The need to perform fast and accurate proximity queries arises frequently in physically-based modeling, simulation, animation, real-time interaction within a virtual environment, and game dynamics. The set of proximity queries include intersection detection, tolerance verification, exact and approximate minimum distance computation, and (disjoint) contact determination. Specialized data structures and algorithms have often been designed to perform each type of query separately. We present a unified approach to perform any of these queries seamlessly for general, rigid polyhedral objects with boundary representations which are orientable 2-manifolds. The proposed method involves a hierarchical data structure built upon a surface decomposition of the models. Furthermore, the incremental query algorithm takes advantage of coherence between successive frames. It has been applied to complex benchmarks and compares very favorably with earlier algorithms and systems.

Abstract We present an intuitive system,inTouch, for interactively editing and painting a polygonal mesh using a force‐feedback device. An artist or a designer can use this system to create and refine a three‐dimensional multi‐resolution polygonal mesh. The appearance can be further enhanced by directly painting onto its surface. The system allows users to naturally create complex forms and patterns aided not only by visual feedback but also by their sense of touch. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We present an accelerated proximity query algorithm between moving convex polyhedra. The algorithm combines Voronoi-based feature tracking with a multi-level-of-detail representation, in order to adapt to the variation in levels of coherence and speed up the computation. It provides a progressive refinement framework for collision detection and distance queries. We have implemented our algorithm and have observed significant performance improvements in our experiments, especially on scenarios where the coherence is low.

We present an algorithm for haptic display of moderately complex polygonal models with a six degree of freedom (DOF) force feedback device. We make use of incremental algorithms for contact determination between convex primitives. The resulting contact information is used for calculating the restoring forces and torques and thereby used to generate a sense of virtual touch. To speed up the computation, our approach exploits a combination of geometric locality, temporal coherence, and predictive methods to compute object-object contacts at kHz rates. The algorithm has been implemented and interfaced with a 6-DOF PHANToM Premium 1.5. We demonstrate its performance on force display of the mechanical interaction between moderately complex geometric structures that can be decomposed into convex primitives.

We present an intuitive 3D interface for interactively editing and painting a polygonal mesh using a force feedback device. An artist or a designer can use the system to create and refine a three-dimensional multiresolution polygonal mesh. Its appearance can be further enhanced by directly painting onto its surface. The system allows users to naturally create complex forms and patterns not only aided by visual feedback, but also by their sense of touch.