Abstract:

is presented in this paper. It allows the creation of virtual envi-ronments from scenes with simple three-dimensional geometrical objects (sphere, cylinder, box, point, plane). Objects can be linked to each other by a variety of methods (rod, spring, damper, joint). Realistic object movements are achieved by a simulation procedure, where forces can be applied to the objects in addition to gravity, friction, and air resistance. Collisions between objects are simulated using either the “penalty method ” or the “analytical method”, described in the text. Wire frame animations can be gen-erated in real time, depending on scene complexity and computer system performance. AERO also gen-erates scene description sequences, which can be used as input for ray tracing programs to generate photorealistic animations as batch jobs, a task that is also called “physically based modelling”. AERO has a number of special features, such as stereo graphics output, camera control, and even the mounting of the camera to an object in the scene. Keywords: simulation, animation, physically based modelling, rigid body systems, virtual mechanics, ray tracing. 1