Properties of Objects in CoppeliaSim

Introduction

• Presenter: La Pola Our Mesto
• Context: Part of a tutorial for robotic courses at the Polytechnic University of Valencia
• Aim: Describe main properties of objects in CoppeliaSim.

Main Objectives

1. Describe properties of objects in CoppeliaSim
2. Understand differences between:
   • Respondable vs. Non-respondable objects
   • Dynamic vs. Static objects
3. Discuss properties of shape and appearance of objects
4. Understand visibility layers of objects
5. Discuss special properties affecting simulation performance

Object Types

Dynamic Objects

• Affected by forces such as gravity, collisions, and restrictions (e.g., joints)
• Can change position and orientation automatically based on physics.

Static Objects

• Do not change position or orientation unless manually modified or programmed
• Enable kinematic simulations, easier to understand.

Reactivity of Objects

• Reactive Objects: Can respond to collisions.
• Non-reactive Objects: Do not respond to collisions.
• Interaction examples:
  • Two static non-reactive objects: No movement or reaction.
  • One static reactive and one static non-reactive: No movement.
  • One dynamic object (reactive) and one static (non-reactive): Dynamic object falls but does not react with static object (passes through).
  • Both objects reactive (one dynamic, one static): They interact based on Newton's Third Law (action-reaction).

Special Properties of Objects

1. Collidable Property:

   • Allows detection of collisions with other objects.
   • Used for path planning and collision-free paths.

2. Detectable by Proximity Sensors:

   • E.g., ultrasonic, laser, infrared sensors detect objects with this property.

3. Renderable Property:

   • Objects visible to sensors (cameras).
   • Only objects with this property are rendered and processed by cameras.

4. Measurable Property:

   • Used for minimum distance calculations to avoid collisions.

Shape Properties

• Modify object scale (size), color, and texture to change appearance.

Visibility Layers

• CoppeliaSim has 16 visibility layers for object management:
  • First 8 layers: Used for complex objects (meshes, miscellaneous objects), managed by the graphics engine.
  • Last 8 layers: Used for simple objects (pure or convex objects) managed by physics engine.
• Global mask controls visibility; by default shows first 8 layers, but can be inverted to see objects on the other layers.

Conclusion

• Overview of properties provides foundation for understanding CoppeliaSim object interactions and simulations.
• Further details will be covered in the next video.