Statistical Simulation of Rigid Bodies

Abstract

We describe a method for replacing certain stages of rigid body simulation with a statistically-based approximation. We begin by collecting statistical data regarding changes in linear and angular momentum for collisions of a given object. From this data we extract a statistical "signature" for the object, giving a compact representation of the object's response to collision events. During object simulation, both the collision detection and the collision response calculations are replaced by simpler calculations based on the statistical signature. Using this approach, we are able to achieve significant improvement in the performance of rigid body simulation. The statistical behavior of the simulation is maintained, including achieving valid resting positions. We present results from a variety of simulations that demonstrate the method and its performance improvement. The method is appropriate for rigid body simulation situations requiring significant performance improvement, and allowing for some loss in fidelity.