In this paper, we show that the universal covering space of a surface can be used to unify previous results on computing paths in a simple polygon. We optimize a given path among obstacles in the plane under the Euclidean and link metrics and under polygonal convex distance functions. Besides revealing connections between the minimum paths under these three distance functions, the framework provided by the universal cover leads to simplified linear-time algorithms for shortest path trees, for minimum-link paths in simple polygons, and for paths restricted to c given orientations. 1 Introduction If a wire, a pipe, or a robot must traverse a path among obstacles in the plane, then one might ask what is the best route to take. For the wire, perhaps the shortest distance is best; for the pipe, perhaps the fewest straight-line segments. For the robot, either might be best depending on the relative costs of turning and moving. In this paper, we find shortest paths and shortest closed curve...

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