Granular materials such as soil, rock, sand and snow are ubiquitous in nature. The underlying physical relationships between individual grains in such materials affect earthquakes, landslides, grain silos, concrete bridges, pharmaceutical pills, and planetary terrain.

Our collaborators study the stability of complex granular materials under pressure over time. Their simulations track the behavior of individual grains within and across macro scales. However, it is difficult and time consuming for them to visualize and analyse a full collection of discrete grain data across these scales and over time at once.

With Jose Andrade and researchers in his lab, we created a pipeline for researchers to see high resolution contours of the grains in 3D, their movements, connections between them, and forces and stresses across them at micro and levels. The tool enables researchers to see how these discrete properties and interrelationships vary in space and time.