The new wheel and tire model

Physics

So one of the things we’ve been doing the past few weeks is implementing a new wheel and tire model.

The previous wheel model was an overly simplistic “tweel” which made no distinction between tire and wheel - there was just a straight beam from the axis to the contact patch. Not only was this fundamentally incorrect but it created stability and handling problems and didn’t allow for realistic wheel and tire damage.

We’ve redesigned the wheel model and it’s far more physically correct. The wheel and tire are separately simulated, so a lower profile tire will have sharper corner response, and the tire realistically absorbs lateral force without transmitting it unnecessarily to the suspension components.

Some nice tire flex mid-corner:

In addition, the wheel can be bent and damaged, and the tire itself can be deflated and ripped apart. The wheel is also stable and rigid at a realistic weight, something quite difficult to achieve with these kinds of physics.

Here you can see a bent hubcap (after an encounter with a curb), which wobbles as the wheel spins. In addition, the rear tire in the picture is deflated.

A disgusting-colored Grand Marshal rightfully has a bent alloy and a flat tire after drifting into a curb:

Since much of BeamNG’s functions are in Lua, one could code a new tire model quite easily. We coded the detaching hubcaps in an afternoon - no manual structure had to be made. Now it’s as simple as setting a few parameters in the vehicle’s files to have stable, realistic-weight detaching hubcaps. There’s really no limit to the kinds of structures you could script in Lua. Wheel spikes, anyone? πŸ˜€

Physics

BeamNG Major Updates

Festive Freight in BeamNG.drive v0.31
BeamNG.drive v0.31 release highlights
Gear Up for Fall Adventures in BeamNG.drive v0.30
BeamNG.drive v0.30 release highlights
Gambler 500 x BeamNG.drive - v0.29
BeamNG.drive v0.29 release highlights
Spring Renovations - BeamNG.drive v0.28
BeamNG.drive v0.28 release highlights
Conquer the desert in v0.27
BeamNG.drive v0.27 release highlights
BeamNG.drive v0.26 - Covet the Moment
BeamNG.drive v0.26 release highlights
BeamNG.drive v0.25 - Spark Your Passion
BeamNG.drive v0.25 release highlights
Festive Update v0.24.1 Released
BeamNG.drive v0.24.1 release highlights
The 2021 Winter Release – BeamNG.drive v0.24
BeamNG.drive v0.24 release highlights
The 2021 Summer Release – BeamNG.drive v0.23
BeamNG.drive v0.23 release highlights
The 2021 Spring Release – BeamNG.drive v0.22
BeamNG.drive v0.22 release notes
The 2020 Winter Release – BeamNG v0.21
BeamNG.drive v0.21 release notes
The 2020 Summer Release – BeamNG v0.20
BeamNG.drive v0.20 release notes
β€œLa Vie Γ  Toute Vitesse” – BeamNG.drive v0.19
BeamNG.drive v0.19 release notes
The 2019 Winter Release – BeamNG.drive v0.18
BeamNG.drive v0.18 release notes
Buckle up, heavy traffic ahead: Update 0.17 released
BeamNG.drive v0.17 release notes
Electrifying 0.16
BeamNG.drive v0.16 release notes
A Small Car on a Big Map – Version 0.15 released
BeamNG.drive v0.15 release notes
Light Runner – Version 0.14 Released
BeamNG.drive v0.14 release notes
The Automation Collaboration – Version 0.13 Released
BeamNG.drive v0.13 release notes