Simulating
brain tissue
in real time.
An award-winning surgical training simulator built for an inter-university competition - real-time soft-body physics, accurate tissue deformation and bleeding mechanics for neurosurgery education. Recognized as Best University Graduate Project 2023.
- Role
- VR development lead
- Year
- 2022 - 2023
- Recognition
- Best University Graduate Project 2023
- Platform
- Meta Quest · Standalone VR
- Core stack
- Unity · C# · HLSL · custom physics
- Target FPS
- 72 FPS (VR comfort)
Tissue, pressure, blood - at 72 FPS.
Neurosurgery requires delicate handling of extremely soft brain tissue. The core challenge was to simulate non-linear soft-body deformation, incision and bleeding in real time on standalone VR hardware, where performance budgets are tight.
Standard rigid-body physics were insufficient. A custom solution was needed to calculate vertex displacement based on tool pressure without dropping below the critical 72 FPS threshold required for comfortable VR.
The simulation combines patient MRI/CT-derived anatomy, a vertex-based deformation system, particle-based bleeding, stereoscopic rendering optimization, and a full suite of interactive surgical instruments.
From scan to simulation.
Converting real patient MRI/CT scans into optimized 3D meshes suitable for real-time deformation.
Developing the vertex deformation algorithm driving tissue response to tool pressure.
Programming scalpels, forceps, bipolars and suction tools with tool-specific collision logic.
Designing intuitive hand-tracking and controller interactions for precision surgical tasks.
User testing with medical students and neurosurgeons to calibrate realism against clinical expectation.
Under the hood.
Soft-body physics
Custom vertex-based deformation system that allows the brain mesh to compress and rebound realistically when pressed by surgical tools, mimicking the viscoelastic properties of organic matter.
Dynamic bleeding
Particle-based bleeding system that reacts to incision depth and location. Suction-tool mechanics clear the surgical field, adding urgency and realism to the training loop.
Surgical tools
A suite of interactive tools including scalpels, bipolars and microscopic cameras. Each has its own physics interactions, haptic feedback profile and sound.
Stereoscopic 3D
Rendering tuned for stereoscopic VR depth perception - critical where millimeters decide the outcome of a training scenario.