Physical Simulation and Visualization of Cells

Abstract: Multicellular organisms develop from a single cell by repeated cell division and cell differentiation. This report presents a computer program for simulating dividing cells. The program simulates a single cell that goes through a series of divisions to create a small organism. The evolving organism can be visualized both in a 3D view and in a lineage tree structure that shows the cell heradity. Information about both final cells and intermediary cells is easily available for the user. A method for fast physical simulation of soft bodies based on a mass-spring system combined with a pressure model is used to simulate the physical properties of the cells. Fast collision detection for soft bodies is achieved using hierarchical tree structure of axis aligned bounding boxes combined with an implicit penetration depth definition. Biological control of cell division and differentiation is simulated using a model where the state of each cell is represented by as a vector of substances present in the cell. The cell state is updated at discrete time steps by a model of DNA transcription.