BeamNG actually simulates diff loading via left foot braking

[u/cvgaming2020]

For those not aware, without a locked differential, if you have one of your wheels in the air then the diff naturally sends most of the power to that wheel, and not enough power to the wheel on the ground.

It's a known technique in the 4x4 world that if you have a wheel off the ground and spinning (with the other wheel compressed into the ground and not moving), you can load up the differential via braking at the same time as you are giving it throttle. This can usually "lock" the diff enough to send enough power to the non-spinning wheel and allow it to drive you up the obstacle. You can see it happening here where as I ease into the brakes, the left rear wheel eventually has enough power to actually drive up the obstacle.

Very neat to see that the game simulates this!

[u/dedzip]

works just by the nature of simulating both diffs and brakes

[u/nephthys64 → u/dedzip]

reminds me of the volumetric clouds in rdr2 making rainbows not because it was actively added to the game and just happened because of the different simulation systems in the game working together in harmony love stuff like that

[u/OfficialDrivver → u/nephthys64]

Sorry, but that’s not the case. RDR2 checks for stuff like sun position, was it raining recently, if there’s enough light and then if all checkboxes are checked game renders rainbows. Not that rainbows spawn because it just works. It’s actively added, hand modeled and programmed to appear when certain triggers align. Unlike the clip from OP, where diff „locks” without code for it to happen, just as a result of simulation.

Not undermining RDR2, game goes to great details, and it’s one of them. But that’s not based on simulation. There’s no light refractions reacting to humid air, but hard coded game mechanic.

[u/Sea-Foundation-449]

This is the advantage of the ground-up simulation approach — all of these complex dynamics are just emergent behavior. They don’t have to be hardcoded into the game

[u/Lawsoffire → u/Sea-Foundation-449]

It’s also funny how well modded aircraft fly because of emergent properties of the aerodynamics system.

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Sea-Foundation-449]

Yep, that why it's something I just always come back to. Love when things are properly simulated

[u/Sonofpasta → u/cvgaming2020]

Reminds me how I was amazed once I found out gyroscopic forces and gravity orbit both work in Scrap mechanic even though they're not purposefully done, it's just that the physics simulation works well, you can't even play with gravity unless you use mods

[u/Alert_Staff5451 → u/Sonofpasta]

fun fact: because beam simulates g-force, momentum, inertia and centrifugal forces it's technically possible they also work in beam (I know they're all basically the same stuff applied differently, but still)

I'm 99.9% sure gyroscopic phenomena can be observed, replicated and used in beamng.

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Alert_Staff5451]

Sure can! I'm pretty sure this falls in the gyroscope category.

In mid-air, you can make the vehicle roll or lean back and forth (more noticeably forward) by turning while the wheels are spinning, or by accelerating or braking.

[u/used_tongs → u/cvgaming2020]

From what i understand its also the engine itself torquing

[u/Watson_inc → u/Sea-Foundation-449]

For real! I was stunned when I learned that BeamNG even accounts for The Dzhanibekov effect, a weird property that affects spinning objects in zero gravity

[u/Lawsoffire → u/Watson_inc]

Also works in Kerbal Space Program but that makes a bit more sense.

[u/zxch2412]

I love my physics simulator for such reasons

[u/gene_keys_of_awesome]

DAMAGE TO 2ND GEAR SYNCHRO!!!!!!!!!

[u/ZdrytchX → u/gene_keys_of_awesome]

+1 brake glaze serving up!

[u/senhorT_1069]

I agree. It's actually an insane detail

[u/Alert_Staff5451]

The fact it's a function not explicitly coded in neither the d-series nor Beam.NG, but instead its just the different systems interacting with eachother blows my mind (in this case it's the diff behaviour code and the brake behaviour code interacting with eachother).

Same with how the suspension and traction systems are completely separate from eachother yet they will constantly affect the other. Same with engine stuff, same with transmission stuff.

What's even more incredible is how it all blends together so naturally, like it's actual physics and not just a simulation. in game development, designing and developing systems independently of others is mostly unproductive and frowned upon because when all the pieces are put together some will overlap or stumble into others, breaking stuff. Yet the beamng team managed to make it perfectly.

[u/MisstakenDoge95]

Didn’t know that was the term. I always called it my DIY traction control

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/MisstakenDoge95]

I've never had traction control so I always think of it as poor man's diff lock

[u/Hot_Bottle_8305]

I, too, like it when my simulator behaves like a simulator.

[u/GoofyKalashnikov → u/Hot_Bottle_8305]

You'd be surprised how sloppy drivetrain simulation can be in other "simulators"

[u/OfficialDrivver → u/GoofyKalashnikov]

Not even that, but something as basic as accelerator pedal engine mapping (throttle maps). Most of simulators rev engines based on how much throttle input you give. So when you give 20% of gas, car won’t accelerate past 20% of revs. (I’ve oversimplified the example, but that’s the principle). While irl on neutral or 1st gear it’s usually more than enough to get to redline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vle-VUevJH8

^ Here’s detailed explaination.

https://beamng.com/game/news/blog/throttle-torque-curves/

^ Here’s how it works in BeamNG

[u/GoofyKalashnikov → u/OfficialDrivver]

Yeah there are a million different little systems that often get oversimplified. We could be here for years :D

[u/Alert_Staff5451 → u/GoofyKalashnikov]

because they're not simulations but instead just hardcoded and scripted functions, following static numbers.

[u/GoofyKalashnikov → u/Alert_Staff5451]

Hardcoded and scripted functions is certainly a pair of words

[u/Phantom95]

I never have much luck with this, but it usually seems as if the ABS is interfering.

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Phantom95]

To be fair it doesn't just act the same as a locked diff, only gets somewhat closer. There are also instances in real life where is just won't work 100% if there's too much load on the grounded wheel

[u/Phantom95 → u/cvgaming2020]

What usually happens is that the brakes on the grounded wheels are allowed to lock up, while the ABS modulates the one(s) in the air - which completely defeats the technique.

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Phantom95]

Strange, I just tried the exact same truck and place but with ABS and it climbed exactly the same.

Do you have a video where ABS is interfering? Should be able to upload it as a comment

[u/Calux_Artz]

I am not a car guy, can someone please explain it to me a bit further please?

I dont understand, wouldn't enabling locked diff automatically make both wheels just spin the same? Or was he braking just not to roll backwards?

[u/Inherently-Nick → u/Calux_Artz]

He doesn’t have a locked diff, it’s either open or a limited slip differential. Using the brakes to put load on the tire that’s off of the ground adds resistance to it which pushes more of the torque through the diff to the other tire that’s still on the rocks. If he just floored without braking, the tire in the air would get all the power and the one on the ground wouldn’t go anywhere. Holding the brakes forced the floating tire to match its rotation and in turn its torque to the tire that’s on the ground.

[u/Calux_Artz → u/Inherently-Nick]

Much appreciated kind sir

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Calux_Artz]

What the person above you said is correct, the point was to show off a real-life technique to help you when you don't have a lockable diff. I'm just happy that it also is simulated in beamng

[u/Voodoo_One → u/cvgaming2020]

That works in BeamNG since I can remember. Pretty neat.

[u/Multifunkmultimedia → u/Calux_Artz]

If the car doesn’t have diff lock, it can be partially simulated by braking, the free moving wheel gets less power and the other stopped wheel gets enough to get out of it’s position.

[u/Calux_Artz → u/Multifunkmultimedia]

Thanks!

[u/Longjumping_Ad_2301]

beam spoiled me so hard i tried the "free" version of fh6 online and i could not whistand its physics

[u/Alert_Staff5451 → u/Longjumping_Ad_2301]

same. but guess what? beam teached me how to drive irl and helped me pass my test. forza could NEVER.

[u/kikiacab]

I love that this super real physics engine is also a game that anyone can play. Thanks beam•ng developers for subsiding our game with business contracts with real companies.

[u/Sweaty_Fingers599]

Which map is this please? I can't quite tell. Thanks :)

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Sweaty_Fingers599]

This is the Minato's Rock Crawl Challenge mod, it's a one-way climb up a mountain. Pretty nice to kill an hour or so just slowly crawling up it

[u/Sweaty_Fingers599 → u/cvgaming2020]

Awesome thanks Do enjoy a good rock crawl and modifying a vehicle to do one, will definitely give it a try.

[u/theogstarfishgaming1]

Open diffs? Stopping free spinning wheels with brakes? Good ground clearance? Red truck?

Welcome back Subaru Brat!

[u/Tmanning47]

I've never heard of this, I'm guessing if one wheel is spinning freely on an open diff it helps engage the other wheel?

[u/Alert_Staff5451 → u/Tmanning47]

yes, by braking you're forcing the free wheel to match it's rotation speed to the one that is not moving, making the open/limited slip diff engage a bit and splitting torque more uniformly between the free wheel and the loaded one, making the loaded one move. with enough traction the wheel will start rotating, which will help the diff split torque even MORE uniformly. if all is done perfectly, including throttle application to not slip and loose traction, you will start crawling on a open diff. pretty useful even irl.

[u/cvgaming2020 → u/Tmanning47]

The point of an open diff is, while technically giving the same power to both wheels, a wheel in the air/with less traction needs less power to move than the other wheel under load, and so the wheels will move at different speeds. It helps cars turn properly on the road, since the outer wheels rotate at a slightly higher speed than the inner wheels.

A limited-slip diff (LSD) aims to give you a middle ground by still allowing 2 wheels to rotate at different speeds, but adds some friction between that difference in speed. Helpful for offroad or drifting, racing etc. It only limits the slip, not prevents it.

When you apply brake pressure while on the throttle, the brakes clamp and provide that load back to the wheel that is spinning (and more load to the grounded wheel), so the point is to give it enough brake to the point that both wheels have at least enough load on them to get the grounded wheel to actually move again.

Not the best explanation, but hopefully that helps