Avian is a 2D physics engine and rigid body dynamics simulator designed to calculate physical motion using mass, forces, and velocity. It provides a framework for simulating rigid body dynamics, collision detection, and joint constraints for games and applications.
The engine utilizes a modular physics pipeline with a plugin-based architecture, allowing for the customization of simulation fidelity settings and the extension of collision backends. It includes a specialized kinematic character controller for implementing entity movement and sliding behavior against physical geometry.
The system covers several core capability areas, including spatial query processing via raycasting and shapecasting, mechanical constraint modeling through various joint types, and real-time physics debugging and visualization of colliders and joints.