A Modular Physical-Simulation Methodology

Abstract

Physical simulation is useful so that the behaviour of objects emerges from the actions performed on them. However, a simulation simulates only one thing: the mechanics of collision behaviour for example. Further physical properties require further simulators and the problems of making them work effectively together escalate. We offer a structured way of making multiple simulations cooperate. The methodology is reviewed, then demonstrated in use with examples of how users might construct novel objects, such as an electric motor, whose properties emerge from the combined effects of the simulations on its components. The approach has potentially wide uses, for example in interactive games, in a virtual teaching laboratory or in interactive virtual museum exhibits. Users can create new objects which behave in predictable ways, discover solutions other than those built in by a game designer or extend a virtual experiment in exploratory ways. For the designer of the game or experiment, our approach requires fewer scripts and gives more play value for the design effort.