NewtonPlayGround

[Sascha Willems]

the only thing I nocited is that there's no visual confirmation of what body you selected... so perhaps making the body flash red or something when you click it would help confirm what bodies you are connecting.

Good idea, that should really be an improvement. That's something I'll include before releasing the playground.

I'd also like to see how you are letting the user set pin directions for hinges, sliders, etc

Guess why I did not show it in the video? It's not in But I already thought about how to do that and here's how I'll make it (though I still may change some things) :
When you have connected two bodies with a joint, a window (like the one to spawn bodies in edit mode) will pop up that'll then let you set the parameters for the joint before it's built in Newton. Maybe I'll do two different settings windows, one for "normal users" and one for advanced users.

[Sascha Willems]

As promised, I just uploaded version 1.2 of NewtonPlayGround. The download link is the same (but it's now ~1.3 MBytes "big") and here is the changelog :

• Added joints and user interface to joint all kinds of bodies
  So now you can create the wierdest kind of jointed-things. See e.g. the jointvehicle-example included in the download.
• Added vehicles
  They can only be spawned using the editor-interface but you can change all parameters. The vehicles are loaded from 3DS-Files, so you can even create your own ones.
• Spawned bodies can now be freezed upon spawn
  This is especially usefull if you want to create a joint whose parent is static.
• Button to calculate correct moment of inertia for bodies
  If you spawn a body using the advanced editor, you can now let the application calculate the moment of inertia given the mass.
• Camera can now be moved around the scene (cursor keys)
• New sample scenes
  Mostly demonstrating the new features, like vehicles and joints. I haven't had the time to create more complex joint-configurations, so if you do something interesting please upload it somewhere so the others can see and use it.
• Included a basic manual
  See "NewtonPlayGround - Manual.pdf" for basic information on usage of this application. It also shows how to create joints.
• Made user interface smaller and made advanced editor interface on by default
• Fixed wrong size of chamfercylinders when saved to XML
• Bodies with a mass of zero can now be picked and removed
• Raised FPS of physics simulation from 60 to 120 fps

I hope you guys like it. If you find bugs or have constructive critizism please post it.

Screenshots (clicky for 800x600) :

[_Tux_]

really great, the only thing i noticed was the spawn vehicle button isnt on the main menu

[Sascha Willems]

That's by intention. Spawning vehicles with random values wouln't be very usefull, so vehicles can only be spawned via "spawn" in the lower left corner.

[Assembler]

-=GREAT-=
But it'll be useful (if it is possible) if you can move bodys in the freeze mode, so that you can put them in the correct place where you want it!
Just an idea...

[Sascha Willems]

@Assembler :
That can already be done using the "edit mode" though it is not working as supposed in the current version. I'll fix it.


I've been again on the demo, as some people around here were posting threads about the physics gun in HL² (forgot how it was called) and I've implemented a similar behaviour in this demo. It was actually very easy since I only implemented an ego-mode where you can fly freely around and you can then still pick the bodies as you normally do. But in ego mode the pick position for the body is actually where the player is, so it feels like you have picked a body with that physics gun in HL². So if you e.g. pick a ragdoll in ego-mode, start to run faster and let it go it's like you threw it in real-life
It's already funny, but I'll still need to tweak it (just implemented it 5 mins ago). As soon as it works they way I want it, you'll get the new version.

[Xpoint]

I realy like this playgrounds!! Very nice job Sascha Willems.
I'm also thinking to make somekind of playground with newton, so if anyone has ideas for it, i'd realy like to hear them.

[Stucuk]

Sascha have u thought about implementing a "Weld Gun" like in garrys mod for HL2?

[Sascha Willems]

I must admit that I haven't tired Gary's Mod (I own HL², but I found it plain bad, so I don't even try MODs or such stuff, maybe I'll try that MOD out though).
But what does that gun do? Does it weld objects by joints or more in a compound-collision way. Both things could be implemented without too much work in the playground.

[Xpoint]

I think the weld gun is done with somekind of joint I used gary's mod for some time, but never looked how the welded bodies react. I think you can use a bal-socket joint with little freedom of moving.

[Stucuk]

Iv never tryed the MOD, but PCGamer (A Uk Mag, tho there is an American version) have shoved images of Garrys mod on the DVD's and movies over the last issues.

Id "use" garrys mod if steam wasn't so *. (Stupid forced updates just to try a mod. Updates freezing. Steam Freezing. Nothing works)

Im guessing it would just use joints with no freedom of movement (since it looks like objects stick and move with there parent, like if u rearly welded some metal together).

P.S why is cr.ap replaced with * ? its not a swear word.....

[MatAllum]

Here's a little suggestion for the NewtonPlayGround. Maybe you should, say, double or triple the size of the platform so you have lots more room to play in, and maybe curve the edges upward, so spheres and stuff don't roll off the edge.

[Sascha Willems]

Seems I can't stop working on this thinggy. I've just added compound collisions that can be loaded from 3DS-Files (maybe I'll add other formats in the future, but 3DS can be exported by almost every 3D modeller).

To demonstrate what can be done with that "new" features, I have uploaded a vide that shows a somewhat big configuration of gears that act together. All gears are compound collisions :
(Click image for 800x600)


Download the video (~30 secs, ~3 MBytes, WMV)

There is no ETA on the next version, but it'll definately contain those new compound collisions and the ego mode where you can pick up things and run around with them.

[registration information]

Wow ! impressing ...

[Xpoint]

Very cool!
How about making a whole machine on that way?