[ODE] [Algorithms] SOLID 3.1

[Pierre Terdiman]

(from comp.graphics.algorithms)

The long-awaited follow up to SOLID 2.0 is finally released by CEBRA at
www.libsolid.com. SOLID is a software library for collision detection of
geometric objects in 3D space.  Since the previous version 2.0 of SOLID,
which was released in June 1998 by the Department of Mathematics & Computing
Science of Eindhoven University of Technology, SOLID has evolved and matured
to a large extent. New features as well as improvements for robustness and
performance have been added. The most important changes in SOLID 3 are:

â^' Use of single-precision floating-point numbers. The use of a 32-bit
floating-point format is a requirement for games and other interactive
applications that run on current PC graphics hardware and consoles.

â^' Penetration-depth computation as a new response type. The penetration
depth of a pair of intersecting objects is the shortest vector over which
one of the objects needs to be translated in order to bring the objects in
touching contact. The penetration depth can be used as an approximation of
the contact point and contact plane, which are necessary for physics-based
simulation.

â^' Multiple scenes. This feature is useful when collision detection is
required for multiple tasks. For instance, it is possible to maintain at the
same time a sound scene, a scene used for visibility culling, and a scene
for physics simulations, without the objects in different scenes interfering
with each other.

â^' Expansion of objects. Objects can be expanded spherically, i.e., a
margin
that defines the radius of the sphere that is 'added' can be set for each
object. The object is the set of points whose distance to the shape is at
most the margin. Margins are useful for creating objects with rounded edges,
or 'sensitive' areas around an object.

CEBRA offers binary SDKs of SOLID 3 for the Win32 and Linux platform. Use of
the SDK is free for non-commercial use, and requires a license fee for
commercial applications.

Gino van den Bergen

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