Liveforspeed is a racing simulator, there is amazing amount of realistic physics. for example, tires get warm, tire actually deforms when you turn corners. You need to play this game with a mouse at the minimum because it almost drives like the real thing.

Anyhow, how does one achieve that level of physics simulation? Are there off-the-shelf solutions out there? If not, how does one start with simulating real world physics as close as possible.

I would love to be able to work on an opensource car physics focused game. Imagine, more passionate developers, it could keep things going.

  • \$\begingroup\$ You can download TORCS and build your own racing simulator. To build a realistic physics engine, you need to duplicate the structure of a real car and put it in a code using mathematical equations. I don't know if desktop computers can run such complex simulations. \$\endgroup\$ – Marino Klisovich Dec 30 '18 at 12:45

You should probably start with an open source 3d physics engine like Bullet. Remember that games that have funding can hire professionals that are well versed in kinematics that can draft models in math-lab and then have programmers implement them in the code.

So the best way to fully implement a systems like this would involve learning about cars and physics, I think that is beyond the scope of one question.

This might help you get started?

Car physics for games:


Open source 3d physics engine:


The Disney car 2 game uses this engine.

This is just a short video that demonstrates what you could achieve with an advanced 3d physics engine like CryEngine3


Basically, I think this question needs to be broken down to smaller questions, some of which likely belong in SE physics. It is too broad a subject to be properly covered in the current medium.

Development of such a project is incremental in nature, you have to take a step before you can walk and walk before you can run. So I'd suggest starting with a small and rudimentary car simulator and adding features. That way you can allow the time needed for each feature, to study it in depth.

Perhaps like you suggested if you find like minded programmers, each one can focus on a different feature once you have the skeleton of the engine running.

It is sometime possible to negotiate a deal with a company to use their existing engine to make a game in exchange for a portion of the profits or a large sum in advance.

  • \$\begingroup\$ do you know if there is any game that simulates the physics at the engine level? What I mean is if do you know of any game that break the physics down to gears and pistons? \$\endgroup\$ – McLeary Dec 23 '14 at 17:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ This is not how it works. This would not lend itself well to a real time environment where performance is key. This is counter productive. \$\endgroup\$ – wolfdawn Dec 23 '14 at 21:46

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