are being developed at an ever more rapid pace, and the technical
demands are rising, not least regarding graphics boards. At Mälardalen University in Sweden, researchers have now found a
solution to a problem that often arises when new computer games are
constructed, namely how you can efficiently make sure that the animated
figures don't run right through each other. Researcher Thomas Larsson
is presenting a new model that enables complex figures to collide with
each other in a credible way ' preferably with sound effects,
deformations, and other consequences, just as in reality. In his dissertation he presents faster methods for discovering collisions in interactive simulations with computer graphics.
"Today
regular computers can draw realistic images of complex 3D environments
in the blink of an eye. This is thoroughly exploited in modern computer
games, for example. The images are therefore better and better in
quality, so people even use terms like photographic realism.
These images are generated by a powerful graphics board in the
computer, which draws millions of tiny surfaces, usually triangles, in
a few milliseconds."
"But it's not enough simply to draw the images. To animate
or simulate objects that move or fly around on the screen, the objects
need to be able to react to collisions. 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." All this is self-evident in the real world where objects
follow the rules of physics governing movement and collisions. In some
cases it is sufficient to have the objects change direction by bouncing
off each other. In other cases they may need to be dented (deformed),
break into pieces, or even explode.
Future versions of "Super Mario"
will require superfast collision calculations in order to stimulate and
visualize characters' movements and interaction with their surroundings
in a realistic manner.
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