Dynamic Control of Animation Schemes for the Efficient 3D-Visualization of Material Flow Simulations

This paper describes a method for the animation of a large number of objects within a dynamic 3D visualization of a material flow simulation model. It uses key-frame based animation. The number of animated objects may grow constantly in complex simulation models, which might lead to an amount of animations that is too big to be computed in real-time. By the use of a dynamic adjustment, the presented algorithm prefers important animations. Less relevant animations are updated rarely, whereby the selection itself is taken by multiple indicators, e.g. the visible size of the animated object on the screen, in order to keep a good optical impression. Dependent on the computing power of the computer, the algorithm controls the animations in such a way, that the fluid visualization of a large number of objects is still possible. Though the algorithm is to be used within a material flow simulator, it is moreover implemented in a specific animation editor, which allows the design and control of animation schemes. It supports the use of grouping to allow the creation of hierarchical structures for complex animations in a fast and easy manner. The evaluation of the algorithm is proven by a test scene, consisting of tens of thousands animated objects.