Researchers Synthesize Real-Time Fracture Sounds

ChippedTeapot writes "Researchers at Cornell University have devised an algorithm for synthesizing sounds associated with brittle fracture simulations. Computers can now automatically generate synchronized sound, motion, and graphics for physically based fracture events, such as in future interactive virtual environments. The results will be presented at ACM SIGGRAPH 2010 in Los Angeles July 25-29. Check out the smashing results on YouTube."

Comments

Movies?

[garyisabusyguy]

Not so much, there are entire ranks of Foleys who work under union rules to deliver most movie sound effects (although they probably have impressive Sound Engineer titles now).

This is much more likely aimed at environments like video games and battle-ground simulations, where any number of events can occur and the presence of a tightly aligned sound track is needed to produce a more realistic effect.

The sequences of events in movies are pretty tightly controlled, so I see this as having less use there

Re:Uses?

[chichilalescu]

for me, as a physicist, it's fascinating that they were able to do it. the human brain is a great tool to test how "natural" various simulations are, and when you succeed in fooling it, it means your model is very close to reality in a certain way.
in the study of complex phenomena, any ability to model is an important insight, because we don't have the math to understand what's happening just by using first principles.

as a sidenote, the problem of turbulence was well-known before the revolution of quantum and relativistic physics; still, Kolmogorov's scaling law (one of the most important results in turbulence) came in the 1940s. these problems are hard, and I will take my hat off to anyone who is able to cheaply reproduce aspects of nonlinear phenomena.

Re:Uses?

[nebaz]

I think it depends on what people are accustomed to. Do silencers really work on guns as silently as shown in the movies? Or do punches really have the big "phwak" sound that you hear there? People are only good at determining "natural" sounds compared to what they are used to. They may not be realistic though.