System and method for rendering a particle-based fluid surface

A processor operable to render an image of a fluid surface composed of a plurality of particles, the processor comprising:

• (i) processor circuitry operable to generate a depth image of a plurality of particles forming a fluid surface, each particle i of the plurality of particles corresponding to a pixel of a plurality of pixels included in the depth image, wherein each particle is rendered as a screen-oriented quad;
• (ii) processor circuitry operable to smooth the depth image to generate a smoothed depth image;
• (iii) processor circuitry operable to determine, from the smoothed depth image, a smoothed surface position and a smoothed surface normal for each of the plurality of pixels included within the smoothed depth image;
• and
• (iv) processor circuitry operable to render a shaded surface of the fluid as a function of the smoothed surface positions and the smoothed surface normals,
• wherein a fluid thickness value (T) for each pixel is computed according to the equation:
• T
• ⁡
• (
• x
• ,
• y
• )
• =
• ∑
• i
• =
• 0
• n
• ⁢
• d
• ⁡
• (
• x
• -
• x
• i
• σ
• i
• ,
• y
• -
• y
• i
• σ
• i
• )
• where d is a kernel function d(x,y)=√{square root over (1−x2−y2)} in which x and y vary between −1 and +1 over a two dimensional screen space position of the particle and (x,y) is a particle position, n is the number of particles the computation is summed over, where xi and yi defines the projected position of the particle, and where σi is a projected size of the particle.

A computer program product, resident on a non-transitory computer readable medium, operable to store executable instructions for rendering an image of a fluid surface composed of a plurality of particles, the computer program product comprising:

• (i) instruction code to generate a depth image of a plurality of particles forming a fluid surface, each particle i of the plurality of particles corresponding to a pixel of a plurality of pixels included in the depth image, wherein each particle is rendered as a screen-oriented quad;
• (ii) instruction code to smooth the depth image to generate a smoothed depth image;
• (iii) instruction code to determine, from the smoothed depth image, a smoothed surface position and a smoothed surface normal for each of the plurality of pixels included within the smoothed depth image;
• and
• (iv) instruction code to render a shaded surface of the fluid as a function of the smoothed surface positions and the smoothed surface normals,
• wherein a fluid thickness value (T) for each pixel is computed according to the equation:
• T
• ⁡
• (
• x
• ,
• y
• )
• =
• ∑
• i
• =
• 0
• n
• ⁢
• d
• ⁡
• (
• x
• -
• x
• i
• σ
• i
• ,
• y
• -
• y
• i
• σ
• i
• )
• where d is a kernel function d(x,y)=√{square root over (1−x2−y2)} in which x and y vary between −1 and +1 over a two dimensional screen space position of the particle and (x,y) is a particle position, n is the number of particles the computation is summed over, where xi and yi defines the projected position of the particle, and where σi is a projected size of the particle.