A computing device comprising: a memory; and a control unit coupled to the memory and being configured to: receive a patient model including an exterior anatomy; either receive a location of a target tissue with the patient model or map the location of the target tissue to the patient model; identify a plurality of port locations on the exterior anatomy of the patient model for accessing a workspace comprising the location of the target tissue using a plurality of instruments controlled by a computer-assisted device; for each of the port locations, determine a collision volume (354, 540a, 540b, 540c) corresponding to a region of activity for portions of the computer-assisted device proximal to the port location, a reachability metric that indicates an ability of an instrument of the plurality of instruments to reach the workspace, and an anthropomorphic metric based on a comparison of insertion angles for the plurality of instruments resulting from the port locations and the location of the target tissue to ideal approach directions for the plurality of instruments; for each combination of the plurality of port locations, determine a collision metric based on overlaps of the collision volumes (550ac, 550bc) for the port locations in the combination, and an aggregate metric for the combination that aggregates the reachability metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, the anthropomorphic metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, and the collision metric for the combination of port locations; and display one or more of the combinations of the plurality of port locations to a user along with the corresponding aggregate metric. a memory; and a control unit coupled to the memory and being configured to: receive a patient model including an exterior anatomy; either receive a location of a target tissue with the patient model or map the location of the target tissue to the patient model; identify a plurality of port locations on the exterior anatomy of the patient model for accessing a workspace comprising the location of the target tissue using a plurality of instruments controlled by a computer-assisted device; for each of the port locations, determine a collision volume (354, 540a, 540b, 540c) corresponding to a region of activity for portions of the computer-assisted device proximal to the port location, a reachability metric that indicates an ability of an instrument of the plurality of instruments to reach the workspace, and an anthropomorphic metric based on a comparison of insertion angles for the plurality of instruments resulting from the port locations and the location of the target tissue to ideal approach directions for the plurality of instruments; for each combination of the plurality of port locations, determine a collision metric based on overlaps of the collision volumes (550ac, 550bc) for the port locations in the combination, and an aggregate metric for the combination that aggregates the reachability metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, the anthropomorphic metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, and the collision metric for the combination of port locations; and display one or more of the combinations of the plurality of port locations to a user along with the corresponding aggregate metric. receive a patient model including an exterior anatomy; either receive a location of a target tissue with the patient model or map the location of the target tissue to the patient model; identify a plurality of port locations on the exterior anatomy of the patient model for accessing a workspace comprising the location of the target tissue using a plurality of instruments controlled by a computer-assisted device; for each of the port locations, determine a collision volume (354, 540a, 540b, 540c) corresponding to a region of activity for portions of the computer-assisted device proximal to the port location, a reachability metric that indicates an ability of an instrument of the plurality of instruments to reach the workspace, and an anthropomorphic metric based on a comparison of insertion angles for the plurality of instruments resulting from the port locations and the location of the target tissue to ideal approach directions for the plurality of instruments; for each combination of the plurality of port locations, determine a collision metric based on overlaps of the collision volumes (550ac, 550bc) for the port locations in the combination, and an aggregate metric for the combination that aggregates the reachability metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, the anthropomorphic metrics of each of the port locations in the combination, and the collision metric for the combination of port locations; and display one or more of the combinations of the plurality of port locations to a user along with the corresponding aggregate metric.