Methods for computing NASCAR tire/track intersections

Abstract

A problem that arises naturally in the real-time simulation of race car motion is the calculation of tire/track intersection points, given track geometry, a wheel hub position, and a wheel plane normal. The challenge arises from handling very large track models, which may comprise millions of polygons, and still meeting tight timing constraints, which require more than 5,000 lookups/second. Three methods of solution are proposed, and the performance and reliability of each is discussed.