MHaptic : a haptic manipulation library for generic virtual environments

This paper presents a new library called MHaptic for bimanual haptic interaction within generic virtual environments. It has been specifically designed to work with a Haptic Workstation (TM). MHaptic provides tools for accelerated development of virtual environment applications with haptic feedback like device calibration, user comfort improvements and access to low level parameters. Due to its integration with the Ageia PhysX library, it facilitates the dynamic animation of virtual objects. A realistic hand model based on mass-spring systems allows natural and intuitive manipulation. MHaptic is complemented by an authoring tool that associates information required for haptic feedback to existing virtual environments. The combination of the library and the authoring tool creates a framework for easy development of complex VR haptic applications.