A Method for Representing the Shape of a Virtual Object in Real Time.

Abstract

We have proposed a system which enables an operator to feel himself/herself touching an arbitrary surface with edges in virtual environment. This system represents the shape of an object in virtual environment by locally constructing its shape around his/her finger tip with Shape Approximation Device(SAD), of which each surface has convex and concave edges.In this paper we propose a shape model of an object in virtual environment for this local construction of its shape and an algorythm of shape representation based on this model. We design the shape model so that it is possible to construct the represented shape including curved surfaces and curved edges in real time. In this model an object in virtual environment is divided into quadrangles called patches, and the shape on each patch is described using Bezier surface, which is suitable to describe a complicated shape. We realized a hardware system which could represent a shape which included curved surfaces and curved edges in real time.