HELLAS: a specialized architecture for interactive deformable object modeling

ABSTRACT

Applications involving interactive modeling of deformable objects require highly iterative, floating-point intensive numerical simulations. As the complexity of these models increases, the computational power required for their simulation quickly grows beyond the capabilities of current general purpose systems. In this paper, we present the design of a low--cost, high--performance, specialized architecture to accelerate these simulations. Our aim is to use such specialized hardware to allow complex interactive physical modeling even on consumer-grade PCs. In this paper, we present details of the target algorithms, the HELLAS architecture, simulation results and lessons learned from our implementation.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.7 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
      B.7.1 Types and Design Styles
          Subjects: Algorithms implemented in hardware

Keywords:
computer graphics, deformable objects, floatingpoint intensive, interactive physical modeling, specialized hardware