This work is a final project from CS 5643: Physically Based Animation for Computer Graphics, a graduate course at Cornell taught by Dr. Doug James. This work simulated leaf venation patterns using algorithms described by Runions et al. (2005). A 2D simulation is developed in JAVA, using the Processing library for visualization. Code is available on Github:

• Source: Code

Examples simulations are shown in the video below. Every simulation creates a unique leaf pattern. When the same system parameters are used, the results will be qualitatively similar. By changing these parameters, a wide range of qualitatively different venation patterns can be formed.

The simulations return the shape of the leaf and veins as a series of nodes and connected edges of various sizes. A Python script is generated that creates 3D geometries in the open source parametric CAD modeler, FreeCAD. Finally, Meshmixer is used to smooth the resulting mesh. The final mesh is uploaded in Creation Workshop where it is “sliced” and sent to a 3D printer. For these examples, the LittleRP kit printer was used.

To learn more about this project, you can read the full project report here:

• Final Report