-D pattern is concealed by the land region,
- moving at least a portion of the sheet continuously and at a constant speed in one direction relative to the horizontal dimensions of the sheet wherein the waves model an animated water surface at the open basin.
An apparatus for modeling an animated artificial water surface, comprising:
- a sheet of material having a glossy surface, said glossy surface including a three-dimensional (3-D) pattern of waves extending along horizontal dimensions of said sheet, said waves having a height profile sized in accordance with a model scale,
- said sheet being adapted to be part of a model landscape that includes a land region adjacent to an open basin having a perimeter with the model landscape being sized in accordance with a model scale, wherein a portion of said 3-D pattern lies within the perimeter, and wherein a remainder of said 3-D pattern is concealed by the land region, and
- said sheet adapted to be coupled to a drive that is operable to move at least a portion of said sheet continuously and at a constant speed in one direction relative to said horizontal dimensions of said sheet, wherein said waves model an animated water surface at the open basin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.