@woosh/meep-engine 2.139.0 → 2.141.0

package/src/engine/physics/BULLET_REVIEW.md

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+# Bullet vs. meep rigid-body physics — deep technical review
+
+Subject: `engine/physics/` (pure-JS rigid-body engine, ECS-attached) vs.
+[Bullet Physics 3](https://github.com/bulletphysics/bullet3) (C++).
+
+Bullet is a mature, multi-platform physics SDK with a notoriously deep class
+hierarchy and broad simulation feature set. meep is a deliberately scoped
+pure-JS engine: deterministic same-runtime, no WASM/SIMD, no shared-memory
+workers, designed around an active-list / mostly-sleeping model with up to
+millions of bodies. The two projects share core algorithmic ideas (Catto-style
+sequential impulse, `btPersistentManifold`-style 4-point manifold cache,
+SAT+clipping for box-box, GJK+EPA for general convex pairs) but diverge sharply
+on dispatch shape, hierarchy depth, and feature surface.
+
+This review is organised in four sections, per the original brief.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Overall architecture
+
+### 1.1 Pipeline shape
+
+| Phase | meep (`PhysicsSystem.fixedUpdate`) | Bullet (`btDiscreteDynamicsWorld::stepSimulation`) |
+|---|---|---|
+| Integrate velocity | `integrate_velocity` — semi-implicit Euler, gravity + accum force/torque, implicit damping | `predictUnconstrainMotion` — same scheme, explicit damping with `exp` |
+| Broadphase refit | `compute_fat_world_aabb` + `node_move_aabb`, per active collider leaf | `updateAabbs` + `btDbvtBroadphase::setAabb`, deferred update queue |
+| Pair generation | `generate_pairs` — leaf-by-leaf query of both BVHs, dedup via manifold "touched" bit | `calculateOverlappingPairs` — incremental, persists pair cache across frames, percentage-revalidated each tick |
+| Narrowphase | `narrowphase_step` — closed-form fast paths then GJK+EPA fallback | `btCollisionDispatcher` — virtual algorithm matrix per `(shape_type_A, shape_type_B)` lookup |
+| Island build | `IslandBuilder` — union-find rebuilt every frame from touched non-sensor contacts | `btSimulationIslandManager` — also union-find based, but on persistent pairs |
+| Constraint solve | `solve_contacts` (Catto SI, 10 iters, in-place per-island) | `btSequentialImpulseConstraintSolver`, 10 iters default, optional split-impulse position iters |
+| Position integrate | `integrate_position` + quaternion integrator | `integrateTransforms`, with optional CCD shape-cast for fast objects |
+| Sleep test | `__sleep_test` — per-island atomic | Per-body `m_deactivationTime` accumulator with `gDeactivationTime` (default 2 s) |
+| Manifold diff → events | `diff_manifolds` + `__dispatch_contact_events` (Begin / Stay / End signals) | `internalTickCallback` user-driven, or `contactStartedCallback` / `contactEndedCallback` globals |
+| Frame roll | `manifolds.advance_frame` — touched → prev, evict on grace | `btPersistentManifold::refreshContactPoints` — per-manifold, by world-distance |
+
+**Where the two are most similar**: both run a velocity-only solver iteration
+sweep with warm-starting on a persistent manifold cache keyed on body-pair, and
+both build islands via union-find so the solver iterates one connected
+component at a time.
+
+**Where meep diverges deliberately**:
+
+1. **No split-impulse architecture.** Bullet's solver runs separate position-
+   correction iterations (`solveGroupCacheFriendlySplitImpulseIterations`)
+   over a *pseudo-velocity* that does not contaminate the real velocity.
+   meep folds position correction into the velocity bias via Baumgarte
+   (`solve_contacts.js:444`). `PLAN.md` already lists this as the
+   architectural blocker for TGS substepping; the trade-off is documented
+   and intentional.
+2. **Stateless pair regeneration vs. Bullet's persistent overlapping-pair
+   cache.** Bullet keeps `m_overlappingPairCache` between frames and only
+   re-validates a percentage of pairs each step (`gOverlappingPairsPercentageToUpdate`).
+   meep regenerates every pair every step from the BVH leaves
+   (`generate_pairs.js:50-100`), relying on the `ManifoldStore`'s touched-bit
+   for dedup. Simpler, less per-frame state, slightly higher recurrent cost.
+3. **Two BVHs (static + dynamic) rather than Bullet's two-stage single
+   structure with "moving objects → fixed set" promotion.** meep classifies
+   at insert (`PhysicsSystem.js:325`); Bullet shuffles between stages over
+   time. meep's two-tree model is cleaner; Bullet's is closer to Jolt.
+4. **Atomic per-island sleep with sleep-group chain wakeup.** Bullet sleeps
+   per body and bodies in the same island wake one-by-one as contacts
+   propagate via the broadphase over multiple frames. meep threads a
+   circular `sleep_group_next` / `sleep_group_prev` doubly-linked list
+   through all members of an atomically-sleeping island
+   (`PhysicsSystem.js:754-786`) so any wake on any member wakes the whole
+   chain in one call. This is meep's most distinctive architectural choice
+   and the PLAN.md rationale (the 100-block-stack wake wave) is well-founded.
+
+### 1.2 Data layout
+
+meep uses a deliberate Structure-of-Arrays (`BodyStorage` — six typed arrays
+indexed by body slot) and an external sparse `__bodies[]` / `__transforms[]` /
+`__body_collider_lists[]` indexed the same way. The hot iteration is
+
+```
+for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+  const idx = this.storage.awake_at(i);
+  const rb = this.__bodies[idx];
+  ...
+}
+```
+
+— sequential awake-list, sparse sidetable dereference. The manifold store has
+its own SoA `Float64Array` plus a `Uint32Array` meta buffer (`ManifoldStore.js`,
+lines 96-115). Solver scratch is a per-call typed array
+(`solver/solve_contacts.js:88-91`).
+
+Bullet uses standard AoS objects (`btRigidBody`, `btCollisionObject`,
+`btPersistentManifold`) plus a separate "solver body" SoA (`btSolverBody`,
+`btSolverConstraint`) inside the constraint solver only. The
+narrowphase / broadphase paths are AoS.
+
+meep is **more uniformly SoA** end-to-end. That's the right call for JS — V8
+treats typed arrays as backing for off-heap buffers and the hot loops here
+avoid the property-load cost that would dominate equivalent Bullet-style AoS
+JS code.
+
+### 1.3 Broadphase
+
+| Aspect | meep | Bullet (`btDbvtBroadphase`) |
+|---|---|---|
+| Tree count | 2 (`staticBvh`, `dynamicBvh`) | 2 (`m_sets[0]` dynamic / `m_sets[1]` fixed) |
+| Fat-AABB constant | `FAT_LINEAR = 0.05` + 2 × velocity × dt | `gDbvtMargin = 0.05`, velocity-scaled internally |
+| Pair generation | Re-query every active leaf every frame | Incremental: only re-validate a percentage |
+| Pair store | `PairUint32Map` (Robin Hood, Fibonacci hash) → manifold slot | `btHashedOverlappingPairCache` |
+
+Bullet's two-set design migrates bodies between sets as they go inactive — a
+true two-stage tree. meep's two-tree split is by *body kind* (static or
+dynamic) at insert. The Bullet model is closer to Jolt's static/dynamic split
+than to meep's, but in practice meep's is simpler and matches PLAN.md's stated
+Jolt-inspired rationale.
+
+**Fat-AABB strategy** in `broadphase/compute_fat_world_aabb.js:34`:
+
+```js
+const speed = Math.sqrt(vx * vx + vy * vy + vz * vz);
+const pad = FAT_LINEAR + FAT_VELOCITY_MULTIPLIER * speed * dt;
+```
+
+This is Box2D-style padding (constant + velocity look-ahead). Bullet's
+equivalent is `setAabbForceUpdate` with `gDbvtVelocityScale = 1.0` and
+`gDbvtExtraMargin = 0.05`. Both engines bound the fat AABB by *predicted next
+position* + slack — same idea, slightly different constants.
+
+### 1.4 Island structure
+
+meep's `IslandBuilder` is union-find with deterministic union-by-min-index +
+path halving (`island/union_find.js:65-76`), producing CSR-style output sorted
+ascending within and across islands. Static / kinematic bodies are **constraint
+anchors only** — they do not enlarge islands, so two disjoint piles on the
+same floor remain separate islands. This is identical to Bullet's
+`btSimulationIslandManager` (which also marks static bodies as
+`ISLAND_SLEEPING` and treats them as graph-cut points), and to Jolt.
+
+The CSR output design (`body_offsets[]` + `body_data[]`,
+`contact_offsets[]` + `contact_data[]`) is cleaner than Bullet's, which uses
+a per-body `m_islandTag1` field and a `getIslandId()` post-pass — meep's is
+both more cache-friendly to iterate and simpler to reason about for parallel
+solving in the future.
+
+**Determinism guarantee**: meep's "smallest-body-index wins as root" gives a
+canonical island id that's independent of pair encounter order. Bullet's
+island ids depend on `findUnion()` call order, so the same scene can produce
+different island indices across runs — fine for Bullet's use case, but
+problematic for a deterministic replay engine. PLAN.md is right to call this
+out explicitly.
+
+### 1.5 Solver architecture
+
+| | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Solver | Sequential Impulse (Catto / Box2D) | Sequential Impulse (Catto / Box2D) |
+| Iterations | 10 (`DEFAULT_VELOCITY_ITERATIONS`) | 10 (`m_numIterations`) |
+| Warm-start | Yes — `j_n / j_t1 / j_t2` stored per contact, replayed pre-iter | Yes — `cp.m_appliedImpulse` scaled by `m_warmstartingFactor = 0.85` |
+| Warm-start factor | 1.0 (no scale-down) | 0.85 |
+| Friction model | 2-axis tangent + **disk-cone clamp** (`friction_cone_clamp`) | 2-axis (optional) with **box clamp** (`m_lowerLimit = -mu * j_n`) |
+| Restitution | Velocity-bias inside the iteration loop, clamped above threshold (1.0 m/s) | One-shot velocity target injected into iter-0 RHS |
+| Position correction | Baumgarte velocity bias `β/dt * pen`, capped at 3 m/s | Optional split-impulse pseudo-velocity pass (default on) |
+| Per-island iteration | Yes (`solve_contacts` walks `islands.contact_offsets`) | Yes (per-island group inside `solveGroupCacheFriendly...`) |
+
+**Notable substantive differences:**
+
+- meep's friction model is **better** than Bullet's default. Bullet's
+  `m_lowerLimit = -mu * j_n` independent-axis clamp produces the classic
+  "friction stronger along one tangent than the other" anisotropy on
+  diagonally-sliding bodies. meep's 2-D disk projection
+  (`solver/friction_cone.js:25-36`) is the correct Coulomb cone projection
+  and matches Box2D Lite's recipe.
+
+- meep's **restitution is a velocity bias inside the iter loop**, which is
+  what Box2D Lite does. Bullet runs it as a one-shot target velocity in
+  iter-0's RHS. meep's approach is documented in `PLAN.md` as one of the
+  three problems blocking TGS, because the inside-the-loop bias interacts
+  badly with the `j_n ≥ 0` warm-start clamp on second and subsequent
+  substeps. Bullet's one-shot approach is robust under substepping; meep's
+  isn't. This is the right call-out — PLAN.md is fully aware of the
+  consequence.
+
+- meep **does not have split-impulse**. Bullet's
+  `solveGroupCacheFriendlySplitImpulseIterations` runs a separate
+  pseudo-velocity pass for position correction. meep's Baumgarte bias is
+  capped at `MAX_BAUMGARTE_BIAS = 3` m/s (`solve_contacts.js:62-63`) as a
+  guard against EPA-degenerate-depth blow-ups, which is sound but does mean
+  deep penetrations resolve more slowly. The cap is conservative — Bullet's
+  default `erp` is also 0.2 but it gets applied via split impulse so
+  saturation is less common.
+
+### 1.6 Sleep system
+
+- **meep**: per-island atomic. `__sleep_test` (`PhysicsSystem.js:942-1006`)
+  computes `max(|v|² + |ω|²)` across an island; when all members have been
+  below the threshold for `sleepTimeThreshold` (default 0.5 s), the entire
+  island sleeps in one frame via `__atomic_sleep_island_range`, which threads
+  the circular sleep-group chain.
+- **Bullet**: per-body. `btRigidBody::updateDeactivation` increments
+  `m_deactivationTime` per body; sleeps when ≥ `gDeactivationTime` (default
+  2 s). Islands wake one body at a time as contacts propagate.
+
+meep's atomic sleep is **architecturally superior for stacks** — a 100-block
+stack hit at the base wakes the whole stack in one frame, where Bullet would
+take ~100 frames of broadphase propagation. The cost is more bookkeeping (the
+sleep-group chain), and the precondition is the per-island design described
+above. PLAN.md explains the chain mechanism well.
+
+### 1.7 Threading model
+
+Both engines are single-threaded by default. Bullet has the optional
+`btMultiThreadedDynamicsWorld` + worker-pool wrapper; meep is explicitly
+single-threaded with `SharedArrayBuffer` cited in PLAN.md as a future seam.
+This is in scope of the documented design bets and not in scope for review.
+
+---
+
+## 2. Specific algorithms and tradeoffs
+
+For each touchpoint: meep file:line | Bullet header/cpp | tradeoff.
+
+### 2.1 Broadphase (DBVT)
+
+- **meep**: `core/bvh2/bvh3/BVH.js` (external to physics) + `broadphase/generate_pairs.js:50-100`. Two BVHs, per-leaf re-query each frame, manifold-store dedup.
+- **Bullet**: `BulletCollision/BroadphaseCollision/btDbvtBroadphase.{h,cpp}` + `btDbvt.{h,cpp}`. One DBVT with two `m_sets` (dynamic + fixed), incremental update queue, `m_deferedcollide`.
+
+| Trade-off | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Per-frame cost | O(active leaves × log N) every frame | O(active leaves × log N) amortised over multiple frames |
+| State complexity | Low — just two trees + manifold store | Higher — deferred queue, stage promotion, pair cache |
+| Determinism | Strong — leaf order is deterministic | Weaker — depends on internal queue eviction order |
+
+meep gives up Bullet's amortised cost to gain determinism and simplicity.
+Reasonable trade-off given PLAN.md's design priorities.
+
+### 2.2 GJK
+
+- **meep**: `gjk/gjk.js`, 64 iterations, simplex stored as Float64Array slots.
+- **Bullet**: `BulletCollision/NarrowPhaseCollision/btGjkPairDetector.cpp` + `btVoronoiSimplexSolver.cpp`. 1000-iteration cap. Cached separating axis across frames (`m_cachedSeparatingAxis`).
+
+Major differences:
+
+1. **Frame coherence.** Bullet caches the last separating axis per
+   `btGjkPairDetector` instance and uses it as the next step's initial search
+   direction — typically converging in 1-3 iterations on quiescent pairs.
+   meep starts every call with `(1, 0, 0)` (`gjk/gjk.js:41`) regardless of
+   prior frames' result. **This is a real performance gap on stable
+   contacts** — Bullet's cached-axis trick gives roughly an order of
+   magnitude fewer support calls per frame in steady state.
+2. **Simplex management.** meep uses Kevin Moran's slot-shuffling simplex
+   (`gjk.js:163-265`), which is direct and readable. Bullet uses
+   `btVoronoiSimplexSolver` which computes the closest point to the origin
+   within the simplex and prunes by Voronoi region — more complex but more
+   numerically robust.
+3. **Convergence criterion.** Bullet's "previousSquaredDistance −
+   squaredDistance ≤ ε × previousSquaredDistance" is a relative-improvement
+   check. meep uses absolute fall-off (the new support point's dot product
+   with the search direction is < 0, i.e. it didn't pass the origin). Both
+   correct; Bullet's is slightly more conservative on near-touching pairs.
+
+### 2.3 EPA
+
+- **meep**: `gjk/expanding_polytope_algorithm.js`, 64 iterations, 64-face cap, 32-loose-edge cap. Linear scan to find closest face each iter.
+- **Bullet**: `BulletCollision/NarrowPhaseCollision/btGjkEpa2.cpp`. 255-iteration cap, doubly-linked-list hull with neighbour pointers per face, recursive horizon expansion.
+
+Comparison points:
+
+| | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Face data structure | Flat Float64Array `[ax,ay,az, bx,by,bz, cx,cy,cz, nx,ny,nz]` × 64 | Linked list of `sFace` (3 verts, 3 neighbour pointers) |
+| Closest-face lookup | Linear scan over `num_faces` every iter | Linear scan over hull list every iter |
+| Horizon edge handling | Loose-edge list — for each removed face, three edges added; matching edges in the list cancel | Recursive `expand()` walks neighbour pointers — O(visible-face count), no extra storage |
+| Iteration cap | 64 | 255 |
+| Smooth-shape degenerate handling | Documented in code, returns closest-face approximation | `eStatus::Degenerated` set, fallback returns best-so-far |
+
+meep's flat-array approach is **easier to read and trivially deterministic**.
+Bullet's linked-list-with-neighbours is asymptotically better when the
+horizon is large (visible-face traversal is O(neighbours) instead of O(faces))
+but the constant factor difference is negligible at the face counts we
+actually see (≤ 64).
+
+**The biggest issue in meep's EPA** is the same one Bullet has — neither
+engine converges cleanly on smooth shapes, because both rely on the polytope
+having flat faces to expand onto. meep mitigates with closed-form fast paths
+for sphere/box/capsule and the documented MPR alternative; Bullet does the
+same with closed-form pair handlers and `btMprPenetration`.
+
+### 2.4 Box-box manifold
+
+- **meep**: `narrowphase/box_box_manifold.js`. SAT over 15 axes, Sutherland-Hodgman face clip, deepest-then-spread reduction to 4 contacts.
+- **Bullet**: `BulletCollision/CollisionDispatch/btBoxBoxDetector.cpp`. SAT over 15 axes (Open Dynamics Engine port), custom `intersectRectQuad2()` polygon-clip, `cullPoints2()` reduction (deepest + angular distribution to 4).
+
+Both engines:
+- Use SAT with the canonical 15 axes (3 face normals A, 3 face normals B, 9
+  edge-cross pairs).
+- Project the incident face into the reference face's 2-D frame and clip.
+- Reduce to ≤ 4 contacts.
+
+Differences:
+
+| | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Clipping | Sutherland-Hodgman, 4 successive axis-aligned half-planes | `intersectRectQuad2` — same idea, hand-unrolled |
+| Reduction | Deepest at slot 0, then greedy maximise-min-distance | Deepest at slot 0, then 3 by angular position around the centroid |
+| Edge-edge case | Single midpoint contact (PLAN.md known limitation) | Single closest-edge-point contact via `dLineClosestApproach` |
+
+meep's edge-edge fallback is **less accurate** than Bullet's. PLAN.md lists
+"edge-edge multi-point manifold" as a backlog item; the cheaper improvement
+would be to first match Bullet's "closest points on the two edges" formula —
+a few lines of segment-segment math — rather than the midpoint
+(`box_box_manifold.js:221-230`). This would close most of the gap without
+needing the full multi-point edge-pair contact.
+
+meep's spread-by-max-min-distance reduction is a *better* default than
+Bullet's angular distribution when the clipped polygon is convex but not
+near-circular — both work, but meep's is theoretically slightly more
+solver-stable for elongated contact regions. The two are practically
+indistinguishable on cube-on-cube.
+
+### 2.5 Sphere-sphere, sphere-box, capsule pairs
+
+- meep has closed-form solvers for each (`sphere_sphere_contact.js`,
+  `sphere_box_contact.js`, `capsule_contacts.js`).
+- Bullet, surprisingly, **does not** dispatch sphere-sphere and sphere-box to
+  closed-form paths in the default `btConvexConvexAlgorithm` — they go
+  through GJK ([source](https://github.com/bulletphysics/bullet3/blob/master/src/BulletCollision/CollisionDispatch/btConvexConvexAlgorithm.cpp)).
+  Bullet only specialises capsule-capsule and capsule-sphere
+  (`btCapsuleCapsuleAlgorithm`, added in Bullet 2.75 for ragdoll
+  performance).
+
+This is a **real advantage** for meep: GJK for sphere-sphere does maybe 10
+iterations of cross-products + dot-products to compute what one
+`d² < (rA+rB)²` test gets you in closed form. meep's `sphere_sphere_contact`
+is fewer than 20 numeric ops; Bullet's GJK route is closer to 200. The same
+factor-of-10 gap applies to sphere-box.
+
+meep's `sphere_box_contact` (`narrowphase/sphere_box_contact.js`) correctly
+handles the centre-inside-box singular case with smallest-overlap face
+tie-breaking, with X > Y > Z deterministic tie-break — robust and
+deterministic.
+
+### 2.6 Sequential impulse solver
+
+- **meep**: `solver/solve_contacts.js`, 10 iters default, Baumgarte bias inside the velocity loop, disk-cone friction clamp, warm-start factor = 1.0.
+- **Bullet**: `BulletDynamics/ConstraintSolver/btSequentialImpulseConstraintSolver.cpp`, 10 iters default, split-impulse pseudo-velocity pass for position, box-clamp friction (default) or 2-direction with optional cone, warm-start factor = 0.85.
+
+Side-by-side:
+
+| Concern | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Warm-start `j ≥ 0` clamp | Yes (`solve_contacts.js:533`) | Yes |
+| Tangent basis construction | Least-aligned-axis (`build_tangents`, lines 115-143) | `btPlaneSpace1` (essentially the same thing) OR velocity-aligned if `SOLVER_DISABLE_VELOCITY_DEPENDENT_FRICTION_DIRECTION` is off |
+| Bias clamp | `MAX_BAUMGARTE_BIAS = 3` m/s | `m_maxErrorReduction = 20` per Bullet defaults |
+| Restitution threshold | 1.0 m/s | 2.0 m/s (`m_restingContactRestitutionThreshold = 2`) |
+| Friction coefficient combine | Geometric mean | Default: `mat0.friction * mat1.friction` (product) |
+| Restitution combine | Max | Default: `mat0.restitution * mat1.restitution` (product) |
+
+meep's combine functions are **closer to Unity / PhysX defaults** (geometric
+mean for friction, max for restitution). Bullet's products are a quirk that
+produces low-friction surfaces from `(0.5, 0.5)` pairs (gives 0.25). meep's
+choice is more conventional.
+
+### 2.7 Manifold caching
+
+- **meep**: `contact/ManifoldStore.js`. Stride-13 contact record (positions A, positions B, normal, depth, three impulses). 4 contacts max. Grace-2 frame eviction. Per-frame touched flag. PairUint32Map for `(idA, idB) → slot`.
+- **Bullet**: `btPersistentManifold.h/cpp`. Stride is larger (local/world positions on both bodies, normal, two lateral friction directions, two lateral impulses, distance, applied impulses, lifetime counter, partIds, friction-anchor flag). 4 contacts max. Distance-threshold eviction via `validContactDistance()`. No grace.
+
+meep's manifold record is **leaner**, intentionally — it stores only what's
+needed for the solver (world positions, normal, depth, accumulated impulses).
+Bullet's adds:
+
+1. **Local-space contact positions** on each body. Bullet uses these to
+   re-validate contacts as bodies rotate without rerunning narrowphase
+   (`refreshContactPoints` projects local-to-world and tests world-distance).
+   meep doesn't do incremental refresh — narrowphase runs every frame for
+   every touched manifold. This is fine for meep's pipeline because the
+   broadphase is also rerun every frame; Bullet's persistence is what lets
+   it amortise narrowphase cost over multiple frames.
+
+2. **Cached lateral friction directions** per contact. Bullet's tangent
+   basis is constructed once and persisted; meep recomputes via
+   `build_tangents` every iter per contact. The recompute cost is ~6
+   multiplies + 1 normalise per tangent → negligible for low contact counts;
+   becomes measurable at 1000+ active contacts.
+
+3. **Lifetime counter** per contact. Bullet uses it for `m_frictionAnchor`
+   handling. meep doesn't have friction anchors yet.
+
+meep's eviction strategy (`DEFAULT_GRACE = 2`, in `ManifoldStore.js:59`) lets
+a one-frame separation survive — jitter-friendly. Bullet's distance-threshold
+eviction (`m_contactBreakingThreshold`, world-space) is more physically
+grounded but requires tuning. meep's frame-count grace is simpler.
+
+### 2.8 Sleep
+
+- **meep**: per-island atomic, threshold `0.01` on `|v|² + |ω|²`, time `0.5 s`. Sleep-group chain for atomic wake.
+- **Bullet**: per-body, threshold `gLinearSleepingThreshold = 0.8`, `gAngularSleepingThreshold = 1.0`, time `gDeactivationTime = 2.0`.
+
+meep's threshold (0.01) is *much* tighter than Bullet's (0.8 and 1.0). Both
+are reasonable — Bullet uses 0.8 as a wide noise floor; meep is tuned for
+clean game-physics inputs. Bullet's deactivation time (2 s) is also longer
+than meep's (0.5 s).
+
+### 2.9 CCD
+
+- **meep**: speculative margin via fat AABB only (PLAN.md known limitation).
+- **Bullet**: optional per-body `m_ccdMotionThreshold` + `m_ccdSweptSphereRadius` triggers `btSubsimplexConvexCast` conservative advancement.
+
+This is a real gap (PLAN.md acknowledges) but the documented use case — 1km
+drop onto a 1cm floor losing 180/1000 bodies to tunnelling — is exactly the
+scenario where shape-cast CCD would help. Backlog item is well-scoped.
+
+### 2.10 Concave / triangle-mesh narrowphase
+
+- **meep**: `narrowphase/narrowphase_step.js:368-578` + `narrowphase/decomposition/`. Decompose concave shape into triangles in convex's AABB → per-triangle GJK + EPA → one-sided face-normal rejection → contact-normal dedup. **Known limitation: `Triangle3D`'s support function is degenerate along its face-normal axis.**
+- **Bullet**: `BulletCollision/CollisionShapes/btBvhTriangleMeshShape` + `btBvhTriangleMeshShape::processAllTriangles` callback → per-triangle GJK via `btConvexTriangleCallback`. Same per-triangle approach in spirit; Bullet doesn't suffer the degenerate-support issue because `btTriangleShape` extends `btPolyhedralConvexShape` with a thin extruded depth, not a true zero-volume primitive.
+
+meep's documented `Triangle3D` degenerate support is a real correctness
+issue — and the PLAN.md "closed-form triangle-vs-primitive solvers" backlog
+item is the right fix. The half-space pre-test in `compute_penetration`
+(noted in PLAN.md) is a clean workaround for that one entry point.
+
+A subtle observation about meep's concave dispatch: the sign-check at
+`narrowphase_step.js:506` validates the MTV against `(convex_centre −
+triangle_centroid)`, then rejects if the MTV opposes the triangle's
+outward face normal (one-sided). This is a **better-than-Bullet** rejection
+strategy. Bullet's per-triangle GJK has no such face-normal sanity check, so
+a body pushed *through* a wall by external forces can resolve as if it's
+contacting from the inside, producing the classic "popping out the wrong
+side" artifact. meep explicitly avoids this. Strong design.
+
+### 2.11 MPR
+
+- **meep**: `gjk/mpr.js` — XenoCollide / Snethen GDC 2009 implementation, MTV output format matches EPA (drop-in compatible). 64-iter cap. Not wired into the dispatch.
+- **Bullet**: `btMprPenetration.h` — also XenoCollide / Snethen. 1000-iter cap (`BT_MPR_MAX_ITERATIONS`), 1e-6 tolerance.
+
+Both implementations are textbook XenoCollide. Bullet's portal-discovery
+loop handles `BT_MPR_TOLERANCE` (1e-6) more aggressively than meep's
+`MPR_TOLERANCE` (1e-4) — meep's tolerance is the order of typical
+narrowphase noise, which is fine. meep's also handles the
+`MPR_EPSILON = 1e-10` collinearity check inline.
+
+The MPR result-convention match-EPA design choice in meep is *excellent* —
+it means the swap from EPA to MPR is a one-line change at any call site.
+Bullet's MPR is wired into a separate code path with its own result format,
+so adopting it as a primary narrowphase would be a bigger refactor.
+
+### 2.12 Queries (raycast / shape-cast / overlap)
+
+- **meep**: `queries/raycast.js` (broadphase-only), `queries/shape_cast.js`
+  (broadphase swept-AABB + GJK bisection ToI + EPA normal at kiss point),
+  `queries/overlap_shape.js` (broadphase + per-candidate GJK with concave
+  triangle-decomposition routing).
+- **Bullet**: `btCollisionWorld::rayTest` (broadphase + per-shape narrowphase
+  ray test), `btCollisionWorld::convexSweepTest`
+  (`btSubsimplexConvexCast` / `btContinuousConvexCollision` per candidate),
+  `btCollisionWorld::contactTest` (broadphase + per-pair manifold collection).
+
+meep's shape-cast implementation uses **GJK bisection on the time interval**
+plus EPA at the kiss point to recover the surface normal. Bullet's
+`btSubsimplexConvexCast` uses Brian Mirtich's conservative advancement,
+which is faster (no bisection) but produces less precise normals at the
+moment of contact. meep's approach is more conservative; the bisection's
+extra GJK calls per cast are negligible for the use case (player movement,
+AOE casts).
+
+The `shape_cast` "rerun EPA at best_t on the winning candidate to recover
+true normal" trick is a clean way to get accurate contact normals — better
+than what most game engines bother with. The fallback to `-ray.direction`
+only on EPA degeneracies (NaN / zero depth) is sound.
+
+---
+
+## 3. In-depth comparison: 8 consequential touchpoints
+
+For each: same quantity? bug or simplification? specific opportunity.
+
+### 3.1 GJK — frame coherence
+
+**meep** (`gjk/gjk.js:41`): every call seeds the initial direction with `(1, 0, 0)`:
+
+```js
+minkowski_support(simplex, 6, shape_a, shape_b, 1, 0, 0);
+```
+
+**Bullet** (`btGjkPairDetector.cpp`): caches the converged separating axis
+per-pair:
+
+```cpp
+m_cachedSeparatingAxis.setValue(0, 1, 0);  // first frame
+// ... after convergence:
+m_cachedSeparatingAxis = newCachedSeparatingAxis;
+```
+
+**Diagnosis**: not a bug — meep is computing the same answer. But a
+**performance opportunity worth pursuing**: caching the last successful
+search direction (or, equivalently, the EPA-converged MTV normal) on the
+manifold cache slot and seeding the next frame's GJK with it would reduce
+GJK iterations from 10-20 down to 3-5 on quiescent contacts. Storage would
+be 3 floats per manifold slot — bumping `CONTACT_STRIDE` from 13 to 16, or
+adding a per-slot meta field.
+
+**Improvement**: store last separating axis on manifold acquire/touch path,
+seed `simplex_buf` from it on next call. Estimated 30-50% reduction in GJK
+support calls in stable scenes.
+
+### 3.2 Box-box edge-edge contact
+
+**meep** (`narrowphase/box_box_manifold.js:221-230`):
+
+```js
+if (best_source >= 6) {
+    const mx = (ax + bx) * 0.5;
+    const my = (ay + by) * 0.5;
+    const mz = (az + bz) * 0.5;
+    out[3] = 1;
+    out[4] = mx; out[5] = my;  out[6] = mz;
+    out[7] = mx; out[8] = my;  out[9] = mz;
+    out[10] = best_overlap;
+    return true;
+}
+```
+
+**Bullet** (`btBoxBoxDetector.cpp`): finds the closest points on the two
+edges via `dLineClosestApproach` and uses their midpoint as the contact —
+much more accurate.
+
+**Diagnosis**: simplification. Both engines emit one contact for edge-edge,
+but Bullet's at the actual closest-edge-point pair; meep's at the body
+centres' midpoint. For a stack of skewed cubes (45° offset), meep's contact
+point is consistently off by ~0.5 × half-extent — solver still resolves but
+with a wrong lever arm.
+
+**Improvement**: replace the midpoint with the segment-segment closest-pair
+formula on the two contributing edges (`best_source - 6` gives the
+edge-pair index; the edges are `(ta[i], length 2*ahx/y/z)` and
+`(tb[j], length 2*bhx/y/z)`). The helper already exists in the codebase as
+`core/geom/3d/line/line3_closest_points_segment_segment.js` per PLAN.md
+"Bonus utilities". This is a 10-line change that closes the documented
+limitation.
+
+### 3.3 EPA — closest-face linear scan
+
+**meep** (`gjk/expanding_polytope_algorithm.js:115-127`):
+
+```js
+let min_dist = v3_dot_array_array(faces, 0, faces, 3 * 3);
+closest_face = 0;
+for (let i = 1; i < num_faces; i++) {
+    const dist = v3_dot_array_array(faces, i * FACE_ELEMENT_COUNT, faces, i * FACE_ELEMENT_COUNT + 3 * 3);
+    if (dist < min_dist) { min_dist = dist; closest_face = i; }
+}
+```
+
+**Bullet** (`btGjkEpa2.cpp::findbest()`): same linear scan over hull faces.
+
+**Diagnosis**: both engines scan linearly. This is fine for 64-face caps;
+a priority queue would only pay off above ~200 faces. No improvement
+needed.
+
+Minor: meep also re-computes the face's distance-to-origin (`v3_dot` of the
+face's vertex against its own normal) on every iteration. Caching it on
+the face record would skip an N-multiply pass. Not significant at 64 faces.
+
+### 3.4 EPA — `debugger` statement on zero-normal degeneracy
+
+**meep** (`gjk/expanding_polytope_algorithm.js:135-137`):
+
+```js
+if (search_dir_x === 0 && search_dir_y === 0 && search_dir_z === 0) {
+    debugger;
+}
+```
+
+**Diagnosis**: **bug / inappropriate left-in debug aid**. A live `debugger;`
+statement in a hot path will halt the entire app under devtools and is dead
+code under production V8 (no observable effect, but signals "this code
+shouldn't reach here, but didn't decide what to do if it does"). The
+function continues with `(0, 0, 0)` as search direction, which produces a
+support point identical to whatever the support function returns for a
+zero direction — undefined behaviour per the `support()` contract.
+
+**Improvement**: replace with a defensive bail — return whatever the current
+`closest_face` approximation says (mirror the iteration-cap exit at line 338).
+The closest-face approximation is what the narrowphase consumer already
+expects on degenerate EPA, and the upstream `if (!(depth > 0))` check filters
+it out anyway.
+
+### 3.5 Solver bias clamp
+
+**meep** (`solver/solve_contacts.js:62-63, 444-449`):
+
+```js
+const MAX_BAUMGARTE_BIAS = 3;
+// ...
+if (depth > PENETRATION_SLOP) {
+    bias = -BAUMGARTE_BETA / dt * (depth - PENETRATION_SLOP);
+    if (bias < -MAX_BAUMGARTE_BIAS) bias = -MAX_BAUMGARTE_BIAS;
+}
+```
+
+**Bullet** (no equivalent absolute bias clamp): Bullet relies on
+**split-impulse** to prevent position correction contaminating real
+velocity. The bias-cap meep applies is a workaround for not having split
+impulse.
+
+**Diagnosis**: deliberate simplification. The cap (3 m/s) is well-motivated
+(prevents EPA-degenerate-depth blow-ups from launching bodies) but it does
+cap real depth resolution at `cap × dt / β = 3 × 0.016 / 0.2 = 0.24 m/step`
+worth of penetration. Past that, the body has to wait for narrowphase to
+keep producing a contact across multiple steps. For normal game-physics
+inputs this is fine.
+
+**Improvement**: this becomes moot when split-impulse / TGS lands per the
+backlog. Until then, the cap is the right choice.
+
+### 3.6 Warm-start factor
+
+**meep** (`solver/solve_contacts.js`): warm-start replays the cached impulse
+verbatim:
+
+```js
+const j_n  = data[off + 10];
+const j_t1 = data[off + 11];
+const j_t2 = data[off + 12];
+// ... applied as-is
+```
+
+**Bullet**: scales by `m_warmstartingFactor = 0.85`:
+
+```cpp
+solverConstraint.m_appliedImpulse = cp.m_appliedImpulse * infoGlobal.m_warmstartingFactor;
+```
+
+**Diagnosis**: trade-off. Bullet's 0.85 factor is a well-known empirical
+choice — it slightly under-shoots so the first iteration of the solver
+*adds* impulse rather than potentially overshooting and having to subtract.
+meep's 1.0 (full replay) is more aggressive — gives faster steady-state
+convergence on stable stacks but can briefly over-impulse on transient
+contacts that have changed normal/depth significantly between frames.
+
+**Improvement candidate**: parameterise the factor (default still 1.0, or
+move to 0.85 as a softer recommendation). Low-priority; both choices are
+defensible. Worth measuring on the existing benchmark scenes.
+
+### 3.7 Tangent basis construction
+
+**meep** (`solver/solve_contacts.js:115-143`):
+
+```js
+function build_tangents(out, off, nx, ny, nz) {
+    // Pick the world axis least aligned with n.
+    const ax = nx < 0 ? -nx : nx;
+    // ...
+    if (ax <= ay && ax <= az) { rx = 1; ry = 0; rz = 0; }
+    else if (ay <= az) { rx = 0; ry = 1; rz = 0; }
+    else { rx = 0; ry = 0; rz = 1; }
+    // t1 = normalize(n × r)
+    // ...
+}
+```
+
+Recomputed every iter per contact.
+
+**Bullet**: `btPlaneSpace1(n, t1, t2)` — equivalent algorithm, but
+**cached on the contact point** between solver iterations (and between
+frames). Optional velocity-aligned variant
+(`SOLVER_DISABLE_VELOCITY_DEPENDENT_FRICTION_DIRECTION`).
+
+**Diagnosis**: meep recomputes tangents per contact per iteration. The
+algorithm itself is identical and correct, but the recompute is wasted
+work. At 10 iterations × N contacts per island, the recompute cost is
+10× higher than necessary.
+
+**Improvement**: hoist `build_tangents` to the pre-step loop
+(`solve_contacts.js` lines 379-465 are already the pre-step), store the
+two tangents in the `pre[]` scratch (slots 6-11 already do this — verify
+they aren't being overwritten per iter; reading the code, slots 6-11 are
+indeed pre-step-only, so the data IS hoisted; the velocity loop reads
+`pre[pre_off + 6..11]`). **Actually, this is already correctly factored.**
+Withdraw this improvement.
+
+Re-read confirms: the tangents are computed once per contact in the
+pre-step pass (line 402) and read from `pre[]` in the iteration loop
+(lines 501-502). Good.
+
+### 3.8 Manifold contact persistence
+
+**meep** (`narrowphase/narrowphase_step.js:687-700`): `clear_contacts(slot)`
+called every frame, then contacts re-written from this frame's narrowphase.
+The accumulated impulses (`j_n`, `j_t1`, `j_t2`) are zeroed by
+`clear_contacts` (lines 232-239 in `ManifoldStore.js`).
+
+```js
+clear_contacts(slot) {
+    const meta_off = slot * SLOT_META_STRIDE;
+    this.__meta[meta_off + 2] = this.__meta[meta_off + 2] & ~COUNT_MASK;
+    const data_off = slot * SLOT_DATA_STRIDE;
+    this.__data.fill(0, data_off, data_off + SLOT_DATA_STRIDE);
+}
+```
+
+**Bullet** (`btPersistentManifold::addManifoldPoint`): looks up an existing
+contact within a threshold of the new one (`getCacheEntry`), and
+**preserves the cached impulse** for the matching contact. Adds new
+contacts only when no match. Replaces contacts via `replaceContactPoint`
+which keeps `m_appliedImpulse`.
+
+**Diagnosis**: **meep is throwing away warm-start data every frame.** Look
+at `narrowphase_step.js:687-700`:
+
+```js
+manifolds.clear_contacts(slot);                    // ← wipes impulses
+if (cand_count === 0) continue;
+const kept = reduce_candidates(cand_count);
+for (let k = 0; k < kept; k++) {
+    // writes the new candidate's positions, normal, depth
+    // — but j_n / j_t1 / j_t2 stay at 0 because clear_contacts zeroed them
+    manifolds.set_contact(slot, k, ...);
+}
+```
+
+The `clear_contacts` call zeros the *entire slot data*, including all
+twelve `j_*` impulse fields. Then `set_contact` writes only the first ten
+floats per contact (positions × 2, normal, depth), so `j_n`, `j_t1`,
+`j_t2` are left at the zeroed values.
+
+**This means warm-starting is effectively disabled across frames.** Look at
+the pre-step in `solve_contacts.js:468-476`:
+
+```js
+const j_n  = data[off + 10];
+const j_t1 = data[off + 11];
+const j_t2 = data[off + 12];
+const Px = nx * j_n + t1x * j_t1 + t2x * j_t2;
+// ...
+apply_impulse_to_body(rbA, trA, invMA, rax, ray, raz, Px, Py, Pz, +1, scratch_inertia_a);
+```
+
+Within a single frame, the iteration loop accumulates impulse correctly
+(line 535 updates `data[off + 10]`). But across frames, every `set_contact`
+call has wiped the previous frame's `j_n / j_t1 / j_t2`, so the warm-start
+on this frame reads zeros, applies a zero impulse delta, and the solver
+starts cold every step.
+
+**This is a substantive correctness/performance bug.** Warm-start in a
+Box2D-style SI solver typically buys ~30% iteration count reduction at
+equivalent stability; without it, 10 iterations may be insufficient for
+tall stacks. The 16-cube short-window test PLAN.md references probably
+hides this because (a) short tower, (b) atomic-island sleep takes them out
+of the solver quickly, but it would explain any "jitter on settle" the
+team has seen.
+
+**Improvement** (this is the highest-priority finding in the review):
+either
+
+1. Don't call `clear_contacts` — instead, match incoming candidates to
+   existing manifold contacts by world-distance (Bullet's
+   `getCacheEntry()` approach: keep the contact slot if a new candidate is
+   within ~0.02 m), preserving their `j_*`. New contacts get fresh slots.
+   This is the proper Bullet-style persistence and would also unlock
+   `local_a / local_b` storage for cross-frame refresh.
+
+2. Alternatively, change `clear_contacts` to wipe only positions / normal /
+   depth and preserve `j_n / j_t1 / j_t2` (a 10-float overwrite instead of
+   13). Combined with re-pairing the new candidates to the *closest old
+   contact's impulse* by world-position, this gives warm-start without the
+   full Bullet refresh mechanism. Simpler delta.
+
+Either way, the comment in `ManifoldStore.js:266-270` is consistent with
+the intent ("`// j_n, j_t1, j_t2 are warm-start; preserved across calls.`")
+— the `set_contact` API correctly does NOT touch them. But the upstream
+`clear_contacts` zero pass at line 238 wipes them anyway. **This is a bug
+that contradicts the documented invariant.**
+
+---
+
+## 4. Simplicity & uniformity
+
+### 4.1 Code reuse and uniform abstractions
+
+meep's code is markedly more uniform than Bullet's at every level:
+
+| Aspect | meep | Bullet |
+|---|---|---|
+| Shape hierarchy | `AbstractShape3D` flat-ish; subclasses implement `support`, `compute_bounding_box`, `signed_distance`, `is_convex`. ~6 levels deep. | `btCollisionShape` → `btConvexShape` → `btPolyhedralConvexShape` → `btConvexHullShape` / `btBoxShape` / `btTriangleShape` ... + soft-body shapes + compound shapes. 4+ levels with multiple inheritance. |
+| Narrowphase dispatch | Linear `if` ladder in `narrowphase_step.js:204-353`, ~10 cases | Virtual `getCollisionAlgorithm(...)` matrix lookup + per-cell dispatch class (`btSphereSphereCollisionAlgorithm`, `btSphereBoxCollisionAlgorithm`, ...) — `btCollisionDispatcher` holds a `m_doubleDispatch[NUM_SHAPE_TYPES][NUM_SHAPE_TYPES]` array of algorithm factories |
+| Solver | One file, one function, three nested loops | `btSequentialImpulseConstraintSolver` ~3000 lines + helpers, virtual `btConstraintSolver` base, optional MLCP variant (`btMLCPSolver`) |
+| Manifold | One class, ~500 lines, all in one file | `btPersistentManifold` + `btManifoldResult` + `btCollisionWorld` event hooks + ContactProcessedCallback / ContactDestroyedCallback ... |
+| Broadphase | Two BVHs + one pair generator | `btBroadphaseInterface` virtual base + `btDbvtBroadphase` + `btSimpleBroadphase` + `btAxisSweep3` + `btMultiSapBroadphase`. With separate pair caches: `btHashedOverlappingPairCache` / `btSortedOverlappingPairCache`. |
+
+**meep wins handily** on simplicity. The classic Bullet pain points:
+
+- **Virtual call per support.** `btConvexShape::localGetSupportingVertex` is
+  virtual; every GJK iteration pays a vtable indirection. meep uses
+  duck-typed `shape.support(...)` which V8 monomorphises if the shape type
+  is hot.
+
+- **Algorithm dispatch matrix.** Bullet looks up
+  `m_doubleDispatch[shape_a_type][shape_b_type]`, instantiates an
+  `btCollisionAlgorithm` (which may allocate), invokes a virtual method.
+  meep's `if (isSphereA && isSphereB) ... else if ...` is straight-line
+  and trivially profile-able.
+
+- **AoS + virtual everything**: most C++ engines' style; meep's typed-array
+  SoA is JS-native and cache-coherent without trying.
+
+### 4.2 Ease of adding a new shape pair
+
+In **meep**, to add (say) `cylinder ↔ box` closed-form:
+
+1. Add a `Cylinder3D` shape with `support` / `compute_bounding_box`.
+2. Write a `cylinder_box_contact.js` closed-form solver.
+3. Add the `isCylinderA && isBoxB` (and symmetric) branch to
+   `narrowphase_step.js`'s dispatch.
+
+Three files. The dispatch entry is ~20 lines. Total work fits in one
+commit.
+
+In **Bullet**, the same task requires:
+
+1. Add a `btCylinderShape` (subclass of `btPolyhedralConvexShape`).
+2. Implement `btConvexShape::localGetSupportingVertex` + `getAabb`.
+3. Register a `btCylinderBoxCollisionAlgorithm` factory with
+   `btCollisionDispatcher::registerCollisionCreateFunc(SHAPE_CYLINDER,
+   SHAPE_BOX, ...)`.
+4. Implement the algorithm class extending `btCollisionAlgorithm` with
+   `processCollision`, `calculateTimeOfImpact`, and `getAllContactManifolds`
+   virtual overrides.
+
+Five or six files, two or three classes, registration boilerplate. Bullet
+is well-known for this overhead.
+
+### 4.3 Ease of adding a new constraint
+
+**meep**: not yet supported (joints are backlog). The solver loop is
+already written to iterate `contacts ∪ joints` in PLAN.md's words; adding
+a joint type would mean adding a pre-step builder, an iter applicator,
+and a position-correction hook. With the existing `pre[]` scratch design,
+this is reasonable.
+
+**Bullet**: requires extending `btTypedConstraint` and implementing
+`getInfo1`, `getInfo2`, `solveConstraintObsolete`, plus registering with
+the constraint solver. More machinery, more constraints come pre-built
+(distance, hinge, generic-6dof, slider, cone-twist, gear...).
+
+For meep's target use case (game physics with simple joints), the simpler
+add path is right. For Bullet's audience (robotics, complex articulated
+mechanisms), the abstraction earns its weight.
+
+### 4.4 Ease of adding a new query
+
+**meep**: `queries/` is three independent files
+(`raycast.js`, `shape_cast.js`, `overlap_shape.js`), each ~100-300 lines.
+Adding a new query is "write a new file + add a method to
+`PhysicsSystem`". Each query has its own BVH traversal — no shared
+infrastructure beyond the BVH's leaf-iterator API. This is good — Bullet
+in contrast has a complex `btCollisionWorld` callback interface
+(`RayResultCallback`, `ConvexResultCallback`, `ContactResultCallback`)
+that callers have to implement to consume results. meep's "fill a buffer,
+return a count" idiom is simpler and JS-native.
+
+### 4.5 Where to simplify further
+
+The codebase is generally clean. Specific spots worth flagging:
+
+1. **The `debugger;` statement in EPA** (`expanding_polytope_algorithm.js:135-137`)
+   is the single piece of debug-leftover code in the package. Already
+   covered above.
+
+2. **`narrowphase_step.js`'s `dispatch_pair`** is a 350-line function with
+   ten if/else-if branches. Could be split into `dispatch_convex_convex`,
+   `dispatch_concave`, `dispatch_gjk_fallback` private functions — but
+   the current shape is readable and JIT-friendly (a single function with
+   monomorphic call sites is the inlining sweet-spot in V8). Leaving as-is
+   is defensible.
+
+3. **`narrowphase_step.js`'s concave-side quaternion rotation** (lines
+   468-501) re-computes the q · v · q⁻¹ rotation inline for face-normal
+   and centroid. The helper `world_inverse_inertia_apply` already
+   demonstrates the same identity factored cleanly. A `v3_rotate_by_quat`
+   helper would make the concave dispatch ~30 lines shorter and easier to
+   audit. Low-priority readability win.
+
+4. **Body / solver coupling via `__primary_collider` and friction-on-first-
+   collider** (`solver/solve_contacts.js:364`) — known limitation, backlog
+   has it. The clean way is per-contact source-collider tracking in the
+   manifold's stride. Mentioned in PLAN.md.
+
+### 4.6 Where Bullet is a cautionary tale
+
+- **Narrowphase dispatch matrix**: 14×14 grid of algorithm classes per
+  shape-type pair. Adding a new shape multiplies the algorithm count by
+  N. meep's linear if-ladder scales as N+1 per new shape — much better.
+
+- **Virtual support()**: every iteration of GJK / EPA / MPR pays a virtual
+  call. meep's monomorphic-when-hot dispatch is a real performance
+  advantage.
+
+- **The btIDebugDraw class hierarchy + debug-rendering hooks**: Bullet
+  threads debug-draw calls through every collision algorithm. meep doesn't
+  do this — debug rendering is a separate system that reads the physics
+  state, not a callback into it. Right architectural choice.
+
+- **The compound-shape vs. compound-body confusion**: Bullet has both
+  `btCompoundShape` (multi-shape single-body) and the option of a
+  multi-collider rigid body. meep collapses this into "compound body" with
+  N attached colliders — simpler and arguably more game-physics-correct
+  (separate transforms on child entities, no nested-shape transform stack).
+
+---
+
+## Headline findings
+
+1. **Warm-start is effectively disabled across frames** because
+   `clear_contacts` in `ManifoldStore.js:233-239` wipes `j_n / j_t1 / j_t2`
+   along with positions. Documented invariant contradicted by upstream
+   wipe. **Highest-priority fix.** (Section 3.8.)
+
+2. **`debugger;` statement** in `expanding_polytope_algorithm.js:136` is a
+   bug — leftover debug aid in a hot path. Replace with the same
+   closest-face-approximation fallback used at the iteration-cap exit.
+   (Section 3.4.)
+
+3. **No GJK separating-axis cache.** Significant per-frame performance gap
+   vs Bullet on quiescent contacts. Store the converged direction on the
+   manifold slot, seed next frame's GJK with it. (Section 3.1.)
+
+4. **Box-box edge-edge contact uses body-centre midpoint** rather than
+   closest-edge-pair. Simple ~10-line improvement using the existing
+   `line3_closest_points_segment_segment` helper. (Section 3.2.)
+
+5. **Multi-sided strengths over Bullet**: closed-form fast paths for
+   sphere-sphere and sphere-box (Bullet routes both through GJK), better
+   friction-cone disk clamp (Bullet defaults to box clamp), atomic-island
+   sleep with sleep-group chains (Bullet wakes one body per frame),
+   one-sided face-normal rejection on concave dispatch (Bullet doesn't
+   sanity-check MTV direction against face normal), deterministic union-
+   by-min-index island roots (Bullet's island ids depend on call order).
+
+6. **meep's documented simplifications are mostly well-reasoned**: missing
+   split-impulse, missing per-body CCD, GJK on triangle-with-degenerate-
+   support — all enumerated in PLAN.md, all blocking specific test cases,
+   all with clear architectural paths to resolution.
+
+7. **Code organisation is dramatically simpler than Bullet's** — flat
+   shape hierarchy, linear narrowphase dispatch, SoA throughout, no
+   virtual-per-support dispatch. The trade-off vs. Bullet's algorithm
+   matrix is real and meep is on the right side of it for game physics.