Generating virtual guitar strings using scripts

Artists who create 3D models usually rely on the traditional method of direct mesh manipulation using basic operations such as translation, rotation, scaling, and extrusion. In some cases, creating a model in this manner requires performing many repetitive and precise actions, which makes a fully manual approach suboptimal. This paper explores an alternative concept of 3D modeling using scripts, which aims to automate parts of the modeling process. Existing procedural algorithms use scripts to generate objects based on mathematical models (e.g. generating realistic terrains using fractals), or to build complex structures using simple template models (model synthesis). Unlike those methods, which rely on stochastic behavior to generate pseudo-randomized shapes, the goal of this method is to write scripts that generate parametric objects which would be either difficult or time-consuming to model by hand. The example described in this paper is a script that generates animated strings for musical instruments. Although the basic shape of a string is quite simple, animating string vibrations and bending can be quite a tedious task, especially because of the various shapes and sizes of string instruments.