[ODE] Would ODE Handle this Efficiently?

[A W]

Thanks for your responses. It sounds like ODE can handle this problem 
capably. Just for your information, the tables that this system might 
support could possibly become rather complex crowded by many meshes.

Here is a screenshot of a simpler mesh (actual meshes may mave much more 
geometry) I am working on to test the simulation:

http://codebot.org/upload/file.asp?id=32

The MIME type in the link above might not work properly :(

>From: Ken M <wgold at flyingplastic.com>
>To: A W <sysrpl_lists at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [ODE] Would ODE Handle this Efficiently?
>Date: Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:48:36 -0400
>
>A.W.
>
>It would rule.
>
>There's plenty of object collide groupings you can use to keep some objects 
>from colliding with others.. But the solvers are lightning fast at removing 
>those even if you didn't. I have had literally hundreds of spheres bouncing 
>down Tri-Mesh hills, through valleys, and bouncing off immobile boxes, 
>planes, and the like without any real worries about sim speed.
>
>A ball bouncing through a table with maybe 100 collidable objects should be 
>a no-brainer for ODE.
>
>K.M.
>
>A W wrote:
>
>>Hello all. I am a new user of ODE and thank you for taking the time to 
>>read this message.
>>
>>I have the following problem. I am in the primordial stages of developing 
>>a pinball simulator/construction set and am trying to decide upon how to 
>>handle the physics on the table. Of concern to me is a fast response time, 
>>and to that end my question is: would it be appropriate to use ODE to 
>>calculate the physics for a pinball game simulator?
>>
>>Before you jump to respond to this question two points:
>>
>>1) In a pinball game simulator the there are few parts that actually have 
>>forces applied to them. The majority of the objects in the simulator are 
>>immobile and serve to just deflect the ball. In other words, there is no 
>>need to collision detect between the walls and the flippers and the bumper 
>>and the drains. They cannot collide with each other. About the only 
>>collision detection needed is between the round sphere ball and and the 
>>previously mentioned objects. Other than that a plunger is needed to 
>>provide the ball with its initial energy and spinners need to rotate when 
>>hit by a ball.
>>
>>I am afraid a physics engine like ODE might waste an enormous amount of 
>>CPU time if it tries to calculate possible collisions between these 
>>immobile objects (walls colliding with other walls ect). Can engines like 
>>ODE be told to ignore collision detection and physics calculations between 
>>these objects while still allowing a ball(s) to collide with these same 
>>objects?
>>
>>2) I am this question rather than doing and finding out for myself (after 
>>much time has been invested and possibly waster) because I am an obvious 
>>newbie to ODE and am not familiar with its limitations and performance 
>>under 'optimal' conditions. I am hoping that by requesting comments from 
>>experienced users I can save myself some pain of running down a road and 
>>later hitting a brick wall, or maybe using a sledge hammer when little 
>>taps would suffice.
>>
>>I hope I have explained myself correctly. Please ask me to clarify if I 
>>haven't been specific enough.
>>
>>Thanks.
>>
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>

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