Accelerated streak line computation using adaptive refinement

Abstract

We introduce an improved algorithm for streak line approximation in 2D and 3D time-dependent vector fields. The algorithm is mainly based on iterative refinement of an initial coarse approximation of the streak line. The refinement process is steered by a predicate indicating the local approximation quality. We apply the algorithm to several real-world data sets to prove its applicability and robustness. An error analysis and a comparison show that the algorithm produces more accurate streak lines in shorter time compared to previous approaches. Finally we show how the new algorithm can help to improve the construction of streak surfaces.