The dcmotor input block is any subset of the canonical list [pos, vel,
ff, voltage], selected with input="pos vel ff voltage" and recorded as
mjtCtrlInput bits in actuator_ctrlspec like pid. Tokens are required in
canonical order: the attribute denotes a set, the block always packs
canonically, and accepting permutations invites reading the string as a
layout choice. The mode flag in gainprm[8] is retired (reserved,
written 0).
Controller gains are now in torque space, as for pid: the controller
commands tau = kp*(q*-l) + kd*(v*-ldot) + ki*x_I + tau_ff over the
present inputs (absent setpoints frozen at zero) and converts to drive
voltage V = R/K * tau + K*ldot. The second term compensates back-EMF,
as the current loop of a real torque-mode driver does (torque commands
are current commands): commanded torque is delivered exactly until a
limit binds, and the torque-speed envelope emerges from the Vmax clamp.
The map uses the nameplate R: thermal resistance growth is not
compensated, so a hot motor under-delivers by R/R(T). A stateless
setpoint dcmotor now matches <pid> exactly, for any K and R; the old
back-EMF droop remains available as the physical behavior of the raw
voltage path. Voltage-space datasheet gains convert by K/R. Controller
inputs require a positive motor constant (the map divides by K), and
controller gains require a controller input.
ff and voltage are distinct inputs, different in kind: ff is a torque
feedforward added to the controller output, uniform with pid's ff
(feedforward in the actuator's output space), while voltage is the raw
terminal voltage of the physical device, injected downstream of the
controller and its Vmax clamp, unclamped (ctrlrange bounds it if
desired). input="voltage" is the default: the plain voltage-commanded
motor, whose behavior is unchanged by this commit. The integrator
always accumulates position error; the old velocity mode's integral
term, ki*(int(u)dt - theta), which tracked the integral of the velocity
command, is retired without replacement, keeping ki mode-independent --
commanded integrated velocity belongs to an integrator activation
state, not to controller gains. slewmax rate-limits the first controller
input -- position setpoint (rad/s), velocity setpoint (rad/s^2) or torque
feedforward (N*m/s), each a real driver feature (reference ramping,
ramped-velocity and ramped-torque input modes); the raw voltage input
is never rate-limited and slewmax requires a controller input.
input="none" selects the empty signature: the actuator owns no controls
at all (nu = 0 is now legal with actuators present) and is purely
passive -- LuGre friction, cogging and back-EMF braking as passive
joint forces. This exists because auxiliary dynamic states (the LuGre
bristle) attach to actuators, not joints. The terminal voltage is
identically zero, i.e. a shorted motor (dynamic braking); motorconst=0
decouples the electrical branch. mjINPUT_NONE is a distinct enum value
because ctrlspec = 0 means "unset, use the type default". History and
delay require an input; the controller voltage override and input read
in mj_fwdActuation are gated on a nonempty block.
The analytic velocity derivative of the controller becomes
dV/dw = -kd*R/K + K, whose second term cancels the back-EMF bias
exactly: the net damping of an unclipped torque-mode motor is -kd, and
of a voltage-mode or passive motor -K^2/R. Viewers label inputs via
mj_actuatorInputName: pos, vel, ff, voltage.
The dcmotor LaTeX design doc is updated accordingly: torque-space
units, the tau->V map and its saturation-generated envelope, the
input-block pipeline figure, and a Passive Operation section.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 965795351
Change-Id: Ibc308ca21bd6bad014e77f950ee08feaad449b73
Contact of a flex with `passive` collisions enabled was applied as an
explicit spring of fixed stiffness 1e4, which the timestep bounds: any
stiffness worth having oscillates faster than the step can resolve, so
the force was too soft to keep sheets apart and interpenetration was
routine.
Carry its curvature in the effective metric M + K instead, alongside the
flex's own stretch and bending stiffness. The contact block k*J^T*J is
appended to the per-vertex candidate list already assembled for the flex
stencils, so it costs additional entries in an existing matrix rather
than a new one, and the accompanying shift -h*K*v is what damps the
stiff modes. At a 2 ms timestep this holds roughly 50x the stiffness an
explicit force of the same step could.
With the timestep no longer setting the bound, the stiffness is chosen
as a natural frequency scaled by the participating vertex mass rather
than left at a fixed 1e4, so one value suits models of any scale.
Passive handling is scoped to contacts whose every dof is a flex vertex
carried by the metric: flex against flex, flex against itself, and flex
against static geometry, which contributes no dofs of its own. For those
the Hessian is assembled in full. Contact with a body that can move
would have that body's dofs dropped from it, and is left on the
constraint solver.
The feature now requires an integrator whose constraint solve runs in
that metric, and is rejected with an error otherwise.
Add model/flex/drape.xml as the example model, replacing sphere_passive,
whose contacts no longer demonstrated the feature.
The DC motor's LuGre bristle state must integrate the velocity of its own
transmission, so actuator ordering cannot affect it. The test places a
multi-output SO3 actuator before the DC motor, making the motor's actuator
id and output address diverge, and requires the bristle state to match the
motor-first ordering. Currently fails: the exact ZOH update in
mj_nextActivation reads actuator_velocity[actuator_id] instead of the
motor's own actuator_velocity[outadr], so the bristle integrates the SO3
actuator's velocity.
This CL replaces the post-hoc implicit flex correction (`flexInterp_cgsolve`) with a **linearly-implicit effective metric** `M̃ = M + (h² + h·damping)·K` carried by the CG constraint solver itself. Contact/friction forces and implicit flex elasticity are now computed against one consistent metric, instead of the solver seeing `M` and a post-solve correction changing `qacc` behind its back.
Gate (unchanged semantics): `solver="CG"` + implicit/implicitfast integrator + pyramidal cones + flex stiffness present. Newton and PGS are untouched. `solver="CG"` remains the user-facing contract — the factorization is an implementation detail of the preconditioner.
### What's in the metric
- **mjData `efm_*`** (arena, efc-like lifetime/skip semantics; built in `mj_fwdPosition`, value-refreshed in `mj_fwdVelocity`): the per-step stiffness CSR `efm_B_*`, its reverse-Cholesky factor `efm_dofid` + `efm_L_*` (nested-dissection ordered, separators-first for the reverse factorization), and the smooth-force shift `efm_c = h·K·qvel`.
- **`mjd_flexStiff_assemble`** now assembles stretch (Gauss–Newton), standard dim-2 bending, and — via the cached corotated stiffness `d->flexelem_krot` — interp stiffness (all node bodies on simple sliders: point Jacobian is I₃, `flex_centered` not required; fixed nodes drop like pins) into one dof-level CSR. `mjd_effMulAdd`/`mjd_effSolve` apply the metric, with matrix-free operator fallbacks where assembly does not apply.
- **mjModel `efm0_*`** (`nefm0dof`/`nefm0L`): the constant part of the metric factor — currently the dim-2 bending factor, computed once in `mj_setConst` — so bending-only models pay zero per-step factorization cost. Naming mirrors mjData's `efm_*` with the standard `0`-suffix (reference/constant) idiom, and is deliberately not bending-specific: future constant contributors extend it without renames.
- The solver consumes the metric through pre-shifted `qfrc_smooth` and the metric products `Ma`/`Mv`/`Mgrad`; `qacc_smooth` becomes the unconstrained minimizer of the implicit dynamics, which makes the no-constraint shortcut and the warmstart choice consistent by construction.
- **`mj_inverse` adds `B·qacc − c`**, making inverse dynamics discrete-consistent with the gated forward dynamics — exact, since the gated path has no qDeriv term (new test `ForwardTest.GatedFlexInverseConsistency`).
### Performance
All numbers: ms/step over the same 2000-step window, models as shipped on each side (old code with the old model settings vs this CL with the new ones).
The new solver path activates on exactly two shipped models — the ponchos, the only flex models that need an implicit integrator (poncho on Euler degenerates to >200 ms/step). For them, this CL trades speed for consistency: the implicit bending solve now runs inside every solver iteration, where the contact solve can see the stiffness, instead of once after the solve. Solver iterations drop because the curvature is visible, but each iteration pays for the implicit solve:
| model | before | after | solver iters/step |
|---|---|---|---|
| poncho | 2.47 | 3.30 (1.33×) | 16.8 → 11.8 |
| poncho_edgeequality | 1.96 | 2.72 (1.39×) | 13.2 → 10.0 |
What that price buys: contact forces consistent with the implicit elasticity (previously the post-hoc correction changed `qacc` after the constraint solve), discrete-consistent inverse dynamics, and the removal of the post-hoc special case from the integration path. Raising poncho's timestep from 2 to 5 ms leaves its per-step cost nearly flat, so the consistency price can be recovered by taking fewer steps where accuracy allows.
Every other flex model was measured stable on Euler at its shipped timestep and switches to it (these models predate the post-hoc integrator; implicit was never load-bearing for them). They end up equal or faster than before: bunny_multicell 0.47 → 0.40, trampoline 0.28 → 0.25, plate 1.02 → 0.99, pancake 0.34 → 0.33.
Finally, the per-step factorization makes configurations practical that the old code could only integrate explicitly: implicit stretch elasticity (`elastic2d="stretch"`/`"both"`, dim-3 solids) and factorized interp stiffness. No before/after exists for these — stock has no implicit treatment of stretch at all.
### Behavior changes
- With the post-hoc correction deleted, interp/bending models running `solver="Newton"` (or elliptic cones, or islands) now integrate flex elasticity **explicitly** (previously: post-hoc implicit). Affects e.g. `gripper_trilinear` (stable, and faster, but different semantics). Follow-up options: Newton-side metric support, or a documented fallback.
- With the gate on, `mj_forward` outputs are timestep-dependent for gated models (they answer the linearly-implicit discrete problem); `qacc_smooth` and `mj_inverse` change accordingly. Non-gated models are bit-identical (full suite green throughout).
### Validation
- 1737/1737 tests, including new: `FlexStretchDerivatives` (FD-validated GN operator), `FlexStiffAssemble`/`FlexStiffAssembleInterp` (CSR ≡ operators), `GatedFlexInverseConsistency` (fails pre-change), equivalence tests vs the old post-hoc treatment (bending matches to 2e-11).
- Fingerprint discipline throughout: bending-only models bit-exact across every refactor; permutation/kernel changes verified iteration-identical.
### Known follow-ups (not in this CL)
3×3-block sparse Cholesky kernel (the numeric factorization is index-bound; projected ~3× on the factor); mjModel persistence of the factor's symbolic pattern (rest-pose ND makes sizes compile-time); the general effective-metric mode (all solvers, all PSD-safe force classes, behind an enable flag).
PiperOrigin-RevId: 948561856
Change-Id: I8b8e32ebd0428042af71647d0470d10773bf6daf
The gyroscopic (bias) derivatives applied to standalone free bodies by the
implicitfast integrator provide comparable stability for spinning bodies,
with none of midpoint's restrictions: they apply under contacts, fluid
forces and constraints, and preserve the linear force-velocity relation
required by discrete-time inverse dynamics. The invdiscrete flag reverts to
its original single meaning and no longer affects forward dynamics.
Restore implicitfast coverage in the DiscreteInverseMatch test, removed
when midpoint made discrete inverse dynamics untestable.
Add implicit gyroscopic (bias) derivatives for free bodies in implicitfast.
The implicitfast integrator drops the RNE (bias) derivative to stay on the
symmetric Cholesky path, so fast-spinning free bodies integrate gyroscopic
forces explicitly and can gain energy. Symmetrizing the gyroscopic Jacobian
is not an option: its stabilizing content is the antisymmetric part, and
adding only the symmetric part is destabilizing.
Instead, exploit the fact that for a standalone free body the 6x6 block of
M - h*D is decoupled from the rest of the system (qDeriv sparsity is
tree-local): after the global solve, rebuild the block with the exact bias
derivative in closed form (mjd_freeBias_vel) and re-solve it with dense
unsymmetric LU, overwriting the block's rows of qacc. For lone spinning
bodies this makes implicitfast match implicit to rounding, at ~150ns per
eligible body: cheaper than the midpoint machinery it will replace.
Eligibility is structural only; contacts, fluid and constraints need no
gating. The same block is mirrored in discrete inverse dynamics
(mj_discreteAcc), making invdiscrete exact for spinning free bodies.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 948472495
Change-Id: I813ef3d98c7b399881bc8603b9f9208cfb02eb58
Compiler warnings are now accumulated in a vector of strings within the mjSpec object. New API functions `mjs_numWarnings` and `mjs_getWarning` are added to access these warnings. The compiler's log handler now chains warnings to the global log handler, ensuring they are still displayed immediately. Call sites in `mj_loadXML`, `mj_compile`, and the Python and WASM bindings have been updated to use the new warning API.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 933361650
Change-Id: I47cab98a460c57b0898c0a1a43fce2a5b9648eb1
This gives a 3x speedup in implicitfast.
Also cleanup old code that was used in the dense factorization of the stiffness matrix before we switched to CG.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 915900315
Change-Id: Id6973c4bfd7d371a43ec6db982703969b23a3550
The flex interp stiffness matrix is Negative Semi-Definite (NSD). When forming the RHS for implicit integration, the term involving the velocity and stiffness should be added, not subtracted. A new test is added to ensure energy stability for flex interp stretch stiffness with the implicitfast integrator.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 914845245
Change-Id: Iaaf0914909128e64e195f17cc5f2f344a8a43bc2
Standard flex (flex_interp=0) with thin-plate bending treated bending forces purely explicitly. This caused contact-induced vertex vibrations and non-physical energy injection for flat resting sheets, because the solver treated each vertex as an independent mass during contact and contact normals are orthogonal to stretch constraints.
Fix: extend the existing preconditioned CG solver to include the constant bending stiffness K_bend in the implicit operator via matrix-free mat-vec.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 914774020
Change-Id: I45e0d6749abb6f873566203bccae956514b2576b
This change introduces a `flex_cellcount` field to `mjModel` to specify the number of cells in each dimension for interpolated flexes. The stiffness computation, passive force calculation, and Jacobian derivatives are updated to operate on a per-cell basis, significantly improving performance by localizing computations to the nodes within each cell.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 901216393
Change-Id: Ic23132e609de11e71bb7fef8d1f139daad2ec264
- Remove `lugre:viscous`, should now be added directly to actuator `damping`. Trying to do this for the user was incompatible with default inheritance (compounding instead of overriding).
- Move voltage limiting from the `saturation` to the `controller` attribute.
- Fix indexing issues in default inheritance.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 897087642
Change-Id: I5388c2633e15c7e223992e7eb5d6a28db75a6438
The reduced dense factorization for flex interpolation now considers all DOFs in the kinematic chain of the body containing the flex, using mj_bodyChain, instead of only the DOFs directly associated with that body. This is necessary for correctly handling pinned flexes when their parent body is part of a larger kinematic structure.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 872854468
Change-Id: Idbe9fb459084dde9e8eb1076c70dbb685c1b0bdb
The implicit integrator was not correctly accounting for the off-diagonal coupling terms between flex and non-flex (parent) degrees of freedom in the mass matrix. This change extracts these coupling terms during the factorization step and applies a correction to the flex forces before solving for the flex accelerations, ensuring that the parent accelerations influence the flex dynamics. A new test verifies that the implicit integrator now matches Euler for small timesteps in a model with flex-parent coupling.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 868098126
Change-Id: Ia8cccd7dd428cd0c0898e1663a7e41017a2311b2
Added `option-actuatorgroupdisable` attribute and associated `mjOption.disableactuator` integer bitfield, used to disable sets of actuators at runtime according to their group.
- The first 6 actuator groups are toggleable in the `simulate` viewer.
- Minor refactor and cleanup of actuator documentation.
https://youtu.be/H9qG9Zf2W44Fixes#1092.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 578335600
Change-Id: I4cf663b90ea768e4380acfa2fe3b8c15c7cbb568
Renamed `mjModel.eq_active` to `mjModel.eq_active0`, which now has the semantic of "initial value of `mjData.eq_active`".
Fixes#876.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 570410643
Change-Id: Id03171e751377c7cc453f143abee64239ee2e2ed
When filterexact is a new dyntype which is just like the existing `filter`, but the activation state is integrated with exact integration, instead of simple Euler integration.
When actearly is specified on a general actuator, `qfrc_actuator` is computed using the next timestep's `act` value, instead of the current value.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 554438423
Change-Id: If901e4988fa6b518d6f3097f149770665a189a4b
- Add `joint-actuatorforcerange` for clamping total actuator force at joints. Add `sensor-jointactuatorfrc` for sensing total actuator forces on a single joint.
See [documentation](https://mujoco.readthedocs.io/en/latest//modeling.html#actuator-force-clamping) for justification and use cases.
- Add simple car model to `model/`.
- Move actuation-related test models into `engine/testdata/actuation/`.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 549355941
Change-Id: I27f6c1f80426d73a2811ef5ae74684a228b2fbd1
Yuval Tassa