Virtual Sculpting with Haptic Displacement Maps.

Abstract: This paper presents an efficient data structure that fa- cilitates high-speed haptic (force feedback) interaction with detailed digital models. Models are partitioned into coarse slabs, which collectively define a piecewise con- tinuous vector field over a thick volumetric region sur- rounding the surface of the model. Within each slab, the surface is represented as a displacement map, which uses the vector field to define a relationship between points in space and corresponding points on the model’s sur- face. This representation facilitates efficient haptic inter- action without compromising the visual complexity of the scene. Furthermore, the data structure provides a basis for interactive local editing of a model’s color and geom- etry using the haptic interface. We describe implementa- tion details and demonstrate the use of the data structure with a variety of digital models.