1 research outputs found
Levitating Rigid Objects with Hidden Rods and Wires
We propose a novel algorithm to efficiently generate hidden structures to
support arrangements of floating rigid objects. Our optimization finds a small
set of rods and wires between objects and each other or a supporting surface
(e.g., wall or ceiling) that hold all objects in force and torque equilibrium.
Our objective function includes a sparsity inducing total volume term and a
linear visibility term based on efficiently pre-computed Monte-Carlo
integration, to encourage solutions that are as-hidden-as-possible. The
resulting optimization is convex and the global optimum can be efficiently
recovered via a linear program. Our representation allows for a
user-controllable mixture of tension-, compression-, and shear-resistant rods
or tension-only wires. We explore applications to theatre set design, museum
exhibit curation, and other artistic endeavours