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At the heart of any good simulation is the physics engine. Without it, a simulation would be nothing more than a series of artist's renderings, rough visual approximations rather than precise, data-driven calculations of action and reaction.
Physics is defined as "the study of motion and the way in which forces produce motion." A physics engine is a complex system of mathematical functions that replicates those motion-producing forces to create a three-dimensional sphere of existence, a virtual world that behaves like the real world. The difference between a good simulation and a great one is the sophistication and accuracy of that physics engine.
With more than 20 racing-simulation releases (more than a dozen of which have garnered industry awards) to their credit, Dave Kaemmer and his team are experts in the mapping of multi-body systems and the calculation of forces and their effects on motion. Never satisfied, however, Kaemmer has created a new, proprietary tire model that produces accurate forces over a wide range of speeds and loads, as well as a virtual wind tunnel that precisely calculates air flow and aerodynamic forces through any possible combination of yaw, pitch, roll and ride height all in the pursuit of lifelike driving dynamics.
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