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Vamos is an automotive simulation framework with an emphasis on thorough physical modeling and good C++ design. Vamos includes a real-time, first-person, 3D driving application. Vamos 0.7.0 [2012-01-16]I'm pretty happy with the robot cars. They handle just about any track without tweaking. They even account for humps, dips, and banking when deciding how fast to go and when to brake. They can be pretty stiff competition. I've updated the documentation, so have a look if you're interested in how they work. The minor version bump means that I'm ready to start looking at gameplay. My first thought is to use Python+clutter for the interface. There's a lot to learn, so I may not have anything to show for it for a while. But, considering my usual pace, it may not make a difference.Robot car calculations [2011-03-13]I was looking at the code for the computer-controlled cars a while back and couldn't remember how I arrived at some of the equations. So I figured it was time to describe the calculations in some sort of organized way. In some cases I found ways to improve the code. The are some missing sections, but the racing line and braking sections are complete. The braking section even includes some ideas I haven't implemented yet. You can grab a PDF or browse the latex2html output from the Documentation section. Vamos 0.6.2 - Faster than Me [2008-09-20]The performance of robot cars is greatly improved in this release. I wouldn't say they're unbeatable, but I can't keep up on most tracks. Added "--demo" or "-d" option in case you want to ride along with a robot. Try "vamos -d -c F1 -t Spa" for a fun ride. Aerodynamic forces are now reduced when driving in another car's slipstream. The density of the air is reduced, resulting in decreased drag and downforce, when a car is where another car has recently been. Compilation errors with GCC 4.3 have been fixed. Vamos 0.6.1 - Race Against the Machine [2008-09-20]Added computer-controlled cars. The control algorithm operates the steering, throttle, brakes, and transmission to make the car follow a calculated racing line. The car definitions provide some performance parameters for the control algorithm. Use the "-o 1" command-line option to race against the computer controlled cars. Take your pick of car type and track. In most cases the robot will set respectable lap times. The racing line is calulated by simulating the behavior of a flexible strip confined to the road. Adding the |