How to efficiently add complex bounding boxes to your objects

It is often important to simplify the bounding box of complex objects (i.e., replace a complex Triangle Mesh with a set of simpler boxes or spheres for instance), to ensure good performance of the MORSE physics engine (Bullet).

Here is an example of how to simplify a bounding box.

Let’s consider an object called, for example, RollingChair.

../../_images/object_grouping1.png
  1. Append a _mesh suffix to its name (e.g., RollingChair_mesh).
  2. In the Physics properties panel, disable the physics for this object (No Collision).
  3. Create plain boxes and put them around the object to shape the bounds. Name them after your object, appending a suffix (like RollingChair_bb_xx, as shown in the image above).
  4. Apply scaling (Ctrl-a) on each box.
  5. Create a new Empty and name it after the object (in our example RollingChair). Place the empty at the origin of the object (it will correspond to the position of the object in MORSE).
  6. Parent all bounding boxes and the original object mesh to this empty (select all the objects ending with the empty, and press Shift+M).
  7. In the Physics properties, set the empty to be a RigidBody. Also set its other properties like its mass and translation/rotation damping.
  8. Set the physics properties for all other boxes belonging to the bounding box to RigidBody, not forgetting to set the radius to be smaller than the box. All the boxes must have their Collision bounds set to Box and Compound must be selected. Leave the other physics properties to their defaults.
  9. All the bounding boxes can also be set to Invisible in the same Physics panel.

Check the passive objects doc for details on the creation of objects in general.