A Focal Any-Angle Path-finding Algorithm Based on A* on Visibility Graphs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel path-finding algorithm that combines visibility graphs and A* search, improving efficiency and path quality by pruning vertices and employing a new visibility check technique.

Contribution

It presents a new algorithm that integrates grid-based and visibility graph-based methods, enhancing path-finding efficiency and optimality.

Findings

Faster path computation compared to traditional methods.

Reduced number of evaluated nodes.

Improved path optimality in various scenarios.

Abstract

In this research, we investigate the subject of path-finding. A pruned version of visibility graph based on Candidate Vertices is formulated, followed by a new visibility check technique. Such combination enables us to quickly identify the useful vertices and thus find the optimal path more efficiently. The algorithm proposed is demonstrated on various path-finding cases. The performance of the new technique on visibility graphs is compared to the traditional A* on Grids, Theta* and A* on Visibility Graphs in terms of path length, number of nodes evaluated, as well as computational time. The key algorithmic contribution is that the new approach combines the merits of grid-based method and visibility graph-based method and thus yields better overall performance.