Globally coupled collision handling using volume preserving impulses

We present a novel algorithm for collision processing on triangulated meshes. Our method robustly maintains a collision free state on complex geometries while resorting to collision resolution at time intervals often comparable to the frame rate. Our approach is motivated by the behavior of a thin layer of fluid inserted in the empty space between nearly-colliding parts of the simulated surface, acting as a cushioning mechanism. Point-triangle or edge-edge pairs on a collision course are naturally resolved by the incompressible response of this fluid buffer. This response is formulated into a globally coupled nonlinear system which we solve using Newton iteration and symmetric, positive definite solvers. The globally coupled treatment of collisions allows us to resolve up to two orders of magnitude more collisions than traditional greedy algorithms (e.g. Gauss-Seidel collision response) and take substantially larger time steps without compromising the visual quality of the simulation.