Authors:
Ling Xu
and
David Mould
Affiliation:
University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Keyword(s):
Dendrites, procedural modeling, natural phenomena, path planning.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer Vision, Visualization and Computer Graphics
;
Geometry and Modeling
;
Modeling of Natural Scenes and Phenomena
;
Surface Modeling
Abstract:
We present a method for creating geometric models of dendritic forms. Dendritic shapes are commonplace in the natural world; some examples of objects exhibiting dendritic shape include lichens, coral, trees, lightning, rivers, crystals, and venation patterns. Our method first generates a regular lattice with randomly weighted edges, then finds least-cost paths through the lattice. Multiple paths from a single starting location (or generator) are connected into a single dendritic shape. Alternatively, path costs can be used to segment volumes into irregular shapes. The pathfinding process is inexpensive, and admits control handles including endpoint placement, distribution of generators, and arrangement of nodes in the graph.