[ODE] Re: Simulating Wheels

[Bodo Pfeifer]

Hi,

I checked the racer project. Looks pretty good. But ODE is only used
for the chassis collision here. The dampers + wheels are separately
handled.

I tried using capped cylinders. Doesn't improve the situation that
much. And the colliding approx-objects of the wheels are too big.

Using real-world parameters is a good start. But .. what are
real-world values for things like damper-stiffness. If I understood
the concept, one is using a hinge2 to connect the wheel with the
chassis. So I have to use the ERP and CFM of the joint to control the stiffness.

(dParamSuspensionERP, dParamSuspensionCFM)

IMO the meaning of those values is different (error reduction and
constraint force mixing .. the names say it) .. but these values are
needed to setup correctly to get good dampers .. otherwise the car is
too soft or too hard - which influences the driving behaviour a lot.

-Bodo