Communications of the ACM
Swedish Research Can Make Super Mario More Realistic
Thomas Larsson, a researcher at Sweden's Malardalen University, has developed a new approach for calculating collisions involving animated objects in computer games. Special measures have to be taken to keep animated figures from running through each other. Larsson developed a faster way for making more credible collisions, and includes the use of sound effects, deformations, and other consequences, similar to how collisions occur in the physical world. The calculations help determine that objects are actually colliding with each other, and then have the objects change direction by bouncing off each other, form dents, become deformed, break into pieces, or even explode.
"To animate or simulate objects that move or fly around on the screen, the objects need to be able to react to collisions," Larsson says. "In many cases the collision calculations, just like the image generation itself, have to be done in a few milliseconds, otherwise the interactivity and the experience are ruined."
The approach also can be used for simulations in robotics, virtual surgery, and visualization.
From Malardalen University (Sweden)
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