CollisionHelper

CollisionHelper provides a complete suite of collision detection and resolution functions for 2D games. It handles everything from basic overlap checks to advanced swept collisions that prevent tunneling.

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Why CollisionHelper?

Collision is one of the most common and error-prone parts of game development. CollisionHelper centralizes all collision logic in one place, making it easy to:

• Detect when shapes overlap
• Resolve overlaps by pushing objects apart
• Prevent tunneling with swept collisions
• Raycast for line-of-sight and aiming
• Slide along walls with move-and-slide

All methods use Rect2 and Vect2 - no separate Circle struct is needed.

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Detection

Rect vs Rect

Check if two rectangles overlap.

if (CollisionHelper.RectRect(player, wall))
{
    // Player hit the wall
}

Circle vs Circle

Check if two circles overlap.

if (CollisionHelper.CircleCircle(playerPos, 16f, enemyPos, 20f))
{
    // Player hit the enemy
}

Rect vs Circle

Check if a rectangle and a circle overlap.

if (CollisionHelper.RectCircle(wall, playerPos, 16f))
{
    // Player circle hit the wall
}

Point vs Shape

Check if a point is inside a rectangle or circle.

if (CollisionHelper.PointRect(mousePos, buttonRect))
{
    // Mouse is over the button
}

if (CollisionHelper.PointCircle(mousePos, explosionCenter, 50f))
{
    // Mouse is within explosion radius
}

Line vs Shape

Check if a line segment intersects a rectangle or circle.

if (CollisionHelper.LineRect(start, end, wall))
{
    // Line of sight is blocked by wall
}

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Distance Checks

Distance checks are useful for AI and proximity detection without doing full collision tests.

// Distance between two rectangles
float dist = CollisionHelper.DistanceRectRect(player, enemy);

// Distance between two circles
float dist = CollisionHelper.DistanceCircleCircle(playerPos, 16f, enemyPos, 20f);

// Distance between a rectangle and a circle
float dist = CollisionHelper.DistanceRectCircle(wall, playerPos, 16f);

// Check if enemy is within aggro range
if (CollisionHelper.DistanceCircleCircle(playerPos, 16f, enemyPos, 20f) < 100f)
{
    // Enemy starts chasing
}

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Raycasting

Raycasts are useful for line-of-sight, aiming, shooting, and visibility checks.

// Cast a ray from player toward mouse
Vect2 direction = (mousePos - player.Center).Normalized();

if (CollisionHelper.RaycastRect(player.Center, direction, wall, out Vect2 hit, out float distance))
{
    // Wall is in the way at 'hit' position
    DrawLine(player.Center, hit, Color.Red);
}

Raycast Against Multiple Shapes

List<Rect2> walls = new();
List<(Vect2 center, float radius)> enemies = new();

if (CollisionHelper.RaycastAny(origin, direction, walls, enemies, 
    out Vect2 hit, out Vect2 normal, out float dist, out object hitObject))
{
    // Hit something! hitObject tells you what it was
    if (hitObject is Rect2) { /* Hit a wall */ }
    if (hitObject is Vect2) { /* Hit an enemy */ }
}

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Swept Collision

Swept collision prevents tunneling - when fast-moving objects pass through thin walls in a single frame.

// Fast-moving bullet
Rect2 bullet = new Rect2(100, 100, 4, 4);
Vect2 bulletVelocity = new Vect2(1000, 0);

if (CollisionHelper.SweptRectRect(bullet, bulletVelocity, wall, 
    out float timeOfImpact, out Vect2 hitPoint, out Vect2 hitNormal))
{
    // Bullet will hit the wall at timeOfImpact (0-1)
    // Move bullet to hitPoint and bounce/stop
}

This works for:

• SweptRectRect - Rectangle vs rectangle
• SweptCircleRect - Circle vs rectangle
• SweptCircleCircle - Circle vs circle

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Collision Normals

Normals tell you which direction a collision came from. Useful for bouncing, sliding, and pushing.

// Get the normal between overlapping shapes
Vect2 normal = CollisionHelper.GetCollisionNormal(player, wall);
// normal is (-1, 0) for left, (1, 0) for right, (0, -1) for top, (0, 1) for bottom

// Reflect velocity off the surface
Vect2 reflected = CollisionHelper.Reflect(velocity, normal, 0.8f);
// 80% bounciness

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Pushback (Collision Resolution)

Pushback resolves overlaps by pushing objects apart. This is essential for preventing objects from merging into each other.

if (CollisionHelper.RectRect(player, wall))
{
    Vect2 push = CollisionHelper.PushRectRect(player, wall);
    player.Position += push;  // Push player out of the wall
}

Pushback methods:

• PushRectRect - Rect vs rect
• PushCircleRect - Circle vs rect
• PushCircleCircle - Circle vs circle

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Move & Slide

Move and slide lets you move an object and have it automatically slide along walls instead of stopping dead.

// Move player with slide along walls
Vect2 velocity = new Vect2(5, 0);
List<Rect2> obstacles = new List<Rect2> { wall, floor };
player.Position = CollisionHelper.MoveAndSlideRect(player, velocity, obstacles);

Circle Version

Vect2 circlePos = new Vect2(150, 150);
float radius = 16f;
Vect2 velocity = new Vect2(5, 0);

List<Rect2> rectObstacles = new() { wall };
List<(Vect2 center, float radius)> circleObstacles = new()
{
    (new Vect2(250, 250), 20f)
};

circlePos = CollisionHelper.MoveAndSlideCircle(
    circlePos, radius, velocity, rectObstacles, circleObstacles);

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Containment

Check if one shape fully contains another.

// Is the player fully inside the safe zone?
if (CollisionHelper.RectContainsRect(safeZone, player))
{
    // Player is safe!
}

// Is the circle fully inside the rectangle?
if (CollisionHelper.RectContainsCircle(rect, circleCenter, radius))
{
    // Circle is fully contained
}

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Bounds Conversion

Convert a circle to its bounding box (AABB) for broadphase optimization - skip expensive checks when objects are far apart.

// Get the bounding box of a circle
Rect2 circleBounds = CollisionHelper.GetCircleBounds(circlePos, 25f);

// Quick broadphase check
if (CollisionHelper.RectRect(circleBounds, wall))
{
    // Now do the precise circle-rect check
    if (CollisionHelper.RectCircle(wall, circlePos, 25f))
    {
        // Actually hit the wall
    }
}

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Closest Point

Find the closest point on a shape to a given point.

// Closest point on a rectangle
Vect2 closest = CollisionHelper.ClosestPointRect(mousePos, buttonRect);

// Closest point on a circle
Vect2 closest = CollisionHelper.ClosestPointCircle(mousePos, explosionCenter, 50f);

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Reflection

Bounce a velocity off a surface with optional bounciness.

// Bounce a ball off a wall
Vect2 normal = CollisionHelper.GetCollisionNormal(ball, wall);
ballVelocity = CollisionHelper.Reflect(ballVelocity, normal, 0.9f); // 90% bounce

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Summary

Category	What It Does
Detection	Check if shapes overlap (Rect, Circle, Point, Line)
Distance	Measure distance between shapes
Raycast	Cast rays against shapes
Swept Collision	Prevent tunneling for fast-moving objects
Normals	Get collision direction
Pushback	Resolve overlaps
Move & Slide	Slide along walls
Containment	Check if one shape contains another
Bounds Conversion	Get AABB for broadphase
Closest Point	Find nearest point on a shape
Reflection	Bounce velocities off surfaces

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See Also

• Rect2
• Vect2
• MathHelper

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