# projectchrono/chrono

High-performance C++ library for multiphysics and multibody dynamics simulations

Repository: https://github.com/projectchrono/chrono
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/projectchrono-chrono
Homepage: http://projectchrono.org
Language: C++
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: simulation, physics-simulation, modeling, robotics, physics-engine, multibody-dynamics, granular-dynamics, flexible-body, fluid-solid-interaction, vehicle-dynamics
Last push: 2026-08-24T16:15:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 81/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 46, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4747, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 148, "gap_med": 282, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2993, forks 629 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:35.628358+00:00)

## What it is
Project Chrono is a high-performance, open-source C++ multiphysics simulation library for multibody dynamics, finite element analysis, granular dynamics, fluid-solid interaction, and vehicle/robot simulation. It offers optional modules for sensors, GPU parallel computing, co-simulation, and provides Python (PyChrono) and C# APIs.

## Use cases
- simulate wheeled and tracked vehicles on deformable terrain
- simulate robots and autonomous agents with camera, LiDAR, GPS, and IMU sensors
- model granular material flows with millions of bodies on GPU
- perform nonlinear finite element analysis of compliant mechanisms
- simulate fluid-solid interaction problems
- model multibody mechanisms with joints, motors, springs, and contacts
- export SolidWorks CAD assemblies into a physics simulation
- run embodied AI and terramechanics research simulations

## When to choose
- you need physics-accurate multibody or FEA simulation rather than game-style physics
- you simulate vehicles, robots, or granular media at engineering fidelity
- you need GPU or multicore parallelism for large-scale simulations
- you want a permissive BSD-3 licensed embeddable C++ engine with Python bindings

## When to avoid
- you need a GUI-driven simulation tool out of the box
- you only need fast game-style physics for a video game (Bullet, PhysX may suffice)
- you need a lightweight, easy-to-learn scripting-only simulator
- your project cannot handle building a large C++ codebase with CMake

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: simulation, graphics, computer-vision, sdk
- domain: simulation, robotics, autonomous-vehicles, graphics
- platform: windows, cpp, python, cross-platform
- tags: physics-engine, multibody-dynamics, finite-element-analysis, granular-dynamics, vehicle-dynamics, terramechanics, fluid-solid-interaction, robotics-simulation, sensors, ros2, fea, dem, pychrono, game-development, algorithms, linux, macos, gpu

## Member repositories
- projectchrono/chrono (main) score 81

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:35.628358+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:31:19.086183+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/projectchrono/chrono (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:35.628358+00:00, sha 074829afd9b9)
  - homepage: http://projectchrono.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.490541+00:00, sha c8d649a96839)
  - site_page: http://api.projectchrono.org/tutorial_install_chrono.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.507771+00:00, sha 7d6884e606a2)
  - site_page: https://projectchrono.org/about (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.505534+00:00, sha 38d861336f3e)
  - site_page: http://api.projectchrono.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.500726+00:00, sha 2b0dd75b65b1)
  - site_page: https://projectchrono.org/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.503114+00:00, sha f24575bce6c5)
  - site_page: http://api.projectchrono.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:46:12.510314+00:00, sha 2b0dd75b65b1)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.