ELAN

With an original positioning across Computer Graphics and Computational Mechanics, the ELAN team strives to model, simulate and understand the physics and mechanics of nonlinear phenomena, such as cloth folding, ribbon coiling, plant growth, fracture, granular flowing and cohesion, hair entangling, or crowd behaviours. Target applications encompass the digital entertainment industry (e.g., feature film animation, special effects), as well as virtual prototyping for the mechanical engineering industry (e.g., design of architected materials, cosmetology). Though very different, these two application fields require predictive and scalable models for capturing complex mechanical phenomena at the macroscopic scale. An orthogonal goal of our team is to understand the fundamental concepts behind physical and biological processes involving slender elastic structures, granular matter, or active matter. This is made possible thanks to a three-fold approach that closely combines advanced simulation with theory and lab experiments. The team is also involved in many plurdisciplinary collaborations, in particular with soft matter physicists.