Beam Division in Acoustic Simulation of Non-Homogenous Environments

In order to expand the area of use of the beam tracing method, the beam tracing with the refraction method (BTR) was developed. The BTR is best suited for acoustic and hydro-acoustic simulation of non-homogenous environments. The BTR can trace the refraction as well as the reflection of the sound wave, using triangular beams. The geometry of the scene in the BTR is based on triangle meshes rather than polygons. This enables the BTR to simulate complex, irregular shaped objects, including non-convex volumes. Furthermore, the BTR traces beams through several entities filled with different media. This paper presents algorithms and data structures used to divide beams during the interaction of a beam with the complex, non-convex environment. This paper also brings measurements of the implemented beam division code and the comparison of measured results with results of other methods.