{"categories":[{"label":"Scientific/Engineering","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/scientific-engineering/3"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"Coal is a collision detection and distance computation library that provides efficient GJK and EPA algorithm implementations for detecting collisions and computing distances between 3D geometric objects.","skillfed_tags":["collision-detection","robotics","computational-geometry"],"use_cases":["Collision detection in robotics motion planning and path planning algorithms to ensure safe trajectories.","Distance computation between rigid bodies in physics simulation and dynamics engines.","Contact point and contact patch calculation for grasp planning and manipulation tasks.","Broad and narrow phase collision checking with safety margins in real-time control loops.","Geometry queries in CAD and BVH-based spatial indexing for complex 3D scenes."],"what_it_does":"Coal is a modern collision detection library descended from the Flexible Collision Library (FCL), significantly rewritten since its 2015 fork and renamed in 2024. It implements dedicated, efficient versions of the GJK and EPA algorithms for narrow-phase collision detection and distance computation between 3D geometric objects. The library supports a wide range of primitives (boxes, spheres, capsules, cylinders, ellipsoids, cones, planes) and complex geometries (convex meshes, bounding volume hierarchies, height fields, octrees), and includes Python bindings for prototyping.\n\nThe package is built on top of several compiled dependencies (Boost, Assimp, OctoMap, Qhull via cmeel, plus eigenpy and libcoal), making installation medium-friction but straightforward via conda-forge. It is actively maintained, used in production robotics frameworks (Pinocchio, HPP, Crocoddyl), and offers features like safety margins, accelerated collision detection variants, contact point/patch computation, and object serialization. No known security vulnerabilities are recorded.","worth_installing":"Yes, if you need collision detection and distance computation in robotics, physics simulation, or 3D geometry applications. The library is actively maintained, permissively licensed, has no known vulnerabilities, and is already trusted in production robotics frameworks. Install friction is moderate due to compiled dependencies, but conda-forge handles this transparently. Not suitable if you need a pure-Python solution or lightweight geometry library without external C++ dependencies."},"id":"coal","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/coal","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/coal.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/coal/"},"maintenance":{"status":"active"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2026-05-21","license_spdx":"BSD-3-Clause","license_treatment":"permissive","name":"coal","python_support":"supports_current","summary":"An extension of the Flexible Collision Library"},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":619378,"position":5729,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"3.0.3"}