News

20 May 2024 -- Chrono 9.0.0 released

We have recently released version 9.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the release/9.0 branch. Development will continue in the 'main' branch.

For a list of the main changes in release 9.0.0, consult the Change Log page. New capabilities include:
- direct integration of ROS2 with Chrono
- parsers for URDF (Unified Robotics Description Format) specification files
- support for exporting and importing co-simulation FMUs for the Functional Mock-Up Interface standard 2.0
- new run-time visualization module based on Vulkan and VulkanSceneGraph
- Blender add-on for importing Chrono simulations for post-processing and rendering

This release includes a major API refactoring. Consult the corresponding Change Log entry for a list of all public API changes.

Documentation for the 9.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/9.0.0 and for the previous 8.0.0 release at http://api.projectchrono.org/8.0.0 Documentation for the 'main' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

5 January 2023 -- Chrono 8.0.0 released

We have recently released version 8.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the release/8.0 branch. Development will continue in the 'main' branch.
For a list of the main changes in release 8.0.0, consult the Change Log page.
Documentation for the 8.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/8.0.0 and for the previous 7.0.0 release at http://api.projectchrono.org/7.0.0 Documentation for the 'main' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

15 November 2021 -- Chrono 7.0.0 released

We have recently released version 7.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the release/7.0 branch. Note that moving forward, new releases will be maintained under a corresponding release/M.m branch. The main release will be tagged with M.m and a release branch may include release patches (with an M.m.P tag). Development will continue in the 'develop' branch.
For a list of the main changes in release 7.0.0, consult the Change Log page.
Documentation for the 7.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/7.0.0 and for the previous 6.0.0 release at http://api.projectchrono.org/6.0.0 Documentation for the 'develop' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

A minor release 7.0.1 was made available on 7 January 2022 with several low-level bug fixes (see Change Log).
A second minor release 7.0.2 was issued on 5 April 2022 with additional bug fixes (see Change Log).

10 February 2021 -- Chrono 6.0.0 released

We have recently released version 6.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the 6.0.0 tag. Development will continue in the 'develop' branch.
For a list of the main changes in release 6.0.0, consult the Change Log page.
Documentation for the 6.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/6.0.0 and for the previous 5.0.0 release at http://api.projectchrono.org/5.0.0 Documentation for the 'develop' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

24 February 2020 -- Chrono 5.0.0 released

We have recently released version 5.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the 5.0.0 tag. Development will continue in the 'develop' branch.
Documentation for the 5.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/5.0.0 and for the previous 4.0.0 release at http://api.projectchrono.org/4.0.0 Documentation for the 'develop' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

5 February 2019 -- PyChrono

PYCHRONO
The new Python wrapper for Chrono is called PyChrono The PyChrono library replaces the old Chrono::PyEngine library. The most relevant feature is that PyChrono is available as a precompiled Anaconda package. This means that an automated nightly build system will continuosly build the most recent C++ library, it will generate the Python wrapper, then it will upload it onto the pychrono channell of Anaconda cloud. This happens for Windows and Linux platforms, for Python 3.5 or 3.6 or 3.7, etc. Automatically. The installation on your system is managed by Anaconda, that also takes care of all dependencies. After the installation, you can import different modules of PyChrono, such as pychrono.postprocess, pychrono.irrlicht, pychrono.fea, pychrono.mkl, etc.

9 September 2018 -- Isymtec cloud-based GUI

The ISYMTEC company https://www.isymtec.ai has released a first demo of its web GUI for Multi-body System Simulation in Cloud. They use Chrono as a simulation library, run in the cloud. Thanks to the cloud technology, no installation is needed – sign up and build a MBS model in your browser, download and save it. It work from anywhere – all you need is internet connection and a browser. In future you’ll be able to perform scalable calculations in the cloud. They kindly released their code for the serialization and parsing of the models at: https://github.com/IsymtecAi/isymtecai-chrono-parser.

17 July 2017 -- Chrono 3.0.0 released

We have recently released version 3.0.0 of the Chrono package. The code for the release can be obtained from GitHub under the 3.0.0 tag. Development will continue in the 'develop' branch.
Documentation for the 3.0.0 release can be accessed at http://api.projectchrono.org/3.0.0/. Documentation for the 'develop' branch (automatically generated with each push to GitHub) is now at http://api.projectchrono.org/development.

19-21 April 2017 -- Chrono user meeting

The First Joint Chrono + MBDyn user meeting will take place in Parma, Italy, 19-21 April 2017. This will be an interesting opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss future roadmaps for Chrono, do hands-on sessions and tutorials organized by our programmers. All users are invited to participate.
Look at the http://multibodymeeting.org website for additional information.
You are welcome!

22 December 2016 -- New Chrono::PyEngine installer and spider demo

Look at the download page: we uploaded a new installer for the precompiled Chrono::PyEngine. The Chrono::PyEngine wrapper allows using Python as a programming language for making easy Chrono simulations. In the Tutorials section for the Chrono::PyEngine you can find a new demo about the simulation of a 6-legged crawling robot. This demo uses the Chrono::SolidWorks add-in; by the way, we uploaded a new Chrono::SolidWorks installer.

9-13 January 2017 -- Tutorial

A ProjectChrono tutorial will take place at the Universtity of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, from 9 to 13 January 2017. Registration is open to participants from the industry, from federal/state organizations and from the academia.

23 November 2016 -- Call for papers

The International Journal of Vehicle Performance (IJVP) will publish the special issue "Vehicle Simulation with the Project Chrono Open Source Platform". This special issue will bring together recent applications of the open-source Project Chrono software in the field of vehicle simulation. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Vehicle dynamics, Numerical models for tires, Soil models, Multibody methods, Multi-physics, Finite elements, Non-linear dynamics, ProjectChrono, Off-road mobility, Co-simulation, High Performance Computing.
There are no charges for publishing on IJVP.
All papers can be submitted electronically via the online submission system at the editorial system of IJVP.
Important Dates:
  • Papers must be sumbitted before 1st July 2017.
  • Final acceptance: estimated 1st August 2017.
  • Final version due: estimated 25st September 2017.

14-18 November 2016 -- TARDEC workshop

A ProjectChrono tutorial has been presented at US Army TARDEC, Warren, Michigan, November 14-18, 2016.

3-4 August 2016 -- MaGIC workshop

ProjectChrono has been presented at the 2016 Machine-Ground Interaction Consortium (MaGIC) Workshop at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3-4 August 2015.

28 February 2015 -- New template project

We added a new template project that helps generating third-party projects based on Chrono::Engine using the CMake tool. Note that for the moment the template is only in the '''develop''' branch of the GIT. </p>

7 December 2014 -- New manual

We added a new type of documentation that can be read like a book. This will be considered the 'user manual' of Chrono::Engine.

9-11 December 2014 -- Machine-Ground Interaction Consortium

The Machine-Ground Interaction Consortium (MAGIC) December meeting will Take place at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. There will be an update about ongoing research on vehicle-ground interaction, with a focus on trends in high-performance computing, granular materials, terrain modeling and simulation, and virtual prototyping. The meeting will highlight Project Chrono software: participants will get an overview of the software's modeling and simulation capablities, plus a hands-on demo of Chrono for vehicle dynamics.

13-14 May 2014 -- Chrono user group meeting

The first meeting of Chrono::Engine users took place at the University of Wisconsin, USA, within the W-FACE initiative. The Chrono Interest Group Meeting was attended by researchers from universities (University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin, University of Parma) and companies such as Caterpillar, Harley-Davidson, Statoil-ASA, Oshkosh, MSC, SimLab Soft, Open Source Robotics Foundation, WACC and others. Future development of Chrono::Engine has been discussed.

25 November 2013 -- New web site layout

The www.projectchrono.org website has been redesigned with new logos and a new structure for documentation and indexes. Most important, the website reflects the new architecture of the ProjectChrono initiative: ProjectChrono becomes a container for sub-projects as Chrono::Engine, Chrono::SolidWorks, Chrono::PyEngine, etc.
15 September 2013 -- GIT repository
The porting to the new GIT repository on https://github.com/projectchrono has been completed. Now ProjectChrono is OpenSource.
</div>

13 September 2013 -- New tutorials
New tutorials have been added to the Wiki, for instance demo_irr_assets, demo_import_solidworks, and for the PyChrono::Engine there are demo_solidworks and demo_masonry. By the way: the new release of Chrono::Engine is almost ready.

11 June 2013 -- New mailing list

We created a new forum using Google Groups. This will serve also as a mailing list for the development team.

27 November 2012 -- New co-simulation unit

A new co-simulation unit has been developed. This allows Chrono::Engine to cooperate with another simulation software. In detail, we use Simulink to simulate hydraulic systems, electrical power systems and controls, that can interact with Chrono::Engine mechanisms by running in parallel.

20 October 2012 -- New build system under development

The build system of Chrono::Engine has been modified: after compilation, the binaries (.exe, .dll, etc.) won't be placed in the ChronoEngine/bin/ directory, as before, but they will be generated in the output directory that you choose in CMake. This makes the support of new platforms easier. A new nightly build system is under development, so that precompiled binaries and libraries will be periodically generated for free download for everyone.

18 July 2012 -- PyChrono::Engine v.1.6.0

The beta release of Python_scripting -- Chrono::PyEngine has been released. An installer if freely available at the Download page. The Chrono::PyEngine is a set of Python modules that install over your Python environment, and allow to use Chrono::Engine v.1.6.0 via the Python programming language, without the need of using C++.

18 July 2012 -- Chrono::Engine Add-in v.1.6.0 for SolidWorks

The beta release v.1.6.0 of the SolidWorks add-in has been released and it is available for download. Users will be able to model mechanisms within SolidWorks, then they can export a Chrono::Engine file (in Python language) that can be later load in C++ or Python programs, for performing simulations.

16 July 2012 -- Chrono::Engine API v.1.6.0 released

The release 1.6.0 of Chrono::Engine has been released and binaries are freely downloadable from the [[Download]] section. Among the new features:
  • New unit_POSTPROCESS, for automated generation of scripts for POVray etc.
  • New 'asset' objects, that can be assigned to ChPhysicsItems. Used in the new postprocessing system.
  • New asset of 'ChCamera' type. Cameras can be added to moving objects.
  • New asset of 'ChAssetLevel' type, that contains sub-assets.
  • New ChPovRayAssetCustom in unit_POSTPROCESS. Allows adding custom POVray chuncks of code to the output .pov files (ex. materials, finishing, pigments, etc.)
  • New unit_PYTHON. This unit, once compiled, allows users to use Chrono::Engine from Python because a library is deployed among the 'modules' of Python.
  • New unit_PYPARSER. It can be used by C++ programs to execute Python statements, scripts, etc.
  • Updated to Irrlicht 1.7.3.
  • New ChLinkMate class, with ChLinkMateGeneric, ChLinkMatePlan, etc, They can represent the typical 'mating' constraints in assemblies of typical 3D CADs.
  • New ChTriangleMeshSoup and ChTriangleMeshConnected improved triangle mesh classes.
  • File logging of system matrices and vectors.
  • New ChMaterialSurface object that can be shared among multiple parts.
  • New contact properties: compliance, damping, rolling and spinning friction.
  • New in CHirrAppInterface class: single-step of realtime simulations, by pressing the 'p' key, and pause by pressing the 'space' key.
  • New solver based on spectral gradient method (Barzilai-Borwein).
  • New ChBodyAuxRef, where the COG is displaced respect to reference.
  • New unit_CASCADE, to load CAD models in STEP format
  • New demos and bug fixes.

10 July 2012 -- News are moved to the Wiki

The 'news' page has been moved into this Wiki system, for easier maintenance. Other pages have been added to the Wiki. From now on, look at the news in this page.

1 March 2011 -- Chrono::Engine API v.1.3.0 released

The release 1.3.0 of Chrono::Engine has been released and binaries are freely downloadable from the [[Download]] section. Among the new features:
  • Build system is completely based on CMake
  • New API building process for exporting symbols from the dll.
  • New demos.
  • Various bug fixes.

2 February 2011 -- New web site

The web site for the CHRONO::ENGINE project has been moved to http://www.chronoengine.info. A new WIKI section has been added for the documentation.

30 October 2010 -- Chrono::Engine API v.1.3.0 released

The new release 1.1.0 of the Chrono::Engine is available. Among the new features of this release:
  • new 'conveyor' object
  • new examples
  • new cohesion contact property
  • porting on the 64 bit platforms is ready
  • porting on the Linux version is ready
  • various improvements and bug fixes

23 February 2010 -- Chrono::Engine API v.0.9.0 released

The new release 0.9.0 of the Chrono::Engine is available. Among the new features of this release:
  • new '1D' physical items to simulate powertrains, with clutches, brakes, motors, etc.
  • new examples
  • new convex decomposition functions, with example,
  • new graphical tool to see the effect of convex decompositions,
  • updated to newest Bullet and Irrlicht libraries,
  • convex hulls can be loaded from files, with '.chull' file format.

10 July 2009 -- Chrono::Engine API v.0.8 released

The new release v.0.8 introduces many bug fixes and new features. This is a major release. Since the previous releases v.0.5, v.0.6 and v.0.7 were available only to developers, please read the new features introduced also in those releases. Among the main new features introduced in the latest v.0.8:
  • Rolling friction and spinning friction.
  • Support of Matlab, to plot data or exploit co-simulation, etc.
  • Major changes in the class hierarchy for contacts management.
  • SetCustomComputeCollisionCallback() interface has been changed.
  • SetCustomCollisionPointCallback() interface has been changed.
  • Lot of class refactoring, to prepare the API for future support of flexible parts.
  • Many new classes (for example ChPhysicsItem), improved OOP design.

10 Maj 2009 -- Chrono::Engine API v.0.7 released

The new release v.0.7 introduces the following features:
  • object picking: press the middle-mouse-wheel and drag objects in Irrlicht demos.
  • various bug fixes in collision system and GPU solver.
  • improved control of iterative solver parameters.

6 March 2009 -- Chrono::Engine API v.0.6 released

The new release v.0.6 introduces the following features:
  • improved GPU - CUDA solver (not released in the base package).
  • rigid body sleeping.
  • custom camera for Irrlicht 3D viewing
  • class ChIrrAppInterface to ease the creation of applications.
  • press 'i' in Irrlicht demos to show debugging/info window.
  • improved visualization functions in ChIrrWizard

25 December 2008 -- Chrono::Engine API v.0.5 released

The new release v.0.5 introduces many bug fixes and new features, among them:
  • complete refactoring and speed improvement of the ChMatrix class, that is splitted in more specialized sub classes,
  • support of VisualStudio 2008. Support of VisualStudio 2005 is dropped.
  • speed improvements in LCP solver, and more efficient use of memory.
  • improved collision detection algorithms.
  • support of Irrlicht 1.5 (support of 1.4 is dropped).
  • new demos and examples.
  • fast CUDA solver (not included in the basic package).
  • porting to Linux platform completed (thank to Jean-Luc Charles).
  • 'wizard' for VisualStudio C++, automatically installed (easier creation of projects)
  • 'contact families' in collision detection.

27 June 2007 -- ECCOMAS conference

The Chrono::Engine middleware has been presented at the Multibody Dynamics 2007 ECCOMAS international conference, in Milano (25-28 June 2007). More than 200 researchers meet at the conference and presented recent theorethical developements and applications of multibody dynamics. Among these, also Chrono::Engine simulations, software architecture and mathematical foundations were presented.
''The previous version of the News page, with older information, is available at http://chronoengine.info/chronoengine/news.html ''

2 February 2011 -- new web site

The web site for the CHRONO::ENGINE project has been moved to http://dynamics.eng.unipr.it/chronoengine. A [new WIKI section](/mediawiki/index.php) has been added for the documentation.

31 January 2011 -- Open source!

The CHRONO::ENGINE project is now open source! You can go to [this page](/mediawiki/index.php) to see how to use the SVN to download it.

30 October 2010 -- New Chrono::Engine release 1.1.0

The [new release](downloads.html) 1.1.0 of the Chrono::Engine is available. Among the new features of this release:
  • new 'conveyor' object
  • new examples
  • new cohesion contact property
  • the 64 bit version is available for download
  • the Linux version is available for download
  • various improvements and bug fixes

23 February 2010 -- New Chrono::Engine release 0.9.0

The [new release](/download) 0.9.0 of the Chrono::Engine is available. Among the new features of this release:
  • new '1D' physical items to simulate powertrains, with clutches, brakes, motors, etc.
  • new examples
  • new convex decomposition functions, with example,
  • new graphical tool to see the effect of convex decompositions,
  • updated to newest Bullet and Irrlicht libraries,
  • convex hulls can be loaded from files, with '.chull' file format.

10 February 2010 -- New forum system

We created the site [Contact Dynamics](http://dynamics.eng.unipr.it) for hosting research projects and software development related to Chrono::Engine. This site has an area for forums, that can be used by all users of Chrono::Engine to exchange ideas, to report wish lists and bugs.

10 July 2009 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.8

The new release v.0.8 introduces many bug fixes and new features. This is a major release. Since the previous releases v.0.5, v.0.6 and v.0.7 were available only to developers, please read the new features introduced also in those releases. Among the main new features introduced in the latest v.0.8:
  • Rolling friction and spinning friction.
  • Support of Matlab, to plot data or exploit co-simulation, etc.
  • Major changes in the class hierarchy for contacts management.
  • SetCustomComputeCollisionCallback() interface has been changed.
  • SetCustomCollisionPointCallback() interface has been changed.
  • Lot of class refactoring, to prepare the API for future support of flexible parts.
  • Many new classes (for example ChPhysicsItem), improved OOP design.
  • Linux and Windows 64 bit porting (not available in the base package).
  • Speed improvements in collision detection and solver.
  • New demos. See the /ChronoEngine/readme.txt file for more precise details on all the changes.
</div>

10 May 2009 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.7

The new release v.0.7 introduces the following features:
  • object picking: press the middle-mouse-wheel and drag objects in Irrlicht demos.
  • various bug fixes in collision system and GPU solver.
  • improved control of iterative solver parameters.

6 March 2009 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.6

The new release v.0.6 introduces the following features:
  • improved GPU -- CUDA solver (not released in the base package).
  • rigid body sleeping.
  • custom camera for Irrlicht 3D viewing
  • class ChIrrAppInterface to ease the creation of applications.
  • press 'i' in Irrlicht demos to show debugging/info window.
  • improved visualization functions in ChIrrWizard

25 December 2008 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.5

The new release v.0.5 introduces many bug fixes and new features, among them:
  • complete refactoring and speed improvement of the ChMatrix class, that is splitted in more specialized sub classes,
  • support of VisualStudio 2008. Support of VisualStudio 2005 is dropped.
  • speed improvements in LCP solver, and more efficient use of memory.
  • improved collision detection algorithms.
  • support of Irrlicht 1.5 (support of 1.4 is dropped).
  • new demos and examples.
  • fast CUDA solver (not included in the basic package).
  • porting to Linux platform completed (thank to Jean-Luc Charles). Linux binaries not yet included in the base package.
  • 'wizard' for VisualStudio C++, automatically installed (easier creation of projects)
  • 'contact families' in collision detection.

25 December 2007 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.3.2.

The new release v.0.3.2 can be downloaded from this site. It introduces the following features:
  • supports Irrlicht-1.4 for visualization (Irrlicht 1.3 not supported anymore),
  • the collision engine has been upgraded to Bullet 2.66,
  • improved multithread solver, with variable number of threads,
  • bug fixes (ex. the memory leakage bug of v.0.3.1 with ChSystem object)
  • other features and changes (see the readme.txt after the installation).

28 November 2007 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.3.1.

The new release v.0.3.1 can be downloaded from this site. It introduces the following features:
  • multithreaded solver (experimental version),
  • warm starting for the solver,
  • convex decomposition of generic non-convex meshes,
  • new constraint type: ChLinkPulley,
  • improved ChLinkGear constraint, and demo with gears and pulleys
  • improved collision detection,
  • RayTest() raycasting function (for simulating fast car/ground contact)

30 October 2007 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.2.2.

The new release v.0.2.2 can be downloaded from this site. It introduces the following features:
  • debug libraries are available in SDK too,
  • completely refactored link class hierarchy,
  • new Initialize() functions for links,
  • new constraint type: ChLinkDistance,
  • warm starting in complementarity solver: lees iterations needed!
  • improved collision detection,
  • new demos: a racing car, a Windows.Forms application, etc.
  • new wizard for quick setup of projects in Visual Studio,
  • new installer for auto configuration of the SDK,
  • almost 5x reduction in memory footprint for large contact problems (tested with 150'000 spheres),
  • other minor improvements (ChIrrTools::drawCHfunction(), new oscilloscope function, etc. ) and bug fixes.
Note: the improved concave mesh-mesh collision detection is postponed next month.

20 October 2007 -- OpenMeca

The open-source mechanical simulation software [OpenMeca](http://openmeca.fr.nf/) has been recently released. This software, based on Chrono::Engine, is aimed at teaching and researching kinematics using a 3D interactive view. OpenMeca is free and based on the GPL license.

30 August 2007 -- Ebmedded Bullet collision detection engine

The collision engine of Chrono::Engine has been updated to the most recent version the [Bullet](http://www.bulletphysics.com) collision detection library. The Bullet library features advanced and robust algorithms for fast collision detection. NOTE 1: in Chrono::Engine, only the collision detection features of the Bullet library are used, since we use the Chrono::Egine custom methods for all the rest (physics, etc.). NOTE 2: since the Bullet library is embedded in the Chrono::Engine library, you do not need to download and install Bullet -- it is completely wrapped inside Chrono::Engine, and you do not need to know anything about it (just keep on using the same C++ functions that you used with the previous releases).

13 July 2007 -- New Chrono::Engine release v.0.1.9.

The new release v.0.1.9 can be downloaded from this site. It fixes some compatibility issues with the latest Irrlicht 1.3.1 libraries. The previous Chrono::Engine SDK was compatible only with Irrlicht 1.3. From this release, we support Irrlicht v1.3.1 or superior. Note that the Irrlicht library is needed only for compiling the demos with 3D realtime views. NOTE!!! this 0.1.9 release replaces the 0.1.8 of two days ago, because we updated the installer and the makefiles, so it can be installed also in paths containing spaces, ex: "C:\\Program files\\chronoengine".

25 June 2007 -- ECCOMAS conference on Multibody

The Chrono::Engine middleware has been presented at the [Multibody Dynamics 2007](http://www.multibody2007.org) ECCOMAS international conference, in Milano (25-28 June 2007). More than 200 researchers meet at the conference and presented recent theorethical developements and applications of multibody dynamics. Among these, also Chrono::Engine simulations, software architecture and mathematical foundations were presented.

15 March 2007 -- Improved collision engine

The collision engine has been updated, and now it is able to simulate more than 32'000 objects. The solver has been improved as well. See an example with 36'000 pebbles in a reactor, in the updated [gallery](gallery.php).

10 January 2007 -- New friction model

The HyperOCTANT solver has been modified in order to accomodate a better friction model. Benchmarks showed a superior precision and a proper convergence for the solution. No modification is required in user code.

30 November -- New tutorials on-line

We updated the page with the [tutorials](tutorials.php), now you can browse also the tutorials about the Chrono::Engine integration in the Irrlicht 3D realtime visualization library.
</div>

28 August -- Run-time executables

We are developing run-time executables showing the Chrono::Engine in action. These interactive demos will be available soon on this site, as soon as the first beta release of the SDK will be published. In the SDK you will find the corresponding C++ source code to generate each example, and the corresponding tutorial.

27 July -- Integration tools for IRRLICHT

We choose [IRRLICHT](http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/features.html) as our 'official' realtime 3D engine. The free and powerful Irrlicht library offers a clean and easy-to-use C++ API, it is platform independent and uses either OpenGL or DirectX, so we adopted it as the default way of showing Chrono::Engine simulations in realtime 3D views. Note that other 3D engines can be used as well, such as OGRE or DirectX, but the source code for examples provided in Chrono::Engine will use Irrlicht. To allow rapid developement of application based on Chrono::Engine + Irrlicht, we provide also some utility C++ classes.

7 June 2006 -- Porting on Visual C++ 2005

The CHRONO::ENGINE has been successfully passsed the compatibility test for the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005. The Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 compiler, in the 'Express' edition, can be downloaded for free. (The Express edition replaces the older 'Visual Toolkit 2003' free compiler: it has less limitations and also includes the IDE). Note: to use the Visual C++ 2005, you must also install the Microsoft Platform SDK (also free) because some libraries are needed by Chrono::Engine.

4 May 2006 -- Chrono::Engine official logo

The official logo for Chrono::Engine has been designed (it is a 'Chrono::Engine' string surrounded by two stylized rings). Also, an official 'demo picture' has been created with the Realsoft3D rendering software: it represents the inner mechanisms of a clock (somewhat inspired to the complex movement of a real Vacheron-Constantin clock). This raytraced picture will be used for flyers, web site, etc.

1 April 2006 -- Web site created

The web site for the CHRONO::ENGINE project has been created. Please report wrong links and suggesions about the site content.

15 March 2006 -- Porting on GNU C++ (MingW)

The CHRONO::ENGINE has been successfully passsed the compatibility test for the GNU C++ compiler (MingW distribution). Heretofore, the multibody engine now includes also a dynamic library for people which want to link it using in projects based on the MingW compiler.