We want to create an application which will allow two users to play Ping Pong in the Pit. Initially, we want to use a simple dynamic simulation, which will be little more than Pong with gravity, but we want to add torque, friction, and various other more complicated aspects to the physics model in order to more realistically simulate the Ping Pong experience.MOTIVATIONThis project has two primary motivations: first, to come up with a realistic Ping Pong experience, and second, to enhance the PIT environment to be robust enough to handle such a simulation. Currently, the PIT has only been used for molecular modelling applications, and it will have to have more flexibility built into it to be able to interact with users in a game of Ping Pong.PERSONAL INTERESTHeck, it's a game. Ping Pong is fun, but not everyone can get a table into their basement, and it's expensive, and you always lose the Ping Pong balls and paddles. While the first two reasons also apply to the PIT, a PIT version of the game will ensure that you never lose the paddles or the ball. You may lose the Pythons or the 3D glasses, but UNC will pay to replace those. But beyond the obvious reasons, it would also be interesting to expand the range of applications currently available for the PIT, and it would be helpful to build more flexibility into the PIT code so it can be more useful in general.PREVIOUS WORKPing Pong has had a rich and illustrious history, dating from the early Pre-Cambrian period, when dinosaurs would fling early mammals back and forth in an attempt to knock down the taller trees and eat their leaves. Upon discovering that is was quite fun, they developed rules and set up rudimentary tournaments, which were hindered by the fact that the walnut-sized brains of the dinosaurs prevented them from keeping scores above 2. Much later, computer simulations of physics became fairly common, and have been applied successfully to problems in many different areas, such as physics, meteorology, biology, and others. The PIT, on the other hand, has been used primarily for displaying and interacting with molecular environments, and development of non-molecular simulations has been minimal.DEMONSTRATION
The project will be demonstrated by having people play Ping Pong in the PIT at the end of the semester. Other, rejected possibilities included hosting the Ping Pong World Championships in the PIT, and setting up a double-blind study where people would play Ping Pong and then decide whether they though they were playing real Ping Pong or just our simulation.
PROGRESS
The project has two main components: the game simulation from a dynamics point of view, and the game presentation/interaction part. Progress as of 4/13/99 is as follows:
Dynamics: We have begun with a simplified model of the physics, and we will continue to improve it and make it more robust. Some simplified models we are using to test are a bouncing ping-pong ball in a closed 3D box and collision detection with a user controlled-paddle. In the 3D box, gravity, air friction and inelastic collisions with the walls are taken into account in describing the motion of ping-pong ball. A 4th-order Runga-Kutta method is used to compute the path of the ball. Ball spin is not accounted for at this stage, but it will hopefully be added in after basic dynamics simulation proves to be robust. In the collision detection part, the algorithm to detect collisions of ping-pong ball with wall and paddle is being tested. Collision detection against the moving paddle is not yet complete, as only the location of the paddle is considered, and not its velocity. Taking paddle velocity at the time of the collision into account is a necessary next step.
Presentation: Most of the work so far in this area has been in getting the PIT libraries repaired: as a result of department-wide upgrades, new versions of supporting libraries, and general code rot, the PIT code was quite broken. Much work has been done, which has fortunately overlapped with the work needed for the PIT research project, and the PIT code is now almost entirely updated and ready to be integrated with the dynamic simulations to create the finished product.
At the moment, the path of future work is clear: complete the dynamics simulation, alter the PIT to allow the behavior necessary for the game (such as 180-degree views instead of 90-degree views and game behavior superceding standard PIT functionality), and integrate the pieces into the game of Ping-Pong.
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