COMP 599 - Winter 2009 - Assignment 1
Mass-Spring Particle System

Note: clarifications added. -- 19:01 Jan 13.

Note: discussion and additional details on WebCT. -- 18:00 Jan 17.

Since this is the first assignment, you'll need to spend a little bit of time to get set up. If you are not already using Java then download and install the latest Java SE JDK (careful not to select the JRE). I also recommend using Eclipse as a development environment.

Download the provided code and dump it into a new java project. The code has two parts. The first part is the comp599.a1 package which contains the template code for this assignment. The second part is the comp599.tools package, which is a set of tools for quickly getting started with 2D and 3D graphics. There are three parts to the tools package:

• parameters contains boolean and double parameter classes for quickly setting values with swing interface controls.
• swing contains layout helpers and panels for quickly throwing together a Java swing interface.
• viewer contains some simple classes for 2D and 3D viewing, including a 3D trackball and camera controls. (note that for simplicity, this assignment is set up to be all 2D graphics).

You do not need to change anything in the tools package to complete this assignment. The source for the tools is provided only for your convenience, and you should focus your attention on the a1 package.

The code uses two other libraries: JOGL for OpenGL bindings, and vecmath for classes useful for math with 2D vectors. JOGL is available at https://jogl.dev.java.net/. Click on current release build (JSR-231 1.1.1) and download the appropriate files for your platform. If on windows, download

• jogl-1.1.1-windows-i586.zip
• jogl-1.1.1-src.zip (to have access to javadoc in Eclipse)
• jogl-1.1.1-docs.zip (if you prefer reading javadoc in your browser)

To make your life more pleasant in Eclipse, you want to attach the source code to the jar for the javadoc. First add the jar to your build path, then open up Reference Libraries in your project, right click on the jar to set properties, go to source code attachment, and tell it where to find the zip file. Note that the .dll (or .so) that comes with the jar must be in your path. You can do this by opening the reference libraries in your project, right clicking to select properties, choose Native Library and enter the location of the .dll or .so file.

If you need either a quick introduction to or to brush up on OpenGL, check out these links: The OpenGL Programming Guide (The Red Book) online version (or at Amazon), Jumping into JOGL, JOGL: A Beginner's Guide and Tutorial. Another popular resource is nehe.gamedev.net (see the NeHeGL JOGL link on the bottom right).

The vecmath package is available as part of Java3D. Instead of installing the full Java3D, you can download just the vecmath.jar locally. The source code (i.e., the javadoc) is in the jar, so if it isn't automatically attached, you'll want to repeat the process above and attach the jar as source. You might also want to browse the vecmath javadoc online.

Below you are asked to assemble a sequence of recorded frames that demonstrate the required features of your program. You can do this under Windows using virtualdub and an MPEG-4 / H.264 codec (I suggest xvid). If you are using Linux and do not have access to a Windows machine then please let me know. Once you have both the codec and virtualdub installed, you can create an avi file from a sequence of png still frames using the following steps (you'll probably want to complete at least part of the assignment and then come back to these steps later).

1. In virtualdub, select "Open video file..." from the File menu and choose the first image in the sequence (i.e., img00000.png). This will automatically load the entire sequence
2. The loaded images probably do not have a width and height which are multiple of 16, so you'll need to add a filter. Under the Video menu, select "Filters...", click Add, select Resize and click OK.
3. In the window that opens, there should be an option for Codec-friendly sizing in the bottom right. Select "Multiples of 16" and click OK. Now back at the Filters, click OK to close it.
4. Now you need to set the codec. Choose "Compression..." under the video menu and choose the codec you installed (e.g., Xvid MPEG-4 Codec).
5. The default configuration of the codec should be fine, but if the files you are creating are too large, you can return to this step and press the configure button to change the quantization settings.
6. Now you can save the image sequence to an avi file. Select "Save as avi..." under the file menu and specify the file name, then wait for virtualdub to finish encoding the file (it might need a minute depending on the length of your video and the speed of your computer).

The provided source code should help you get started quickly. It has an interface for creating points and dragging them around. The controls window lets to create a few different procedurally created test systems and lets you adjust parameters stuff as stiffness, damping, and step size. The main method lives in the A1App class, so this is the one you'll want to start when running your program. Note also the keyboard commands attached to the drawing canvas that let you start and stop the simulation, reset, and clear. There are also controls to help you save sequences of png files. The important parts of the program, however, are missing.

1. Finish implementing the code that computes spring deformation and viscous spring damping forces. See the Spring.java file and the comment the starts with "TODO".
2. Create getState and setState methods to get and set phase space state of the system in a flat array. Use these methods to write a forward Euler numerical integration method using the Integrator and Function interfaces provided. See the "TODO" comments in ParticleSystem.java in the updateParticles and derivs methods. Also see the "TODO" comment in the ForwardEuler class in the numerical package.
3. Note that in some of the example systems, some points have their pinned property set to true. Add a method to filter the state (and forces) so that these simple constraints work nicely with your numerical integration methods (both forward Euler, and those in step 5).
4. Modify the method you made in the previous step to also keep particles inside the window by projecting them to the closest boundary. For a particle in contact with a wall, a velocity away from the wall is OK, but a velocity toward the wall should not be allowed (the same for forces).
5. Create classes that implement the Integrator interface for the midpoint method, and the 2/3 point method (i.e., add classes to the numerical package and use them in your particle system. While you're at it, you may optionally want to implement the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method.
6. Add keyboard controls so that you can switch between integrators by pressing 1 through 3 (have a look at the "TODO" comment at the bottom of the A1App class which adds the KeyAdapter to the canvas). Automatically adjust the number of sub-steps so that each step involves the same amount of work (i.e., number of calls to compute derivatives).
7. Record a sequence of examples that demonstrate how these different numerical methods perform. With the damping set to zero find a step size which demonstrates which method performs best. Also demonstrate which is best when the damping is not zero. Encode the video as described above. Please keep your video short (half a minute should be plenty) so that the size of your compressed video to at most a few MB.
8. Finally record a sequence of something interesting or amusing. This could be something within the existing functionality of the specification and provided code, or some additional feature you add to your code. Encode the video as described above. Keep your video short and to the point (i.e., at most a few MB).

Complete the following written questions and submit a hard copy in class on Tuesday January 27. Alternatively you can prepare a pdf file with your answers (scanned hand written document, or generated with latex, openoffice, or otherwise) and submit it with your assignment via webCT (note the earlier deadline).

1. Consider a one dimensional system consisting of a single particle with mass 1 kg attached to a rigid wall with a spring (100 N/m) and damper (10 N/m/s). If the particle starts with zero velocity 0.01 m from rest (x=0), what is the exact trajectory? What is the maximum step size that you should use to numerically integrate this system with forward Euler? How would you characterize (in words) the difference between the exact and numerical solutions? Show your work, and check your answer with your assignment code.

Great! Submit your source code and two xvid encoded videos as a zip file via webCT. Include a readme.txt file with any specific comments. Bring your answers to the written questions to the class on the 27th, or submit them as a pdf via webCT. For both parts, provide a list of people with which you discussed the assignment.