Underwater Physics Simulation and Rendering

[AnthonZh]

Underwater Physics Simulation and Rendering

Motivation

As a developer, I want to:

Build a simulation environment that renders the RoboSub competition pool (dimensions, lighting, underwater visibility/water effects).

So that I can:

Give the team a realistic virtual pool to develop and test perception and navigation code in, without needing physical pool access.

Completion criteria

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

• Pool scene built to competition pool dimensions
• Water/underwater rendering configured (visibility, color/light absorption) to approximate real pool conditions
• Scene loads and renders correctly

Stretch

• Competition props/course elements placed in the scene (gates, markers, etc.)
• Multiple lighting/visibility presets (e.g. clear vs. murky water)

Timeline

TBD

Testing requirements

• Visually compare rendered scene against reference photos/dimensions of the actual competition pool
• Confirm scene loads reliably across team dev machines

Implementation

High-level overview

Evaluate simulation tools, then build the pool as a static scene defining world geometry and water/lighting settings, tuning rendering parameters to match real pool visibility and lighting.

Checklist

• Decide on simulation tool
• Get accurate pool dimensions/reference images
• Build pool geometry in scene
• Configure water/lighting rendering settings
• Visual validation against reference

Additional notes

None