Levitating Rigid Objects with Hidden Rods and Wires

Abstract

AbstractWe propose a novel algorithm to efficiently generate hidden structures to support arrangements of floating rigid objects. Our optimization finds a small set of rods and wires between objects and each other or a supporting surface (e.g., wall or ceiling) that hold all objects in force and torque equilibrium. Our objective function includes a sparsity inducing total volume term and a linear visibility term based on efficiently pre‐computed Monte‐Carlo integration, to encourage solutions that are as‐hidden‐as‐possible. The resulting optimization is convex and the global optimum can be efficiently recovered via a linear program. Our representation allows for a user‐controllable mixture of tension‐, compression‐, and shear‐resistant rods or tension‐only wires. We explore applications to theatre set design, museum exhibit curation, and other artistic endeavours.