Managing simulated Jacobian’s data

Upon investigation of the select physics engine (PhysX), a list of the Jacobian’s properties as been assembled. Each part must have the following PhysX simulation data:

• part position & orientation
• mass
• center of mass offset position & orientation
• mass space inertia tensor (diagonalized) & rotation
• motor’s limits, maximum force and position & orientation
• part’s material, with friction and bounciness (for feet only)
• part’s shape, only for collision purposes

The parts also have a triangle mesh and associated textures kept together with the physical data to allow for visual feedback. The Collada 1.4.1 file can hold all this information and it is our intention that once all the data has been verified for it to be saved  in this standard allowing for easy editing of the parameters once the application is complete.

With the orientation and shape information missing, our 3D model currently can be represented by rectangles equivalent to the inertial moment of the real robot:

The small XYZ are indicating the center of mass of the part.