Webots Physics

Webots Physics Skill

Use this skill to configure and debug rigid body physics behavior in Webots using ODE-backed simulation primitives and parameters.

Do not cover basic world building workflow in this skill; route that work to webots-world-building. Do not cover motor control API usage in this skill; route that work to webots-actuators.

Scope

• Configure global simulation behavior from WorldInfo physics fields.
• Configure mass, inertia, and center of mass with Physics.
• Configure and tune joint constraints and passive dynamics.
• Configure collision shapes and contact material interactions.
• Configure damping and fluid interaction fields.
• Implement advanced custom dynamics through physics plugins.
• Tune runtime performance while preserving required simulation fidelity.

ODE Engine Fundamentals

Webots uses the Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) for rigid body dynamics.

Control global physics from WorldInfo:

• basicTimeStep: simulation step in milliseconds. Lower value increases numerical accuracy and stability, with higher CPU cost. Higher value improves runtime speed, with lower stability and precision.
• ERP (Error Reduction Parameter): [0, 1] coefficient controlling how aggressively constraint error is corrected each step.
• CFM (Constraint Force Mixing): softening term for constraints. Higher values generally make constraints softer and can improve stability in difficult contact scenes.
• gravity: global gravitational acceleration vector.

Use conservative baseline values first, then tune one parameter at a time.

Physics Node

Use Physics on each dynamic Solid to define mass properties.

Physics {
  density 1000          # kg/m^3 (use -1 if specifying mass directly)
  mass 0.5              # kg (use -1 if using density)
  centerOfMass [0 0 0]  # local coordinates
  inertiaMatrix [       # optional: Ixx Iyy Izz, Ixy Ixz Iyz
    0.001 0.001 0.001
    0 0 0
  ]
}

Apply these rules:

• Use either density or mass; set the other to -1.
• If both are omitted or left at default unresolved values, derive mass properties from boundingObject geometry.
• Set centerOfMass and inertiaMatrix explicitly when simulation fidelity matters (robot balance, high-speed motion, manipulation).

Joint Types

Model articulated mechanisms with Webots joint nodes.

HingeJoint (revolute, most common)

Use for single-axis rotational motion.

HingeJoint {
  jointParameters HingeJointParameters {
    position 0          # initial angle (rad)
    axis 0 1 0          # rotation axis
    anchor 0 0 0        # anchor point
    minStop -1.57       # joint limits
    maxStop 1.57
    springConstant 0    # spring behavior
    dampingConstant 0   # damping
  }
  device [
    RotationalMotor { name "motor1" maxVelocity 10 maxTorque 5 }
    PositionSensor { name "sensor1" }
    Brake { name "brake1" }
  ]
  endPoint Solid { ... }
}

SliderJoint (prismatic)

Use for single-axis linear motion.

• Follow the same structural pattern as HingeJoint.
• Interpret JointParameters.position in meters.
• Use axis as translation direction and anchor as reference point.

Hinge2Joint (universal, 2 DOF)

Use for two rotational degrees of freedom around two axes.

• Configure first axis through HingeJointParameters.
• Configure second axis through JointParameters.
• Tune stops and damping on both axes to avoid unstable cross-coupling.

BallJoint (spherical, 3 DOF)

Use for free rotation around one point.

• Use BallJointParameters to define anchor.
• Apply damping and stop constraints through node-specific fields when needed.

Collision Detection

Use boundingObject to define collision geometry.

• Prefer simple primitives (Box, Sphere, Cylinder, Capsule) for best performance.
• Use IndexedFaceSet/Mesh collision only where geometric fidelity is required.
• Combine primitives in a Group to build efficient compound collision shapes.
• Treat nested child Solid nodes without intermediate Joint as a fused rigid body.

ContactProperties

Define material pair interaction in WorldInfo.contactProperties.

WorldInfo {
  contactProperties [
    ContactProperties {
      material1 "rubber"
      material2 "asphalt"
      coulombFriction [1.0]     # friction coefficient
      bounce 0.2                # bounciness (0-1)
      bounceVelocity 0.1        # min velocity for bounce
      softCFM 0.001             # contact softness
      softERP 0.2
    }
  ]
}

• Match material1/material2 against each Solid.contactMaterial value.
• Fall back to default contact friction/response when no pair matches.
• Use softCFM/softERP to stabilize high-contact scenes and stacked bodies.

Damping

Use Damping for passive energy dissipation.

Damping {
  linear 0.5    # linear velocity damping
  angular 0.5   # angular velocity damping
}

• Increase linear damping to reduce translational drift/oscillation.
• Increase angular damping to suppress spin and joint ringing.

Fluid Dynamics

Use Fluid and ImmersionProperties to model buoyancy and drag.

• Define fluid volume and physical coefficients in a Fluid node.
• Define per-body fluid interaction in ImmersionProperties on each Solid.
• Account for Archimedes' thrust (buoyancy), drag forces, fluid density, and viscosity.
• Validate center of mass and collision geometry when tuning submerged behavior.

Physics Plugin (Advanced)

Use a physics plugin for custom force models and direct ODE access.

• Implement plugin callbacks in C: webots_physics_init, webots_physics_step, webots_physics_cleanup.
• Access ODE bodies and joints directly from plugin-side APIs.
• Use for custom effects such as wind fields, tethers, bespoke force laws, and prototype soft-body approximations.
• Build and load as platform shared library (.so, .dll, .dylib).

Performance Optimization

• Increase basicTimeStep to improve speed, accepting reduced accuracy.
• Set WorldInfo.optimalThreadCount for multi-threaded physics execution.
• Configure physicsDisableTime to sleep idle objects and reduce solver work.
• Prefer primitive collision shapes and avoid unnecessary mesh-mesh contacts.
• Reduce contact workload through ContactProperties.maxContactJoints when scenes are contact-heavy.

Workflow

1. Establish baseline world parameters (basicTimeStep, ERP, CFM, gravity).
2. Validate each dynamic Solid mass and inertia setup.
3. Validate joint type and axis/anchor alignment against mechanism kinematics.
4. Validate collision geometry simplicity and correctness.
5. Tune ContactProperties for friction, restitution, and softness.
6. Add damping and fluid parameters only as needed.
7. Use plugin-level customization only when built-in fields cannot express required dynamics.
8. Profile and tune runtime cost after behavior correctness is achieved.

Reference File

Use references/physics_reference.md for field-level node reference, callback signatures, and ODE object mapping details.