Enriching SPH simulation by approximate capillary waves

Abstract

Capillary waves are difficult to simulate due to their fast traveling speed and high frequency. In this paper, we propose to approximate capillary wave effects by surface compression waves under the SPH framework. To achieve this goal, we present a method to convert surface tension energy changes measured from SPH simulation into high-frequency density variations. Based on the compression wave propagation model, we present an approximate technique to simulate capillary wave propagation in a high-frequency particle density field. To address noise issues in wave simulation, we develop a simple way to apply the zero pressure condition on free surfaces in projection-based incompressible SPH. Our experiment shows that the developed algorithm can produce realistic capillary wave effects on both thin liquid features and large liquid bodies. Its computational overhead is also small.