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Abstract: Minimum Distance Queries for Polygonal and Parametric Models

Minimum Distance Queries for Polygonal and Parametric Models

David E. Johnson
Elaine Cohen

Technical Report UUCS-97-003, University of Utah, Department of Computer Science, Feb. 26, 1997

© 1997 UU. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the University of Utah.

Abstract:

Calculation of the minimum distance to a geometric object or the minimum separation between objects is a fundamental problem that has application in a variety of arenas. Minimum separation queries for sculptured surfaces are believed particularly difficult, yet are increasingly important as modeling problems grow larger and interactivity demands grow more stringent. We present a set of algorithms based on easy to compute bounds that allows efficient solution of minimum separation queries for many types of surface representations. These algorithms have simple and robust implementations and have average case performance matching the most efficient theoretical algorithms. These algorithms are tested in an interactive application designed to be the front-end of a haptic display system for virtual prototyping of assemblies.

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