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Cannon.js

A lightweight 3D physics engine written in JavaScript.

Install / Use

/learn @schteppe/Cannon.js
About this skill

Quality Score

0/100

Supported Platforms

Universal

README

cannon.js

Lightweight 3D physics for the web

Inspired by three.js and ammo.js, and driven by the fact that the web lacks a physics engine, here comes cannon.js. The rigid body physics engine includes simple collision detection, various body shapes, contacts, friction and constraints.

Demos - Documentation - Rendering hints - NPM package - CDN

Browser install

Just include cannon.js or cannon.min.js in your html and you're done:

<script src="cannon.min.js"></script>

Node.js install

Install the cannon package via NPM:

npm install --save cannon

Alternatively, point to the Github repo directly to get the very latest version:

npm install --save schteppe/cannon.js

Example

The sample code below creates a sphere on a plane, steps the simulation, and prints the sphere simulation to the console. Note that Cannon.js uses SI units (metre, kilogram, second, etc.).

// Setup our world
var world = new CANNON.World();
world.gravity.set(0, 0, -9.82); // m/s²

// Create a sphere
var radius = 1; // m
var sphereBody = new CANNON.Body({
   mass: 5, // kg
   position: new CANNON.Vec3(0, 0, 10), // m
   shape: new CANNON.Sphere(radius)
});
world.addBody(sphereBody);

// Create a plane
var groundBody = new CANNON.Body({
    mass: 0 // mass == 0 makes the body static
});
var groundShape = new CANNON.Plane();
groundBody.addShape(groundShape);
world.addBody(groundBody);

var fixedTimeStep = 1.0 / 60.0; // seconds
var maxSubSteps = 3;

// Start the simulation loop
var lastTime;
(function simloop(time){
  requestAnimationFrame(simloop);
  if(lastTime !== undefined){
     var dt = (time - lastTime) / 1000;
     world.step(fixedTimeStep, dt, maxSubSteps);
  }
  console.log("Sphere z position: " + sphereBody.position.z);
  lastTime = time;
})();

If you want to know how to use cannon.js with a rendering engine, for example Three.js, see the Examples.

Features

  • Rigid body dynamics
  • Discrete collision detection
  • Contacts, friction and restitution
  • Constraints
    • PointToPoint (a.k.a. ball/socket joint)
    • Distance
    • Hinge (with optional motor)
    • Lock
    • ConeTwist
  • Gauss-Seidel constraint solver and an island split algorithm
  • Collision filters
  • Body sleeping
  • Experimental SPH / fluid support
  • Various shapes and collision algorithms (see table below)

| | Sphere | Plane | Box | Convex | Particle | Heightfield | Trimesh | | :-----------|:------:|:-----:|:---:|:------:|:--------:|:-----------:|:-------:| | Sphere | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Plane | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | | Box | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | (todo) | | Cylinder | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | (todo) | | Convex | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | (todo) | | Particle | - | - | - | - | - | (todo) | (todo) | | Heightfield | - | - | - | - | - | - | (todo) | | Trimesh | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

Todo

The simpler todos are marked with @todo in the code. Github Issues can and should also be used for todos.

Help

Create an issue if you need help.

View on GitHub
GitHub Stars5.0k
CategoryDevelopment
Updated23m ago
Forks741

Languages

JavaScript

Security Score

100/100

Audited on Apr 1, 2026

No findings