Fell a tree so it starts slowly, speeds up, hits the ground and settles

A tree that swings down at a steady speed like a door looks fake, and so does one that falls through the ground. A real tree starts with a slow tilt, then drops faster and faster, hits with a bounce and lies still. Here is the simple physics behind that, how long a tree of any height needs, and the trap at the start.

Why this works

A tall thing tipping over starts slowly and speeds up, and a taller tree takes longer than a short one. Letting gravity do the work gives that for free, where a timed animation would make every tree fall alike.

When not to use it

Don't use it when the fall is a set piece the player must time or dodge exactly, or when the tree should fall onto a spot. Animate it by hand there, so the landing is always where the level needs it.

In the full entry

• What to build, step by step
• Starting values and the reason for each
• 3 common mistakes and the fix
• 44 lines of example code with 4 checks that pass
• How your AI shows you that it works

Say this to your AI

Use the Spielerando entry "Fell a tree so it starts slowly, speeds up, hits the ground and settles" (read_entry tree-falls-like-a-rod-and-lands-with-a-bounce) in my game. Build it step by step, and show me how you checked that it works.

Or skip this and connect the MCP: your AI then finds all of this by itself.Connect the MCP