The ground motion data at various points on the ground surface are either numerically simulated or recorded during an earthquake. A numerical method of simulating the spatially correlated, piecewise stationary and response spectrum compatible ground motions will be presented first. The second part illustrates several animation algorithms that are used to achieve a realistic visual effect of ground surface movements. The ground surface is assumed to be flat and modelled by wire frames or polygon meshes with lighting and shading considerations. An example is included to demonstrate the effects of the different animation algorithms.

The ability to display a set of the recorded or simulated multiple earthquake ground motion data through the computer animation provides a realistic view to earthquake engineers. The developed program can also be used to train students in learning the earthquake effects.

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