Simulation Levels of Detail Simulation Levels of Detail Switching between simulations based on field of view. Dynamic robots are yellow.
Dynamic robots are yellow.
When sufficient computing power is available, dynamic simulation can be used as a source of motion for real-time, interactive virtual environments. In this paper, we explore techniques for reducing the computational cost of simulating groups of creatures by using less accurate simulations for individuals when they are less important to the viewer or to the action in the virtual world. As a test of the effectiveness of this approach, we implemented an environment with dynamically simulated legged creatures. Because the creatures switch smoothly among different levels of detail for the underlying simulation, we can achieve real-time performance for a larger group of creatures than would be possible if each creature were dynamically simulated. While it is not possible to make definitive measurements of these criteria, we assess the performance gain from using different levels of detail and make a preliminary assessment of the effect that the decreased accuracy has on the outcome of the sample game.