6-DOF Haptic Rendering Using Spatialized Normal Cone Search

This article describes a haptic rendering algorithm for arbitrary polygonal models using a six degree-offreedom haptic interface. The algorithm supports activities such as virtual prototyping of complex polygonal models and adding haptic interaction to virtual environments. The underlying collision system computes local extrema in distance between the model controlled by the haptic device and the rest of the scene. The haptic rendering computes forces and torques on the moving model based on these local extrema. The system is demonstrated on models with tens of thousands of triangles and developed in an accessibility application for finding collision-free paths.