When will Isaac sim or Isaac lab support deformable object contact location/force info?

Omniverse Isaac Sim
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Isaac Sim Version

[y] 4.5.0
4.2.0
4.1.0
4.0.0
4.5.0
2023.1.1
2023.1.0-hotfix.1
Other (please specify):

Operating System

Ubuntu 22.04
Ubuntu 20.04
[y] Windows 11
Windows 10
Other (please specify):

GPU Information

  • Model: RTX 3080ti
  • Driver Version: 560.94

Topic Description

I’m working on deformable object grasping using Isaac Sim and I’ve hit a major roadblock—there’s still no support for accessing contact locations or forces for deformable objects. According to this thread, this functionality would be available by the end of 2024, but it hasn’t. There have been multiple follow-up discussions on the forums about this, yet no clear workaround or official update has been provided.

This is a serious limitation. I migrated from CoppeliaSim to Isaac Sim specifically for its support for deformable simulation and integration with reinforcement learning using Isaac lab. I initially assumed contact forces—like those shown in Isaac Gym for soft objects—would be accessible here too. If I’m able to access collision element indices, I can manually compute forces acting on the elements using the nodal positions and element stresses. Any workaround or internal access method would help. I’ve already invested a lot of time building environments, and this missing feature is holding everything back.

Getting collision or contact information is an essential part of soft body simulation.
Can someone tell me when exactly will this feature be available for sure? or any possible work around? should I try Isaac gym or other simulators?
I need some guidance, pls help!

Additional Information

What I’ve Tried

Tried the contact sensor API and found out it only supports rigid objects.
Studied the Isaac lab documentation multiple times.
Searched the forum.

Related Issues

(Known Physics Limitations — Omni Physics)
(Getting a contact force of a deformable object)
(Contact sensor not working when enabling GPU)
(Get contact information for deformable object)
(Can I measure the contact force of the deformable body?)
(Isaac contact example can't sense deformable object)
and more…

1 Like
3

Thank you for your interest in Isaac Lab. To ensure efficient support and collaboration, please submit your topic to its GitHub repo following the instructions provided on Isaac Lab’s Contributing Guidelines regarding discussions, submitting issues, feature requests, and contributing to the project.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to assisting you.

4

I believe this is a lack of feature in the Isaac sim API, so that is the reason I’m posting here. Please do not mark this solved.

5

You may now post feature requests for Isaac Sim here.

6

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