hey there,

i just played around with the ode physics in the latest a7 version. sometimes when i stack some more objects or drop them near to the next - some objects start to twitch around... or shake around.
they just dont stand still, like they should! instead it looks like they try to find an optimal position. but never find it.

i have already looked at the FAQ and did what stood there, but that doesnt seem to solve the issue. also all physics demos here seem to have the same problem.
now are there any strategies to avoid the above problems? i know newton does not have this kind of problem. maybe its ode specific...

would be nice to share the knowledge or discuss how to get rid of this problem.

greetings!

The collision algorithm of the ODE physics engine is not as accurate as it could be. It checks every frame to see whether the physics object has penetrated a barrier. If it has, then it pushes the physics object away from the wall/floor/object/whatever. What's happening with your "bouncing objects" is a direct result of this. I would recommend setting ph_fps_max_lock to whatever FPS you're getting (or at least an average, if your FPS isn't constant), and this probably should minimize your twitching.

Thanks. I had the same problem and only could get them to stop spastic movement after setting object mass to zero. Will try your solution.