diff --git a/include/moveit_visual_tools/moveit_visual_tools.h b/include/moveit_visual_tools/moveit_visual_tools.h
index 001440d..0a5e4b1 100644
--- a/include/moveit_visual_tools/moveit_visual_tools.h
+++ b/include/moveit_visual_tools/moveit_visual_tools.h
@@ -324,9 +324,19 @@ class MoveItVisualTools : public rviz_visual_tools::RvizVisualTools
 
   /**
    * \brief Create a MoveIt Collision block at the given pose
-   * \param pose - location of center of block
+   * \param block_pose - location of center of block
    * \param name - semantic name of MoveIt collision object
-   * \param size - height=width=depth=size
+   * \param size - height=width=depth=block_size
+   * \return true on sucess
+   **/
+  moveit_msgs::CollisionObject createBlockCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose,
+                                                             const std::string& name, double block_size = 0.1);
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Publish a MoveIt Collision block at the given pose
+   * \param block_pose - location of center of block
+   * \param name - semantic name of MoveIt collision object
+   * \param size - height=width=depth=block_size
    * \param color to display the collision object with
    * \return true on sucess
    **/
@@ -335,7 +345,20 @@ class MoveItVisualTools : public rviz_visual_tools::RvizVisualTools
                              const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color = rviz_visual_tools::GREEN);
 
   /**
-   * \brief Create a MoveIt collision rectangular cuboid at the given pose
+   * \brief Create a cuboid MoveIt collision object msg
+   * \param point1 - top left of rectangle
+   * \param point2 - bottom right of rectangle
+   * \param name - semantic name of MoveIt collision object
+   * \return moveit_msgs::CollisionObject
+   **/
+  moveit_msgs::CollisionObject createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const Eigen::Vector3d& point1,
+                                                              const Eigen::Vector3d& point2, const std::string& name);
+  moveit_msgs::CollisionObject createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Point& point1,
+                                                              const geometry_msgs::Point& point2,
+                                                              const std::string& name);
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Publish a cuboid MoveIt collision object between two points
    * \param point1 - top left of rectangle
    * \param point2 - bottom right of rectangle
    * \param name - semantic name of MoveIt collision object
@@ -349,8 +372,22 @@ class MoveItVisualTools : public rviz_visual_tools::RvizVisualTools
                               const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color = rviz_visual_tools::GREEN);
 
   /**
-   * \brief Create a MoveIt collision rectangular cuboid at the given pose
-   * \param pose - position of the centroid of the cube
+   * \brief Create a cuboid MoveIt collision object msg
+   * \param block_pose - position of the centroid of the cube
+   * \param width - width of the object in its local frame
+   * \param depth - depth of the object in its local frame
+   * \param height - height of the object in its local frame
+   * \param name - semantic name of MoveIt collision object
+   * \return moveit_msgs::CollisionObject
+   **/
+  moveit_msgs::CollisionObject createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const Eigen::Isometry3d& block_pose, double width,
+                                                              double depth, double height, const std::string& name);
+  moveit_msgs::CollisionObject createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose, double width,
+                                                              double depth, double height, const std::string& name);
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Publish a cuboid MoveIt collision object at the given pose
+   * \param block_pose - position of the centroid of the cube
    * \param width - width of the object in its local frame
    * \param depth - depth of the object in its local frame
    * \param height - height of the object in its local frame
@@ -358,10 +395,10 @@ class MoveItVisualTools : public rviz_visual_tools::RvizVisualTools
    * \param color to display the collision object with
    * \return true on sucess
    **/
-  bool publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Isometry3d& pose, double width, double depth, double height,
+  bool publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Isometry3d& block_pose, double width, double depth, double height,
                               const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color);
 
-  bool publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& pose, double width, double depth, double height,
+  bool publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose, double width, double depth, double height,
                               const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color);
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/moveit_visual_tools.cpp b/src/moveit_visual_tools.cpp
index 0afbe1e..eb38a34 100644
--- a/src/moveit_visual_tools.cpp
+++ b/src/moveit_visual_tools.cpp
@@ -618,8 +618,9 @@ bool MoveItVisualTools::attachCO(const std::string& name, const std::string& ee_
   return processAttachedCollisionObjectMsg(aco);
 }
 
-bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionBlock(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose, const std::string& name,
-                                              double block_size, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+moveit_msgs::CollisionObject MoveItVisualTools::createBlockCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose,
+                                                                              const std::string& name,
+                                                                              double block_size)
 {
   moveit_msgs::CollisionObject collision_obj;
   collision_obj.header.stamp = ros::Time::now();
@@ -637,19 +638,18 @@ bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionBlock(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_p
   collision_obj.primitive_poses.resize(1);
   collision_obj.primitive_poses[0] = block_pose;
 
-  // ROS_INFO_STREAM_NAMED(LOGNAME,"CollisionObject: \n " << collision_obj);
-  // ROS_DEBUG_STREAM_NAMED(LOGNAME,"Published collision object " << name);
-  return processCollisionObjectMsg(collision_obj, color);
+  return collision_obj;
 }
 
-bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Vector3d& point1, const Eigen::Vector3d& point2,
-                                               const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionBlock(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose, const std::string& name,
+                                              double block_size, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
 {
-  return publishCollisionCuboid(convertPoint(point1), convertPoint(point2), name, color);
+  return processCollisionObjectMsg(createBlockCollisionObjectMsg(block_pose, name, block_size), color);
 }
 
-bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Point& point1, const geometry_msgs::Point& point2,
-                                               const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+moveit_msgs::CollisionObject MoveItVisualTools::createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Point& point1,
+                                                                               const geometry_msgs::Point& point2,
+                                                                               const std::string& name)
 {
   moveit_msgs::CollisionObject collision_obj;
   collision_obj.header.stamp = ros::Time::now();
@@ -680,20 +680,31 @@ bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Point& point
   if (!collision_obj.primitives[0].dimensions[shape_msgs::SolidPrimitive::BOX_Z])
     collision_obj.primitives[0].dimensions[shape_msgs::SolidPrimitive::BOX_Z] = rviz_visual_tools::SMALL_SCALE;
 
-  // ROS_INFO_STREAM_NAMED(LOGNAME,"CollisionObject: \n " << collision_obj);
-  return processCollisionObjectMsg(collision_obj, color);
+  return collision_obj;
+}
+
+moveit_msgs::CollisionObject MoveItVisualTools::createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const Eigen::Vector3d& point1,
+                                                                               const Eigen::Vector3d& point2,
+                                                                               const std::string& name)
+{
+  return createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(convertPoint(point1), convertPoint(point2), name);
 }
 
-bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Isometry3d& pose, double width, double depth, double height,
+bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Vector3d& point1, const Eigen::Vector3d& point2,
                                                const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
 {
-  geometry_msgs::Pose pose_msg = tf2::toMsg(pose);
-  return publishCollisionCuboid(pose_msg, width, depth, height, name, color);
+  return publishCollisionCuboid(convertPoint(point1), convertPoint(point2), name, color);
 }
 
-bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& pose, double width, double depth,
-                                               double height, const std::string& name,
-                                               const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Point& point1, const geometry_msgs::Point& point2,
+                                               const std::string& name, const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+{
+  return processCollisionObjectMsg(createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(point1, point2, name), color);
+}
+
+moveit_msgs::CollisionObject MoveItVisualTools::createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose,
+                                                                               double width, double depth,
+                                                                               double height, const std::string& name)
 {
   moveit_msgs::CollisionObject collision_obj;
   collision_obj.header.stamp = ros::Time::now();
@@ -701,9 +712,9 @@ bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& pose,
   collision_obj.id = name;
   collision_obj.operation = moveit_msgs::CollisionObject::ADD;
 
-  // Calculate center pose
+  // Calculate center block_pose
   collision_obj.primitive_poses.resize(1);
-  collision_obj.primitive_poses[0] = pose;
+  collision_obj.primitive_poses[0] = block_pose;
 
   // Calculate scale
   collision_obj.primitives.resize(1);
@@ -722,7 +733,28 @@ bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& pose,
   if (!collision_obj.primitives[0].dimensions[shape_msgs::SolidPrimitive::BOX_Z])
     collision_obj.primitives[0].dimensions[shape_msgs::SolidPrimitive::BOX_Z] = rviz_visual_tools::SMALL_SCALE;
 
-  return processCollisionObjectMsg(collision_obj, color);
+  return collision_obj;
+}
+
+moveit_msgs::CollisionObject MoveItVisualTools::createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(const Eigen::Isometry3d& block_pose,
+                                                                               double width, double depth,
+                                                                               double height, const std::string& name)
+{
+  return createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(convertPose(block_pose), width, depth, height, name);
+}
+
+bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const Eigen::Isometry3d& block_pose, double width, double depth,
+                                               double height, const std::string& name,
+                                               const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+{
+  return publishCollisionCuboid(convertPose(block_pose), width, depth, height, name, color);
+}
+
+bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionCuboid(const geometry_msgs::Pose& block_pose, double width, double depth,
+                                               double height, const std::string& name,
+                                               const rviz_visual_tools::colors& color)
+{
+  return processCollisionObjectMsg(createCuboidCollisionObjectMsg(block_pose, width, depth, height, name), color);
 }
 
 bool MoveItVisualTools::publishCollisionFloor(double z, const std::string& plane_name,