View source for Surface Evolver

'''Surface Evolver''' is an interactive program for the study of [[Surface (topology)|surfaces]] shaped by [[surface tension]] and other energies, and subject to various constraints.

== Description ==

A surface is implemented as a [[simplicial complex]]. The user defines an initial surface in a datafile. The Evolver evolves the surface toward minimal energy by a [[gradient descent]] method. The aim can be to find a minimal energy surface, or to model the process of evolution by mean curvature.

The energy in the Evolver can be a combination of surface tension, gravitational energy, squared mean curvature, user-defined surface integrals, or knot energies.

The Evolver can handle arbitrary [[topology]], volume constraints, boundary constraints, boundary [[Contact angle|contact angles]], prescribed mean curvature, crystalline integrands, gravity, and constraints expressed as surface integrals. The surface can be in an [[ambient space]] of arbitrary dimension, which can have a Riemannian metric, and the ambient space can be a quotient space under a group action.

Evolver was written at The Geometry Center, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, Enterprise Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota.

== See also ==

* [[Ambient space]]
* [[Gradient descent]]
* [[Minimal surface]]

== External links ==

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Evolver Surface Evolver] @ Wikipedia

[[Category:Mathematics]]
[[Category:Software]]