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Particle Collision // Physics For Game Dev #2

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Video / channel Intermediate

OGLDEV

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Description

Particle Collision // Physics For Game Dev #2 is an OGLDEV YouTube lesson on sphere-sphere particle collision detection and response in a continuing game-dev physics series.

It covers bounding spheres centered on point-mass centers, distance-squared tests versus summed radii, momentum and kinetic energy conservation, elastic versus inelastic extremes, the coefficient of restitution, projecting 3D velocities onto the collision normal for a 1D solve then reconstructing 3D velocities, early-outs when already separating, and a demo launching balls with spacebar.

It is for intermediate C++ and OpenGL learners who already have basic particle integration from earlier episodes. Linear algebra at the level of dot products is enough.

Access is a free YouTube video with on-screen equations and code walkthroughs in the PointMass class.

It is useful as a clear first implementation of pairwise particle collisions before broader-phase optimizations.