> 1.) Has anyone figured out how to create an "Implicit Surface"? I'm
> looking for a class which would take a formula and generate the surface
> where the formula resolves to a value of zero.
> example: 5-sqrt(x^2+y^2+z^2) should result in a sphere with a radius
> of 5
>
I'm going to be EXTREMELY interested in doing this in the near future, so if
you find a good method, please pass it on. Otherwise, maybe we could
collaborate on a creation of our own. I am creating an educational Java3D
application teaching physics and I'd like to be able to dynamically display
equipotential surfaces between interacting bodies.
A quick and dirty method that I'm considering is a sort of vector field
approach. Instead of trying to worm my way across a continuous solution
surface, I will just search a discretized three dimensional grid for points
that are within some percentage of the value I'm seeking, such as zero. Then,
at each of these solution points I will create a polygon whose normal is the
gradient of the function evaluated at that point.
For greater accuracy, this process could be iterated a few times. On
subsequent passes you would search finer grids in the vicinity of the point
discovered for a more accurate solution. The number of passes and the size of
the polygon to use could be detremined by the divergence of the function in
that vicinity.
What do you think of this?
--
John Brecht
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
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