Efficient updates of bounding sphere hierarchies for geometrically deformable models

We present a new approach for efficient collision handling of meshless objects undergoing geometric deformation. The presented technique is based on bounding sphere hierarchies. We show that information of the geometric deformation model can be used to significantly accelerate the hierarchy update. The cost of the presented hierarchy update depends on the number of primitives in close proximity, but not on the total number of primitives.Further, the hierarchical collision detection is combined with a level-of-detail response scheme. Since the collision response can be performed on any level of the hierarchy, it allows for balancing accuracy and efficiency. Thus, the collision handling scheme is particularly useful for time-critical applications.