A B-Spline Finite Element Method for Cloth Simulation

Abstract: We present a B-spline finite element method (FEM) for cloth simulation. Building on quadratic B-spline basis functions, our method provides a globally $C^1$-continuous displacement field, enabling consistent and accurate discretization of both membrane and bending energies. This smooth representation effectively mitigates locking artifacts and mesh dependency issues commonly observed with linear FEM. To further improve efficiency, we develop a reduced integration scheme that separately optimizes quadrature rules for membrane and bending energies, further reducing computational overhead while maintaining accuracy. We validate our approach through extensive experiments, demonstrating improved accuracy, visual quality, and efficiency compared to linear FEM and recent higher-order methods. Our method enables realistic simulation of complex wrinkling dynamics across varying material parameters, offering a promising new spatial discretization for cloth simulation.