Design of Virtual Objects for Exact Collision Detection in Virtual Reality Modeling of Manufacturing Processes
Abstract Collision detection becomes a key issue when we want to model interactions between general, nonconvex objects in virtual reality applications which arise in manufacturing process domain. Despite significant progress which has been made in developing efficient, exact collision detection algorithms for convex objects, limited and slow progress has been reported in developing collision detection algorithms for general, nonconvex objects. To narrow this gap we introduce a concept of virtual objects which extends applicability of exact collision detection algorithms to nonconvex objects. This paper presents a methodology to encapsulate into virtual objects the surface patches of interest for collision detection as well as the automatic procedures for creation of virtual objects and for partitioning them into convex pieces. The collision detection technique described in this paper is best suited for interactive simulation and animation applications where high accuracy of object contact modeling is required. Examples include virtual assembly; mobile robot simulation; and simulation of manufacturing processes where accurate modeling of near-miss detection is essential, e.g. robotic painting, robotic welding, and NC machining operations.