1. DiRT – Dust in Real-Time
CS 426 Senior Projects
Advisors:
Team Members:
Marcos Bagby
Ryan Romero
Brett Sulprizio
Hiroko Uda
Dr. Sergiu Dascalu
Brian Westphal
Dr. Frederick Harris
Joseph Jaquish

2. Overview Project Description Applications Objectives
Development/Design
Challenges
Demo
Future Work
Questions/Comments

3. DiRT (Dust in Real-Time) is a…
3D dust visualization program

4. Main Objectives Simulate & Model Dust Why this subject? Realistic
Real-time
Minimum number of resources
Multiple Methods
Why this subject?
Initially planned for Desert Research Institute’s (DRI) CAVE Project
CAVE = (Computer Automated Virtual Environment)

5. Applications Military Video Games CAVE Project Simulations
enable realistic rehearsals of potential encounters and situations
better understanding of combat environment leads to strategizing more effectively
Video Games
Low resource gaming engines
CAVE Project
Immersive virtual environment

6. CAVE (aka Cave Automatic Virtual Environment)
In practice, most Caves have three to four faces with projections. (Image from: Cruz-Neira, Sandin, DeFanti, Kenyon and Hart, 1992).

7. Specifications C++ OpenGL QT for GUI Flyable Model Camera Control
Frame Rate Display

8. Development Three Planned Methods Volumetric Fog Diffuse Reflection
Using OpenGL’s fog extensions to simulate
Diffuse Reflection
Relying on light to create the effect
Particle System
Generating individual particles (slower)
Freeform particle movement inside specified region

9. Volumetric Fog Large affected area divided into small volumes
Volumes will translate, morph, etc…
Will have different densities
Translation and morphing specified by airflow parameters
Stencil Buffer and Alpha Blending with multi-pass rendering creates the illusion

10. Design: System Architecture

12. Challenges Camera Dust methods Model
Had problems with controls & terrain
Dust methods
References on methods vague
Harder than expected
Model
Not too familiar with loaders, challenge was integrating with our terrain

13. Demo

15. Future Work Diffuse Reflection and Particle System methods
Diffuse reflection probably most difficult to implement
Particle system probably easiest to implement, but very resource intensive
More advanced algorithms
Implement for CAVE use
Voxel Processing Method

16. Any Questions/Comments?