Modified a bit with a hidden wrapped collision volume approximating the cylinder (the one on the top). Show the collider by enabling the HiddenCollisionVolume layer. Now the cylinder itself is ignored and represents only the visual.

jeff

adds a hidden collision volume around one of the pipes (see HiddenCollisionVolume layer)

Ok.Thanks for the help!

Thanks!

In the super-experimental version which no-one really uses (SP3X Jun27th), you can set a body's damping. What that means is with gravity set to 0, objects will carry on moving forever unless stopped, so you can create a true orbital motion sim by setting a static 'sun' as a magnet (which actually acts more like a gravitational field), and setting the planetary bodies to magnetic. If you give them motion at the start of the sim, they should fall into orbit 😄

This was shown by one of CPhillip's demos, but I don't know where to find it 😕

Anyway, you can get Jun 27th here: http://sketchyphysics.wikia.com/index.php?title=Special:Outbound&f=SketchyPhysicsWiki&u=http%3A%2F%2Fsketchyphysics2.googlecode.com%2Ffiles%2FSetupSketchyPhysics3x-Jun27.exe, but be warned, not many people use it, since you're not supposed to share models made with it on the warehouse.

sooo.. now im gonna learn it a bit ;D
P.S.
The topic can be closed now

yea thx i downloaded a file and it works perfectly

You have to hold the control (Ctrl) button when you connect joints or they won't connect. the message is for people who download a file from the warehouse that uses sketchyphysics 3, but they only have sketchyphysics 2 installed

Success!!

Got it to work.
I was right clicking the app and getting to the plugins that way. Didn't work. When I went the long way to /Library/Application Support/Google Sketchup 7/Sketchup/plugins
then it worked. Different location... truly mattered.

Thanks to all of you for your help!

Thanks, Pilou,

I actually use a VERY similar (albeit slightly more robust) plugin for Rhino called Array Curve Plus. So, I'm able to get the chain constructed, I was just having problem with Sketchy Physics acting.... sketchy. It was, and is again, making my groups bounce around like they were having convulsions. It worked fine earlier today, and now when I start it, it does the same thing again.

@unknownuser said:

He actaully has posted...493 posts.

That I have, but it's certainly been a while 😄

I think it's possible, just difficult. From what I've found, you generally have to change the way SP works to achieve deep-down stuff like this, so it'll either only work on your machine, or it'll have to use LazyScript (the problem is the 'runtime' part... joints are initialized at the simulation start using their set attributes). I'll look into it a little further though, it'd be a useful feature to have 😄

SP unfortunately doesn't have an API, and I think it'd be pretty hard to understand if it did 😉

It's been a very long time since any news 😢

This is a simple mistake; basically, SketchyPhysics doesn't recognize the exact shape of the parts you have made (except in the 'special' case of the staticmesh, which cannot move). Instead, it essentially scales the selected physics shape to fit the bounding box of your group. To create complex shapes, with indentations, you need to combine simple shapes... for example, creating some grouped boxes, and then grouping them all together, keeping the overall group's physics shape set to 'default'

Assuming you have SketchyPhysics 3 experimental (SP3 X), you can use onTouch to help with this. First, instead of a spring, use a slider, set a fixed value (0) as the controller, and play with the accel and damp until you get it satisfyingly springy. You can then replace the controller with a variable, e.g. getVar("spring",0)
Then, in onTouch of the same object, use setVar("spring",1)

This means that when the object is touched, the 'default' position of the springy slider will move from the 0 position to the 1 position.

Ok, what about assigning the "Run Simulation" Play button to a different menu item, like on the plugins menu..then I can call it from a menu at least. I've looked at the code, and there is a StartPhysics() routine..but I can't get it to call from anywhere without errors.

@hobbnob said:

nope, but there's probably some way of doing it, just nobody knows how

bump

Hi Dakota

I'd love to see a regularly updated and well managed website for SketchyPhysics. Has anything come of your offer so far?

Rob

Well I think I found it out on my own.

Here's how I did it now.Finished
It's still not perfect, but i'm happy for now

JLogan.

Okay then it must be wine itself.

Awesome!!! That did the trick.

Thanks so much.

Bravo Sriranjan. I am impressed with your skills! It is good to see such an advanced use of SU and Ruby!