# Install ode with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, apt, zypper Simulating articulated rigid body dynamics. Version 0.16.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install libode-dev. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ode ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ode ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install ode ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/ode/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add ode ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ode from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install ode ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ode from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ode ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/od/ode/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S ode ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: ode from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install libode-dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: libode-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libode8 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libode8 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ode - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 0.16.6 - **Source summary:** Simulating articulated rigid body dynamics - **Homepage:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-22T14:05:40-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - ode-config (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 0.16.6 ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - libode-dev - 2:0.16.6-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libode-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Open Dynamics Engine - development files | https://www.ode.org/ - Debian apt - libode8t64 - 2:0.16.6-2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: libode8t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Open Dynamics Engine - runtime library | https://www.ode.org/ - Nix - ode: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/od/ode/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - libode-dev - 2:0.16.2-1.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libode-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Open Dynamics Engine - development files | http://www.ode.org/ - Ubuntu apt - libode8t64 - 2:0.16.2-1.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libode8t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Open Dynamics Engine - runtime library | http://www.ode.org/ - apk - ode - 0.16.6-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: ode from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A free, industrial quality library for simulating rigid body dynamics | https://ode.org/ - dnf - ode - 0.16.6-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ode from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | High performance library for simulating rigid body dynamics | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode - dnf - ode-devel - 0.16.6-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ode-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Development files for ode | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode - dnf - ode-double - 0.16.6-4.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: ode-double from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | Ode physics library compiled with double precision | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode - pacman - ode - 0.16.6-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: ode from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | High performance library for simulating rigid body dynamics | https://bitbucket.org/odedevs/ode/ - zypper - libode8 - 0.16.5-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libode8 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Open Dynamics Engine Library development files | https://ode.org/ - zypper - ode-devel - 0.16.5-1.7: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: ode-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Open Dynamics Engine Library development files | https://ode.org/ - MacPorts - ode: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/ode/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ode.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/ode.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph