Class StandardGroundDetection

Default ground detection implementation using immediate synchronous sphere casts. Provides accurate 3D collision detection across the wheel's surface with same-frame results for maximum accuracy at high speeds.

Inheritance

object

Object

Component

Behaviour

MonoBehaviour

GroundDetectionBase

StandardGroundDetection

Namespace: NWH.WheelController3D

Assembly: NWH.WheelController.dll

Syntax

[RequireComponent(typeof(WheelController))]
public class StandardGroundDetection : GroundDetectionBase

Remarks

StandardGroundDetection provides two detection modes:

• Sphere: Single wide sphere cast from wheel center (faster)
• Multicast: Multiple sphere casts across wheel circumference (most accurate)

All sphere casts are performed immediately within the same physics frame, eliminating temporal lag that can cause suspension compression issues at high speeds (200+ km/h).

Performance characteristics:

• Synchronous execution ensures accurate hit point detection
• No frame delay between cast and result
• Very narrow wheels (width less than 0.01m) automatically use raycasts
• Multicast mode performs 3-7 casts per wheel depending on wheel radius

When to use each mode:

• Sphere: AI vehicles, mobile platforms, vehicles that stay on flat surfaces
• Multicast: Player vehicles, off-road games, high-speed racing, climbing/parkour vehicles, sim racing

Fields

castType

Determines the ground detection algorithm used for this wheel.

Declaration

public StandardGroundDetection.CastType castType

Field Value

Type	Description
StandardGroundDetection.CastType

Methods

WheelCast(in Vector3, in Vector3, in float, in float, in float, ref WheelHit, LayerMask)

Performs a collision cast to detect ground contact beneath the wheel. Called every physics frame to update wheel ground contact state.

Declaration

public override bool WheelCast(in Vector3 origin, in Vector3 direction, in float distance, in float wheelRadius, in float wheelWidth, ref WheelHit wheelHit, LayerMask layerMask)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
Vector3	origin	Cast starting point in world space (typically wheel suspension origin)
Vector3	direction	Cast direction in world space (typically vehicle's down vector)
float	distance	Maximum cast distance in meters (typically suspension max length + wheel radius)
float	wheelRadius	Wheel radius in meters, defines the wheel's circular boundary
float	wheelWidth	Wheel width in meters, defines the lateral extent of the tire
WheelHit	wheelHit
LayerMask	layerMask	Physics layer mask determining which layers can be detected

Returns

Type	Description
bool	True if ground was detected within the cast distance, false if wheel is airborne

Overrides

GroundDetectionBase.WheelCast(in Vector3, in Vector3, in float, in float, in float, ref WheelHit, LayerMask)

Remarks

When returning true, implementation must populate result with:

• point: World-space contact point
• normal: Surface normal at contact point (unit vector)
• collider: The Collider component that was hit
• localPoint/localNormal: Optional; providing these avoids matrix transformations in the caller

Important considerations:

• Only detect the bottom hemisphere of the wheel (top collisions handled separately)
• Exclude vehicle's own colliders to prevent self-collision
• Return the closest hit if multiple surfaces are detected
• Consider wheel width - hits outside the tire width should be ignored