What XNA based 3D terrain and physics libraries exist?

Question

I'm planning on creating a game that contains a landscape with objects on it. The landscape will be defined using a heightfield, and the objects will move about on top of, and fly over the terrain. If you've ever played the old games Marble Madness and Virus/Zarch, that's the kind of complexity and style I'm trying to create.

I've seen various physics engines on the Internet, and a few tutorials about how to render heightfields as terrain, but they either lack documentation or seem overly complex for what I need.

All I need is a way to draw a heightfield, place 3D objects on it and then make them roll down the hills, or fly around in the sky. I don't mind making my own code to do this, so any relevant tutorials would be good too.

Answer 1

Check out Newton Game Dynamics, there is a port of their physics engine for XNA. The only caveat is that it only works under Windows.

Answer 2

If you're looking for more of a tutorial rather than a full-blown solution, have you checked the collision series at the XNA creators site?

Specifically, Collision Series 5: Heightmap Collision with Normals sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Answer 3

Check out Matali Physics Engine. Matali Physics is a physics engine for XNA. home page

Answer 4

http://www.garagegames.com/products/torquex-3d/