OPAL (software)
Encyclopedia
The Open Physics Abstraction Layer (OPAL) is an open source
realtime
physics engine
API similar to PAL. It is currently supported only by ODE
, but can be extended to run off of other engines. OPAL is free software
, released under both the LGPL and the BSD license. It was originally designed and written by Tyler Streeter, Andres Reinot, and Alan Fischer while working at Iowa State University's VRAC.
OPAL is a high-level interface for low-level physics engines used in games, robotics simulations, and other 3D applications. Features a simple C++ API, intuitive objects (e.g. Solids, Joints, Motors, Sensors), and XML-based file storage for complex objects.
The latest version of OPAL is 0.4.0. On June 23, 2010, OPAL development officially ended.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
realtime
Real-time computer graphics
Real-time computer graphics is the subfield of computer graphics focused on producing and analyzing images in real time. The term is most often used in reference to interactive 3D computer graphics, typically using a GPU, with video games the most noticeable users...
physics engine
Physics engine
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics , soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film. Their main uses are in video games , in which case the...
API similar to PAL. It is currently supported only by ODE
Open Dynamics Engine
The Open Dynamics Engine is a physics engine in C/C++. Its two main components are a rigid body dynamics simulation engine and a collision detection engine...
, but can be extended to run off of other engines. OPAL is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, released under both the LGPL and the BSD license. It was originally designed and written by Tyler Streeter, Andres Reinot, and Alan Fischer while working at Iowa State University's VRAC.
OPAL is a high-level interface for low-level physics engines used in games, robotics simulations, and other 3D applications. Features a simple C++ API, intuitive objects (e.g. Solids, Joints, Motors, Sensors), and XML-based file storage for complex objects.
The latest version of OPAL is 0.4.0. On June 23, 2010, OPAL development officially ended.