Virtual Contaminant Rendering via Additive Subtractive Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computer-generated simulations struggle to maintain high environmental replication credibility while managing limited material resources such as processing power and memory, often requiring compromises in environmental detail.
Innovation Solution
A method for rendering virtual contaminants in a computer simulation using a virtual environment with additive and subtractive zones, where graphical processing units add and remove contaminants along defined paths, allowing for smooth visual transitions and efficient resource management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high level of environmental replication is achieved, then simulation credibility is improved, but material resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual environment is segmented into multiple zones (additive zones, subtractive zones, exclusion zones) with different levels of contaminant detail. This allows high-fidelity replication only in areas where it matters most for simulation credibility, while using lower-fidelity representations elsewhere, thus resolving the contradiction between replication quality and resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the virtual environment are assigned different qualities of contaminant representation. Additive zones use full visual fidelity with texture mapping and extrusion, subtractive zones use simplified representations, and exclusion zones omit contaminants entirely. This local differentiation maintains simulation credibility where needed while reducing overall material resource consumption.
2Reliability
If high level of environmental replication is achieved, then simulation credibility is improved, but processing power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environment is divided into zones with varying computational requirements. Additive zones receive full processing resources for realistic contaminant rendering, subtractive zones receive reduced processing, and exclusion zones receive minimal to no processing for contaminants. This segmentation maintains simulation credibility in critical areas while managing processing power consumption across the entire virtual environment.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full contaminant replication processing to the entire virtual environment, the system applies partial action by limiting high-fidelity processing to specific additive zones. This selective approach maintains simulation credibility where it impacts the most while avoiding excessive processing power consumption in areas where full replication is unnecessary.
3Reliability
If high level of environmental replication is achieved, then simulation credibility is improved, but memory and storage space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Contaminant data is segmented and stored differently for different zones. Additive zones store complete contaminant information including textures, extrusion data, and path information. Subtractive zones store reduced information sets, and exclusion zones store minimal or no contaminant data. This segmentation maintains simulation credibility in additive zones while reducing overall memory and storage space consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels of contaminant data are stored locally for different zones. High-quality textures and detailed path information are stored only for additive zones where they contribute to simulation credibility. Subtractive and exclusion zones use lower-quality or omitted data, reducing total memory and storage requirements while preserving credibility where it matters most.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and computer system for performing a computer simulation in which virtual contaminants are rendered on a scene thereof. A model defining a virtual environment of the computer simulation is loaded into memory module. The virtual environment defines a first additive zone and a second subtractive zone with vector paths therewithin and being at least partially enclosed within the first additive zone. An image generator module is used for adding a virtual contaminant over the first additive zone, removing, at least partially, the virtual contaminant within the second subtractive zone along the paths in 2D leaving a remaining virtual contaminant in the first additive zone and rendering an image for display comprising the remaining virtual contaminant in the virtual environment using a visual texture of the virtual contaminant. At least one border is defined along the paths for allowing smooth visual transition with one or more neighboring images.