Interactive manipulation of rigid body simulations

Physical simulation of dynamic objects has become commonplace in computer graphics because it produces highly realistic animations. In this paradigm the animator provides few physical parameters such as the objects’ initial positions and velocities, and the simulator automatically generates realistic motions. The resulting motion, however, is difficult to control because even a small adjustment of the input parameters can drastically affect the subsequent motion. Furthermore, the animator often wishes to change the endresult of the motion instead of the initial physical parameters. We describe a novel interactive technique for intuitive manipulation of rigid multi-body simulations. Using our system, the animator can select bodies at any time and simply drag them to desired locations. In response, the system computes the required physical parameters and simulates the resulting motion. Surface characteristics such as normals and elasticity coefficients can also be automatically adju...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: SIGGRAPH
• Authors: Jovan Popovic, Steven M. Seitz, Michael Erdmann, Zoran Popovic, Andrew P. Witkin
• Keywords: Animator, Computer Graphics, Physical Parameters, SIGGRAPH 2000