AR Fluid Sim That Collides with Real Objects

A webcam and polarization filter enable a fluid simulation to perceive and collide with physical objects placed in front of a screen. The live video feed is aligned to the simulation so silhouettes act as obstacles, with hands becoming playful, unintended interactors. The system uses a wind-tunnel style model informed by Tidepodious’s resources.

Key Points

• Goal: test a fluid simulation that collides with and responds to real-world objects placed in front of a screen.
• Setup: a webcam above the screen plus a polarization filter prevents feedback loops while capturing object silhouettes.
• Calibration aligns the camera feed with the simulation so the fluid treats captured shapes as obstacles.
• Hands are also detected as obstacles—initially a side effect but ultimately a fun interactive feature.
• The simulation uses a wind-tunnel style fluid model, with Tidepodious cited as a key resource.

Sentiment

Overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. The community uniformly praised the demo's technical cleverness, particularly the polarization filter approach. No criticism or skepticism was expressed — commenters focused entirely on appreciation, enhancement ideas, and sharing related work. The creator was highly engaged in responding to questions and suggestions.

In Agreement

• The polarization filter approach is an elegant and simple solution to a complex problem of separating physical objects from screen content
• This demo has strong potential as a science museum or exhibition installation and could be pitched to venues like the Phaeno
• The setup is impressively accessible, running on integrated laptop graphics and potentially buildable for around $1500 with recycled hardware
• The interactive hand-tracking aspect adds a delightful playful dimension to the experience

Opposed

• A request for source code went unanswered, with at least one commenter noting the absence of shared code