SDFs and the Fast sweeping algorithm in Jax

SDFs and Fast sweeping in JAX 04 May 2025 jax, simulation This is going to be a fun blog - we'll explore the intuition behind level sets, the Eikonal equation, and implement a speedy algorithm for solving this equation, called the fast sweeping method, in JAX. Fig 1: FSM in action I was recently researching a problem that involved interface evolution over time. Our interface was represented by a set of points. To evolve this interface along its normal direction, we were approximating the normals for these points, extending the points along the normal direction, then resampling them to maintain point density - since, if the shape had expanded, the point density would have decreased. This method of propagating interfaces, involving tracking particles on the front as it evolves, is known as Lagrangian front evolution, and comes with a host of problems, such as resampling issues, handling particles that "grow into" a surface, etc. The level set method and the eikonal equation # An ... Read full article.