macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install odelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install odeMacPorts ports tree · devel/ode/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install ode with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Simulating articulated rigid body dynamics. Version 0.16.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add odeAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ode · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libode-devDebian stable package indexes · libode-dev · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install odeFedora Rawhide package metadata · ode · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#odenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/od/ode/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S odeArch Linux sync databases · ode · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libode8openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libode8 · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Simulating articulated rigid body dynamics
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ode-config
history
Project history and usage
Open Dynamics Engine, usually packaged as ODE, is a C/C++ rigid-body dynamics and collision-detection library for games, robotics, VR, and simulation tools. It is one of the older open-source physics engines still visible in operating-system package sets.
Project history
The official site presents ODE as Russell Smith's open-source, high-performance rigid-body dynamics library with an easy C/C++ API, advanced joint types, integrated collision detection, and friction. The license section carries Russell L. Smith copyright dates from 2001-2004 and offers redistribution under either LGPL 2.1-or-later terms or a BSD-style license.
ODE's documentation history predates modern code-hosting norms: the official site points to Bitbucket source, a community wiki/manual, mailing lists, old mailing-list archives, and slides from ODE talks including IGC 2002 and PARC in December 2004. A GitHub mirror under odedevs/ode appeared in 2026, but the project history is much older than that repository.
Adoption history
The official introduction says ODE is used in computer games, 3D authoring tools, and simulation tools. The manual narrows the proven application areas to ground vehicles, legged creatures, and moving objects in virtual reality environments.
Package metadata shows broad distribution across Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Alpine, and openSUSE-family package names, which is consistent with a mature C/C++ library depended on by native software and simulators.
How it is used
Developers link ODE into native applications that need articulated rigid-body simulation, constraints and joints, collision detection, and friction modeling. The package exposes ode-config for build integration, while the library API is used from C or C++ simulation code rather than as a standalone end-user CLI.
Why package nerds care
ODE matters because it represents a long-lived pre-GitHub open-source library that survived through package managers. For package nerds, its dual-license model, old docs, mailing-list archives, and native build metadata tell a story about how early game and robotics middleware entered Linux and macOS distributions.
Timeline
- 2001-2004: official license text lists Russell L. Smith copyright dates for Open Dynamics Engine.
- 2002: official site links slides from an ODE presentation at IGC 2002.
- 2004-12: official site links PARC presentation slides about physics SDKs.
- 2026-04-13: GitHub API metadata records creation of an odedevs/ode GitHub repository mirror.
Related projects
- ODE belongs to the same physics-engine ecosystem as Bullet, Newton Game Dynamics, and other simulation libraries, and it has been wrapped or integrated by higher-level simulation environments over its lifetime.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 4 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ode-config | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.16.6
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.ode.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ode |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.16.6 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ode |
| Homepage | https://www.ode.org/ |
| Repository | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode |
| Upstream docs | https://www.ode.org/ode-latest-userguide.pdf |
| License | LGPL-2.1-or-later OR BSD-3-Clause |
| Source archive | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode/downloads/ode-0.16.6.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:05:40-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | libccd |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, libtool, pkgconf |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ode |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
libode-dev 2:0.16.6-2
Open Dynamics Engine - development files
sudo apt install libode-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ode
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
Debian apt95%
libode8t64 2:0.16.6-2
Open Dynamics Engine - runtime library
sudo apt install libode8t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ode
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
Nix95%
ode
nix profile install nixpkgs#ode- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
Ubuntu apt95%
libode-dev 2:0.16.2-1.1build1
Open Dynamics Engine - development files
sudo apt install libode-dev- Section: universe/libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ode
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
Ubuntu apt95%
libode8t64 2:0.16.2-1.1build1
Open Dynamics Engine - runtime library
sudo apt install libode8t64- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: ode
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
apk95%
ode 0.16.6-r0
A free, industrial quality library for simulating rigid body dynamics
sudo apk add ode- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later OR BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ode
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
dnf95%
ode 0.16.6-3.fc44
High performance library for simulating rigid body dynamics
https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode
sudo dnf install ode- License: BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: ode
- 6 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
dnf95%
ode-devel 0.16.6-3.fc44
Development files for ode
https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode
sudo dnf install ode-devel- License: BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: ode
- 6 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
dnf95%
ode-double 0.16.6-3.fc44
Ode physics library compiled with double precision
https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode
sudo dnf install ode-double- License: BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: ode
- 6 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
pacman95%
ode 0.16.6-2
High performance library for simulating rigid body dynamics
https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode/
sudo pacman -S ode- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later OR BSD-3-Clause
- Architecture: x86_64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
zypper95%
libode8 0.16.5-1.5
Open Dynamics Engine Library development files
sudo zypper install libode8- License: BSD-3-Clause OR LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ode
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
zypper95%
ode-devel 0.16.5-1.5
Open Dynamics Engine Library development files
sudo zypper install ode-devel- License: BSD-3-Clause OR LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ode
- 3 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
MacPorts95%
ode
sudo port install ode- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ode
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment