Collision detector – advanced

When you have started collision test case manager, you can see the list of saved collision tests. Select the test you want to execute and click Run Collision Detector.

The set of models to be checked is arranged into file giving positioning information and two lists; each model in list A is compared against each model in list B. Models that share a connection node are assumed to touch and are not checked. A list of checked model pairs is kept so that the same model pair is not checked twice. Models are not checked against themselves, so that the same may be in both list A and list B without appearing a collision.

The program run time can be anywhere from seconds to hours depending on the number of models, their placement and complexity and of course the kind of computer you are using. For long runs the program can be run overnight. The collision list file is written and closed after each found collision so that the entire file is not lost if the program is terminated for some reason.

The output is a text file giving the coordinates where a collision was found and the model numbers (as they appeared in the input file). Additional information is also listed to help determine what object types are involved. This output text file is intended to be fed as input to a "browser" program that allows the individual colliding models to be displayed. The use of the browser is required to eliminate intentional collisions that otherwise could not be confirmed based on connection node information.

Collision control files

When you use the collision detector for the first time, the program creates the following folder and files under the Plant Modeller area:

• .coll_det folder

  The message log file is located here containing the information about the amount of models in the sets for collision control. The newest message log file is named msg_log.txt. The older ones are renamed from msg_log1.txt to msg_log9.txt.

• coll_bin folder

  The coll_bin folder is created when you create your workspace.

The following files are created when you run collision detector:

• The .cl file contains the information from collisions, e.g. coordinates, class of collision:

  • .l1 Object id of object1

  • .l2

  • .l3 Object id of object2

  • .l4

  • .l5

  • .lg class (0 collision, 1 contact, 2 clearance violation)

  • .lf coordinates (x y z) in the collision point

  • .l6

  The .co file contains the number of collisions after browsing.