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QuickRopes Rope Physics Tools

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by reveriejake, Apr 20, 2012.

  1. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I am looking for anyone who has purchased the item and wants to Alpha/Beta test QuickRopes 2.0... Please send me your invoice number for verification via PM or Add me to Skype (reveriejake) and put "I WANT TO BETA TEST!" in the message box along with your invoice number.

    This is the best opportunity to guide the development of QuickRopes to your liking!

    Jake
     
  2. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Here is a little sample of the editor that you can use!

    Runtime Editor Demo - CLICK HERE

    Edit Before Hitting 'PLAY'


    Hit 'Play' to see chains in action!


    What it looks like inside of the Unity Editor!


    Now you can save your ropes as a prefab object! Click "Play" then when the rope settles, export it to your assets folder!
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2012
  3. mrbdrm

    mrbdrm

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    i must get this
    thank you
     
  4. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    No Prob... Let me know if you pick it up and send me an invoice number. I will send you ALPHA version to allow you to tweak it. Also the price is probably going to go up slightly once I get this new version out after all of the work that is going into it.

    Jake
     
  5. hitking100

    hitking100

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    Will i be able to simulate boxing ropes in this version or is it planned for a later release ?
     
  6. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I have made it easy to make the joints "stiff" by checking a "Use Stiff Joints" checkbox. This should allow you to make boxing ropes! However you might want to try it out for yourself.

    Send me your Invoice # if you purchased it and I will send you an ALPHA copy. If not I will see about making a free trial version.

    The Alpha copy does not include tube type ropes and only supports prefab mesh types (like chains). Currently the only way to get tube type ropes is to use capsule meshes.

    Jake
     
  7. msh

    msh

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    Dec 4, 2012
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    Hi Jake,

    We've bought your plugin.

    I have some problems with a small string effects.. In fact, as if all paramters (damper, bounce, spring etc..) are set to zero, I can't create a rigid cable!..

    I use quick line rope script.. And i have always a non desirable elastic effect.

    Any idea?

    Thank you in advance
     
  8. bigkahuna

    bigkahuna

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    This is very cool Jake, really coming along very nicely.
     
  9. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Thank you sir! Hopefully you enjoy the next few iterations!

    I was told that when editing the joint spacing value the editor freezes since it is trying to load in a massive amount of joints at once so I have have a "MAX_JOINT_LIMIT" to prevent it from doing that. Should be much better!

    Jake
     
  10. hitking100

    hitking100

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    Haven't bought it yet Jake, was waiting for this specific feature.
     
  11. mrbdrm

    mrbdrm

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    i got it :)
     
  12. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Sounds good! Thanks for being patient ;)

    @mrbdrm Thanks! Hopefully you will enjoy 2.0. Im thinking next weekend is a good release date since things are going pretty smoothly.

    Jake
     
  13. icefeet

    icefeet

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    Dec 14, 2012
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    Hi!

    I bought the package, first i'd like to say its great :)

    There just one question i have, is there anyway to determine how "long" the rope is at any given time?

    Thank you, icefeet
     
  14. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Once your rope has been initialized you can pass it into this function.

    Code (csharp):
    1.  
    2.  
    3.     public static float GetRopeLength(QuickRopeBASE qrBase)
    4.     {
    5.         float length = 0;
    6.         for (int l = 1; l < qrBase.Joints.Count; l++)
    7.             length += Vector3.Distance(qrBase.Joints[l-1].transform.position, qrBase.Joints[l].transform.position);
    8.  
    9.         return length;
    10.     }
    11.  
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2012
  15. icefeet

    icefeet

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    Great thank you!
     
  16. mrbdrm

    mrbdrm

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    is there any way to make points between point A and B ? to have a better control of the rope shape in the editor
    right now the only thing we can make is simple rope
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2012
  17. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Email me at jake@reverieinteractive.com and I will send you a BETA of 2.0... 1.1 does not have that ability.
     
  18. mrbdrm

    mrbdrm

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    thank you
    since its will be available in 2.0 then im fine, i don't need it right now :)
     
  19. icefeet

    icefeet

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    Say i have a quicksplinemesh rope and i want to remove the rope but keep point a and b, how should i do it?

    I have a case where i first want to have a rope from a specific point to the player and when a player gets to another specific point the old rope is removed and a new rope is created from the new point
     
  20. dre38w

    dre38w

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    Hey! This looks so great. I'm about to purchase it right now, but just to be clear, when you update it we'll get a free upgrade?
     
  21. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    @Mitch Zelik I think it would be overkill for zipline. You could probably achieve a zipline effect with only 4-5 joints total since its a tight line and that can be done manually.

    Jake
     
  22. KeithT

    KeithT

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    Please ignore if you read what this used to say, have found solution.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2013
  23. KeithT

    KeithT

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    Still trying to setup 2 objects linked together by a rope and getting a crash in version 1.2, if the object that is point B already has a rigidbody at line355 in QuickRopeBase.cs.

    You can make this happen if you add a rigidbody to the sphere that is Point B in the demolision ball in the crane demo.

    Still not sure how this is supposed to be setup, as there seems to be 2 mechanisms. So some specific questions:

    1. You can attach an object to a rope or make it point B. What is the difference and when should you use each one ?
    2. If you use an object as point B is it supposed to be connected to the rope with a joint as well i.e. it is connected and the object at point B?
     
  24. Zozo2099

    Zozo2099

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    Is it fully compatible with Unity 4? thank you!
     
  25. GreatChicken

    GreatChicken

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    There's only one warning message in U4. It's the one where .active is deprecated. Nothing serious.

    The QuickRopeCollider classes (both of them) don't seem to want to deal with any of Unity's builtin Physics collider classes. Any help? I'm trying to get back Point A (which contains the rope's position vector)l.
     
  26. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Hello! Email me at jake@reverieinteractive.com for a zip file that might help you with your issue! Sorry for the late reply! I haven't been getting notifications of this forum for some reason..
     
  27. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I'm not sure if I understand your issue. Could you please give me more information?

    For faster response please use my jake@reverieinteractive.com email (sense it seems I don't regularly get notifications from this forum).\
    Jake
     
  28. Kastar-Troy

    Kastar-Troy

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    Hey Jake, looks interesting, has anyone had success using this as part of a weapon? Like scorpion from Mortal combat's kunai and chain? Or a spiked ball and chain? I understand some custom coding would be required to start the movement of the kunai or spiked ball, but will the chain handle being thrown around quickly?
     
  29. Arkasis

    Arkasis

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    Hi !

    I'm looking for your script to implement ropes in a mobile platform game and I can't find any informations about your script's performances on mobile devices.
    Does it work on mobile devices with good performances ?

    Thanks for your answer.
     
  30. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I have not tested it on Mobile devices but that is something I should try. I will let you know this weekend!

    Jake
     
  31. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Sorry I didn't get a chance to get my mobile setup. I think it would be safe to assume it will work on Mobile however if your using crazy setups it will have a performance impact.

    Ropes are basically a line of character joints connected together so using regular physics guidelines for mobile would be a good idea. Also I do not have any code in the current version that stops the physics simulation when the rope is off screen so keep that into consideration! I am not sure if thats necessary but QuickRopes2 has it just to make sure.

    Jake
     
  32. Acenth

    Acenth

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    Is it possible to add wind forces to the ropes? I have multiple ropes setup as powerlines that I'd like to move in the wind.

    Thanks!
     
  33. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I am close to getting the rope retract and extract implimented. There are some issues with the rope getting out of sync right now that need to be worked on. The tube renderer was improved by an outside programmer and implimented in the code, and the overall editor has been revamped and improved. The BETA group will get a copy this weekend to finalize things are working great before I release QuickRopes 2 to the asset store!

    Check out this scene made to show the 2D capabilities of QuickRopes 2. And I will post the tutorial videos on here this weekend so you guys can see the full potential of this release!

    $QuickRopes2_2DScreenCap.PNG

    Click here for an example from the QuickRopes 2 release.

    Buy QuickRopes 1.2 for $30 now and save $10 on the 2.0 release price!
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2013
  34. Silly_Rollo

    Silly_Rollo

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    How well would this work for a 2D XY constrained game if the ropes are being created in script during run time? Can you toss a vector3 as a start rope point and have it drop from there? (or create an object at a start point and have it drop from object)
     
  35. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Quick Ropes 2 allows you to constrain to X_Y, Y_Z, and Z_X planes by saying "rope.constraints = RopeConstraints.X_Y" and calling "rope.RebuildPhysics()". You can set these properties and call these methods after creating your rope by one of the static helpers "QuickRopes2.Create(vector3 start, vector3 end, List<Vector3> controlPoints [null = straight rope from start to end]);"

    I am currently working on the script to drop the rope from a point. It works but the "prefab" type doesn't properly rotate the joints. For example in a chain the joints start out 90 degrees from one another, when generating new joints the system gets "confused". But I hope to have that working very soon as I am desperately wanting to get this done. I might even decide to release before the feature if fully completed.

    If you pick up a copy from the asset store please email me at jake@reverieinteractive.com with your receipt attached and I will send you a copy of the QuickRopes2 beta.

    Jake
     
  36. Silly_Rollo

    Silly_Rollo

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    So if I purchase Quick Ropes now to get the beta of Quick Ropes 2 when you release the final version of 2 will I need to buy Quick Ropes 2 additionally? I understand needing to have a new asset on the store to pay for additional development but are you going to have any sort of recent purchase upgrade amnesty? Paying $30 now to save $10 in the near future on QR2 makes it sound like I should just wait for you to release Quick Ropes 2 since it sounds like QR1 won't be what I need anyway.
     
  37. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I am not going to submit a separate package for the Quick Ropes 2. It will be submitted under the same package as Quick Ropes 1 as an update on the asset store. That means if you purchase Quick Ropes now, you will receive any future updates including Quick Ropes 2.

    Quick Ropes 2 will be submitted to the asset store tomorrow night after I finish the documentation and setup some example scenes.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2013
  38. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    I am submitting Quick Ropes 2 TONIGHT.

    Here is a couple of little teasers that will be included in the package!

    CRANE SCENE
    BALL AND CHAIN
    BALLS AND BRIDGES

    Hope you guys like it, it has been a lot of work!
    Jake
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2013
  39. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Last edited: Apr 15, 2013
  40. sjm-tech

    sjm-tech

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    Hi Jake,
    I Just purchased QR and I like it very much.
    If i can, I would like to express some wishes/implementations:
    - Add a Draggable Gizmo also on start point (like the end point)
    - Add a way to export the rope mesh (to static mesh uses...for ex. lightmapping) after the phisical positioning obtained in play mode.
    Regards

    max
     
  41. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    @Sjm Tech Noted! I am thinking for the next iteration I am going to just have all of the control points as drag-able gizmos or points in space relative to the rope gameobject. This way you can just move the root around and the whole rope moves along with it. I would also like to make it so you can use the attachment script to set new control points. For example, in the current version you have to have a beginning and an end assigned to a gameobject. In the next version it will be invisible points in space until you assign a gameobject as an attachment. That attachment becomes a control point at the index of the rope.

    I had a mesh exporter in 2.1 but it was taken out at the last minute due to some issues where the vertex count surpassed 65k points. I will have the re-enabled by the next release, I promise! Its a feature I really liked and really want to see in the next version.

    Other updates I want to add include the ability to setup ropes to match existing model bone structures. My idea is to have the user type in a wizard their naming convention for example if you named it "rope_1_joint_2" or "joint_3" in your modeling package, you would specify the naming convention in the wizard as "rope_#_joint_#" or "joint_#". And the script would setup the rope according to your naming convention.


    @Everyone: Please give 2.1 a chance to prove its worth. I have read a few comments about how people are disappointed with the package but those very people never attempt to email me and ask questions! If you are having trouble PLEASE email me and let me know. I cannot fix issues that I do not know exist.

    Almost every major issue noted in this forum should be taken care of with 2.1. Including the issue with heavy loads being taken care of in upcoming 2.1.2 release. It turns out the InertiaTensor was being calculated improperly (for my setup). So I had to recalculate those figures. If I missed an issue, again LET ME KNOW! :) I do not want to give you a faulty product. It is in my best interest to help you guys succeed with QuickRopes!

    Thanks everyone!
    Jake
     
  42. sjm-tech

    sjm-tech

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    Great!
    just what I need...I can't' wait to see it in action.


    After some stress tests i found QR very robust and easy to use.
    I found only an error message in console (that not causes any notable effect) when rope start gameobject is selected and you press play in Unity editor.
    error:
    Other things that could be useful:
    - add the ability to set the rope diameter also with numeric a value (BTW radius curve is very nice).
    - add the ability to add new a rope segment also in the start/end nodes (now i can only split my initial segment ... could be nice add nodes to be placed sequentially)
    Regards
    Max
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2013
  43. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Yeah email me please at jake@reverieinteractive.com to get the ZIP file that fixes those error messages. I haven't submitted it to the asset store yet because I want to add the features I mentioned above before submitting. I suppose I should anyway...

    - Rope diameter is being added as an optional setting to just use a numeric value.
    - Nodes... I will have to look into that.

    Jake
     
  44. EmeralLotus

    EmeralLotus

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    Hi jake,

    I just bought your excellent plugin and testing it out. I did not find the runtime example Webplayer project
    http://www.reverieinteractive.com/QuickRopes2/RuntimeEditor/Index.html. Can you tell me where to get this example ?

    Also I noticed in some of the examples, the Draw Calls are quite high. 80 - 300 draw calls, depending on the example. Is there a way reduce this number.

    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2013
  45. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Rocki, I did not include that example in the project. What exactly are you needing to know about it? Maybe I can give you some information.

    80-300 calls are from the chains. I tried to combine the meshes but I couldn't figure out how to bind the transforms to the joints. Once I get this problem solved it should reduce the draw-calls dramatically. Just like 2D Lights, I am always working to improve performance and reduce errors but it takes time.

    Email me at jake@reverieinteractive.com and let me know what you need and I will whip up something for you to use in regard to the runtime example.

    Thanks,
    Jake
     
  46. HPx

    HPx

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    Dec 15, 2011
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    Hi,

    Thanks for the new version of Quickrope.
    Much more user friendly.

    But it seems there is a problem with prefab.
    If I try to store a rope in a prefab, it crashes immediatly.

    QuickRope Version 2.1 (April 07, 2013) and Unity 3.5.7
     
  47. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Thank you for the report.

    Unfortunately I had to remove the prefab capability in this version. I am working on making this possible within the next couple of iterations. To do this though I will have to change the way the control points are created so it will probably be a major update (2.5). My next planned release will be 2.2 (I mistakenly said 2.1.2 in previous post) which will allow you to save your rope as a static mesh but will not allow it to be saved as a rope prefab.

    I will try and expedite this update but I cannot give an exact ETA for it.

    Jake
     
  48. Aban

    Aban

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    Apr 23, 2013
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    Hi reveriejake, as I want to make a "knot" simulation, which it includes "self-collisions", and a user can make it fixed when the two ends of a knot are pulling tightly. Has your current QuickRopes2 these functions? If not, how can I use your source codes to make it? Thank you for your responses.
     
  49. reveriejake

    reveriejake

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    Quickropes does have self-collision and you can certainly make knots. There might be some coding involved of course in manipulating your rope to be able to tie the knot but I am sure you have that side taken care of.

    Only stipulation is that you cannot pull too tight on the rope otherwise it will freak out (jitter).

    Hope that helps,
    Jake
     
  50. eiwer

    eiwer

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    Sep 26, 2011
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    i played the demo, it was awesome but i'm wondering is it available for mobile? would it cause a heavy physics calculation if the rope keeps moving and shaking?

    how long it would take in the profiler? in terms of Time ms, would it take 1 ms?

    thanks !