Abstract

Abstract: This paper reports the design of an interactive 3D visualization of a wind system driven by a pressure gradient, implemented in Unity 3D. The visualization makes the concepts of pressure gradients and wind velocities easier for the student to understand. Given a low and a high pressure center, the algorithm takes the terrain height-map and calculates the wind acceleration at each point due to the pressure gradient. This acceleration vector can be applied to particles such as snow, dust, or water to create excellent wind visual effects. The example used in this paper applies the acceleration to lightweight particles flying over a hilly terrain. The simulation includes user input so that the student may specify the initial position of a specific particle and use the visualization to follow the track of the particle.

Citation

Prayaga, C., Aguayo, J. & Prayaga, L. (2011). Interactive 3-Dimensional Visualization of Wind System Driven by a Pressure Gradient. In C. Ho & M. Lin (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn 2011--World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 374-379). Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 5, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/38735/.

© 2011 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

Keywords

• algorithm