Limitations
A primary limit of physics engine realism is the precision of the numbers representing the positions of and forces acting upon objects. When precision is too low, rounding errors affect results and small fluctuations not modeled in the simulation can drastically change the predicted results; simulated objects can behave unexpectedly or arrive at the wrong location. The errors are compounded in situations where two free-moving objects are fit together with a precision that is greater than what the physics engine can calculate. This can lead to an unnatural buildup energy in the object due to the rounding errors that begins to violently shake and eventually blow the objects apart. Any type of free-moving compound physics object can demonstrate this problem, but it is especially prone to affecting chain links under high tension and wheeled objects with actively physical bearing surfaces. Higher precision reduces the positional/force errors, but at the cost of greater CPU power needed for the calculations.
Read more about this topic: Physics Engine
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