# Unstable spring

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Hi! I guess that you've heard that thousands times. Still, I would like to ask you for a help. The problem is that my simulation gets terribly unstable (simply saying - it blows up). The cause lays somewhere in solve() method of a spring class. When Friction/SpringConstant reach more/less 500.0 everything crashes. If you could, I'd be thankful for looking at the code /quite self-explanatory I hope/ :
		// Find a distance between the two masses
CVector3	vForce(0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
CVector3	vDistance = m_pPoint1->m_Position - m_pPoint2->m_Position;
double		r = vDistance.Magnitude();

if (r != 0.0 )	// Check if the distance is not 0
{
// Calculate a normal vector of the spring
m_Normal.n[0] = vDistance.n[1] / r;
m_Normal.n[1] = -vDistance.n[0] / r;

vForce += (vDistance / r) * (r - m_Length) * (-m_SpringConstant);
}

vForce -= (m_pPoint1->m_Velocity - m_pPoint2->m_Velocity ) * m_FrictionConstant;

// Apply forces to the masses
m_pPoint2->AddForce (-vForce);	// The opposite of force is applied to m_pPoint2


Let me know if you find that the way I compute spring forces is wrong. Thanks in advance!

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How do you compute velocity and position?

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i dont even have to look at your code to tell you its not a problem with your code, but a fundamental problem with the method you are using.

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If you're using a first-order forward Euler integrator, an undampened spring will never be stable. You have to add a certain amount of damping (force counteracting velocity) to get it to work.

Or you can change to something like a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integrator; if you implement that with numeric error cancellation, you can oscillate for hours on end :-)

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Um, do you mean it crashes when the spring constant is really high? If so, that's normal. The higher spring constants cause larger errors.

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Hi, folks! Sorry for the late reply.

Quote:
 Original post by hplus0603If you're using a first-order forward Euler integrator, an undampened spring will never be stable.

Yes, that's the method I use.

Quote:
 Or you can change to something like a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integrator; if you implement that with numeric error cancellation, you can oscillate for hours on end :-)

So you suggest changing the integrator? That's pretty obvious! Why didn't I think about that? :) I need to try this solution.

Great thanks people!

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Quote:
 Original post by claptonSo you suggest changing the integrator? That's pretty obvious! Why didn't I think about that? :) I need to try this solution.

Before you try a more complicated integrator, try using Verlet and/or Semi-implicit Euler with position/displacement clamping. I've been using this method since 1990 (Amiga:VR-Slingshot; stable with integer/fixed-point systems as well), very easy to implement, fast, and 100% no-matter-what-stable. I experimented with RK2 (midpoint) and RK4, but found that the extra complexity/overhead (and energy loss with RK4) was not an improvement over clamped/constrained Verlet/Semi-implicit Euler (or "Euler-Verlet"). Even RK4 will blow up without clamping (not guaranteed to be 100% no-matter-what-stable).

http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=344865.

You can implement these concepts in a matter of minutes given an existing explicit Euler integrator.

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Thanks, John!

I think I'll go for you advice. The problem is that I still have to little knowledge on mathematics. I've never done anything with integration (yet) so RK4 seems a bit complicated to me. Anyway, I'll keep on learning. If it doesn't bring result I will try something easier (Verlet, Midpoint ...).

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I found RK4 confusing at first too, but after actually coding it and getting to know it (mostly from Gaffer's tutorials) I now find it to be quite logical and simple. And I must say, the thing is several orders of magnitude more stable than my Euler thing, especially when the forces are quickly changing (springs/gravity).

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