Using software sensors for migrating from classical simulation systems towards virtual worlds

A modern, distributed simulation environment for virtual reality contains two main challenges for a modeling system, a) supplying the world objects with knowledge about the environment in order to enable “intelligent” behavior and b) disentangle the communication in order to decentralize the responses to environmental events. We present our design and implementation of software sensors together with sensor managers in order to create such an intelligent simulation environment, focusing on object motion. Our implementation is based upon a comprehensive class of collision checking algorithms that has been developed by us and enables an applicable modeling of software sensors. The presented solution extends a classical graphic simulation model into a suitable world model for virtual worlds like, e.g., virtual factory concepts, as has already been shown by several applications of our simulation environment