What is Step?
This physics simulation engine allows users to create and experiment with various physical scenarios, from simple particle systems to complex rigid body dynamics and molecular dynamics. With an intuitive interface, users can easily manipulate the properties of objects and forces in their simulations, observe the evolution of the system in real-time, and learn about the underlying physical principles. The application supports a wide range of features, including classical mechanical simulations, collision detection, deformable bodies, sound waves, and molecular dynamics. Users can also perform unit conversions, error calculations, and access a collection of example experiments and tutorials to enhance their understanding of physics. The simulation engine is open-source and developed within the KDE community, providing a powerful and customizable tool for educators, researchers, and enthusiasts to explore the fascinating world of physics
Highlights
- Classical mechanical simulation in two dimensions with support for particles, springs, gravitational and coulomb forces, and rigid bodies
- Collision detection and handling, as well as simulation of soft (deformable) bodies and sound waves
- Molecular dynamics simulation, including gas and liquid behavior, condensation, and evaporation
- Unit conversion, expression calculation, and error propagation capabilities
- Integrated tutorials and a collection of example experiments for learning and exploration
- Variety of solver options, including explicit and implicit methods, with or without adaptive timestep
- Controller tool for easy manipulation of object properties during simulation
- Visualization tools, such as graphs and tracers, to analyze simulation results
- Context information and integrated Wikipedia browser for deeper understanding of physical concepts