Patent ID: 7936355

Claim:
A method for visually representing an object by simulating the object as a spherical particle with fewer degrees of freedom than those visually represented, the method comprising: simulating an object as a spherical particle having an orientation represented by only three degrees of freedom based on the linear motion of the spherical particle; varying a radius of the spherical particle in each simulation time step based on a shape of the object and a position of the object on a contact surface; deriving, via a specialized controller, an angular component of the spherical particle based on the radius of the spherical particle in each simulation step; determining three rotational degrees of freedom for the object based on the derived angular component of the spherical particle; determining a modified orientation for the object based on the three linear degrees of freedom associated with the spherical particle and the three rotational degrees of freedom determined for the object; and generating a visual display of the object having six degrees of freedom based on the modified orientation for the object.