Showing papers on "Physics engine published in 2002"

Fast Continuous Collision Detection between Rigid Bodies

Abstract: This paper introduces a fast continuous collision detection technique for polyhedral rigid bodies. As opposed to most collision detection techniques, the computation of the first contact time between two objects is inherently part of the algorithm. The method can thus robustly prevent objects interpenetrations or collisions misses, even when objects are thin or have large velocities. The method is valid for general objects (polygon soups), handles multiple moving objects and acyclic articulated bodies, and is efficient in low and high coherency situations. Moreover, the method can be used to speed up existent continuous collision detection methods for parametric or implicit rigid surfaces. The collision detection algorithms have been successfully coupled to a real-time dynamics simulator. Various experiments are conducted that show the method's ability to produce high-quality interaction (precise objects positioning for example) between models up to tens of thousands of triangles, which couldn't have been performed with previous continuous methods.

System, method and computer program product for intuitive interactive navigation control in virtual environments

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product is provided for interactive user navigation in a real-time 3D simulation. An assembly builder permits a user to build customized physics-based assemblies for user navigation in a variety of virtual environments. These assemblies are stored in a library and are then accessed by a navigation run-time module that runs in conjunction with, or as a part of, a visual run-time application. The navigation run-time module receives high-level user goal requests via a simple and intuitive user interface, converts them into a series of tasks, and then selects the appropriate assembly or assemblies to perform each task. As a result, complex navigation may be achieved. Once selected, an assembly provides a physics-based eye-point model for user navigation. Collisions between the assembly and objects in the simulation are resolved using a real-time physics engine, thus ensuring smooth, cinematic-style eye-point modeling in addition to real-time control.

Research on collision detection in surgery simulation

Abstract: Surgery simulation is an important application of virtual reality in the field of modern medicine. Quick and exact collision detection is an important factor for the reality of surgery simulation, while the real time and complexity requirement brings an even higher request. Based on the comprehensive analysis of new features on collision detection in surgery simulation, a method based on fixed direction hull bounding volume hierarchy is proposed, which not only can improve the speed of collision detection but also can adapt to the change of geometric quality and topology after the tissue deformation. It is indicated through a concrete application that this method can resolve collision detection problem in surgery simulation well.

Application of physics engines in virtual worlds

Abstract: Dynamic virtual worlds potentially can provide a much richer and more enjoyable experience than static ones. To realize such worlds, three approaches are commonly used. The first of these, and still widely applied, involves importing traditional animations from a modeling system such as 3D Studio Max. This approach is therefore limited to predefined animation scripts or combinations/blends thereof. The second approach involves the integration of some specific-purpose simulation code, such as car dynamics, and is thus generally limited to one (class of) application(s). The third approach involves the use of general-purpose physics engines, which promise to enable a range of compelling dynamic virtual worlds and to considerably speed up development. By far the largest market today for real-time simulation is computer games, revenues exceeding those of the movie industry. Traditionally, the simulation is produced by game developers in-house for specific titles. However, off-the-shelf middleware physics engines are now available for use in games and related domains. In this paper, we report on our experiences of using middleware physics engines to create a virtual world as an interactive experience, and an advanced scenario where artificial life techniques generate controllers for physically modeled characters.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Extending Physical Simulation to the Audio Domain

Abstract: Using physical simulation to control movement and interactions between objects in a 3D environment, such as a computer game, has become increasingly common However; this idea has not been extended in a general sense to the audio domain. The audio component of these systems usually comprises of pre-recorded WAV files that are triggered in response to events. We argue that this approach has serious limitations and propose instead that the physical information made available by physics engines provides an opportunity to carry out synthesis of appropriate sounds from scratch. We outline a framework for adding a sound synthesis module to a physics engine and discuss some approaches to implementing this.