[ODE] Torque input, differentials and drive shafts

[Amund Børsand]

Hi y'all,

I'm trying to make a realistic off-roading car simulator, and I'm using
ODE to model the mechanics of the vehicles. An interesting thought I
came up with was if it would be possible to implement drive shafts and
differentials this way:

My vehicles mostly use live axles. In real life, when you step on the
gas, your driveshaft will create torque between the gearbox and the
drive axle, causing it to become lighter on one wheel than the other,
and also causing old banged up dragrace Mustangs to bend and lift one
front wheel in the air. 

Question one: Can the slider resist torque along its length axis? If it
could, or could me made to, it would make a perfect telescopic
driveshaft. 

Question two: Is there some way to "input" torque from the driveshaft
and into a virtual diffential in an axle, transferring it further to the
wheels?

And three: Does anyone have any ideas as for how to
model/simulate/calculate an open differential? It works on the form that
each wheels absolute angle is W1 + W2 = DS (where DS is the driveshaft's
angle).


Thanks. ODE is fantastic! Incredible! Almost as fun as real life ;)

-- 
Amund Børsand <amund@c2i.net>