Re: [Algorithms] Using RAPID within a rigid body simulator

[Adam M. <amo...@dp...>]

No, I successfully postprocess RAPID's output to do that.  Specifically, I
need a vertex-face pair or an edge-edge pair to be used as contacts.  RAPID
gives you intersecting triangle pairs, but if you look at where those
triangles were one step earlyer (before they intersected) you can do some
distance computations to find which of their features (verticed and edges)
were the closest at that point, which gives the vertex face and edge pairs.

The rigid body simulation itself typically doesn't need to track closest
points, unless they are really close, as above.  Permanent closest point
tracking between objects is usually used to speed up the collision detector
(temporal coherence).

--
--Adam Moravanszky
http://www.n.ethz.ch/student/adammo



>example, say I'm just using OBBs, as with RAPID. RAPID will detect
>collisions, but won't give me a distance or a pair of closest points. Does
>it mean it can't be used efficiently within a rigid body simulator ?
>
>I think I'm missing something there.
>
>Pierre