Physics-based 3D game design
A structured seminar program covering rigid body simulation, collision response, constraint solvers, and real-time physics integration inside modern 3D engines. Each module builds directly on the previous one — no isolated theory.
Each module runs across two weeks with one live seminar and one peer review session. Participants work on a single continuous project rather than isolated exercises — the physics system you build in module two is the same one you optimise in module seven.
What the PROGRAM covers
Eight modules, each with a defined scope and a practical deliverable.
Physics engine fundamentals
How PhysX, Bullet, and Havok differ in their broad-phase and narrow-phase strategies. You will read engine source alongside documentation.
Rigid body dynamics
Mass, inertia tensors, torque, and angular momentum applied to game objects. Integration methods — Euler, Verlet, RK4 — and when each is appropriate.
Collision detection pipelines
AABB trees, BVH hierarchies, GJK and EPA algorithms. Practical profiling to find where your collision budget is actually going.
Constraint solvers and joints
Sequential impulse solvers, position-based dynamics, and how to build ragdolls and vehicle suspensions that behave consistently across frame rates.
Soft body and cloth simulation
Particle systems, spring networks, and position-based cloth. Where GPU simulation is viable and where it introduces latency problems.
Fluid and particle effects
SPH and FLIP solvers at game scale. Techniques for achieving visual plausibility within a 2ms frame budget rather than full physical accuracy.
Performance and determinism
Fixed timestep architectures, interpolation, and how to make physics deterministic enough for networked multiplayer. Real profiling data from shipped titles.
Final project review
Participants present their physics system to the group and two instructors. Structured critique focused on correctness, performance, and design decisions.
Skills you will be able to demonstrate
The program does not measure outcomes by quiz scores. At the end of module eight, you submit a working physics system and defend the architectural decisions in front of peers. The checklist below describes what that system must do — it doubles as your learning target from day one.
- Implement a rigid body simulation from scratch in a 3D engine of your choice, with correct mass and inertia handling
- Build a collision detection pipeline using BVH and GJK, profile it, and reduce its per-frame cost by at least a measurable factor
- Construct a constraint solver that handles at least two joint types without introducing visible jitter at 60fps
- Architect a fixed-timestep physics loop that produces consistent results across different hardware and network conditions
- Explain and justify every architectural decision in the system during a live peer review session
Who teaches the seminars
Three instructors, each with a distinct background in production game development.
Benedikt Vrána
Physics systems lead
Worked on collision and rigid body systems for eight years across mid-size and AA studios in Central Europe. His focus during the program is on constraint solver design and the tradeoffs between accuracy and determinism in shipped titles.
Thandi Osei-Bonsu
Real-time rendering and simulation
Specialises in GPU-accelerated simulation and the intersection of rendering pipelines with physics output. She leads the modules on soft body and fluid systems, drawing on work done on particle-heavy mobile and PC titles.
Rafał Dąbrowski
Networked physics and architecture
Spent six years building deterministic physics systems for competitive multiplayer games. Leads the module on fixed-timestep architecture and the final project review, where he focuses on whether design decisions hold up under scrutiny.