Rest Shape Optimization for Sag-Free Discrete Elastic Rods

We propose a new rest shape optimization framework to achieve sag-free simulations of discrete elastic rods. To optimize rest shape parameters, we formulate a minimization problem based on the kinetic energy with a regularizer while imposing box constraints on these parameters to ensure the system's stability. Our method solves the resulting constrained minimization problem via the Gauss-Newton algorithm augmented with penalty methods. We demonstrate that the optimized rest shape parameters enable discrete elastic rods to achieve static equilibrium for a wide range of strand geometries and material parameters.

@article{takahashi2025_2409.12362,
  title={ Rest Shape Optimization for Sag-Free Discrete Elastic Rods },
  author={ Tetsuya Takahashi and Christopher Batty },
  journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2409.12362},
  year={ 2025 }
}