Official Unity Splines

- Do you have an official source code for the spline package ( I found https://github.com/needle-mirror/com.unity.splines )?
- Is there any way to play SplineAnimate in reverse order? I created a loop animation and my object moves counterclockwise by default. I suppose it depends on the order of knots created. Can I change it somehow?

 

The first post in this thread shows a road following a spline.


Was this done with the Splines Package? If so, how was this done? Spline extrude only makes tubes and spline instantiate doesn't bend objects. If not, can you please add this functionality? It is needed to make things like roads.

 

Any ETA on that Update?

 

Hi,

A few issues I have run into:

1. Spline Animator doesn't show all fields (notably Movement related settings) until you deselect the game object and then reselect it.

• Adding Component
  
• Deselecting and reselecting
  

2. Occasionally, selecting any Spline object causes a bunch of Look Rotation messages to spam the console as long as any spline object is selected. It seems to be random, and resets for a little upon restarting the Editor, but I have not been able to consistently replicate it, but it only occurs on Spline objects. The log itself also doesn't give much info about where it's coming from

3. Although you can select multiple objects with Spline Animators and the component doesn't give the usual Multi-Editing is not Allowed message, pressing Play for preview will only apply it to the most recently selected object. De-selecting an object will stop the Preview as well.

4. Max Speed of 0 causes the time to recalc to NaN, but changing Max Speed to non-zero does not recalculate out of that. The time remains NaN until Restart is called. A workaround is to clamp to something like 0.001 I suppose and then Pause.

 

Does it work with floating origin?
Currently I’m using Dreamteck Splines, it uses local positions so we can move the entire spline and everything just continues working. I would like to confirm that before upgrading my projects.

 

Any chance to get an early release for some people? Is there somewhere where one can contribute and give feedback before a release?

 

Great job on the spline system! Its very nice to use and the spline painter is good!

I have read through the documentation to see if there is a function to get the distance between two points on a spline (follwing the flow) but I cant seem to see any easy fix hehe. Am I missing something in the documentation or could someone maybe help point me in the right direction of how to find this?

 

I figured, since I saw that you guys also added instant selection and dragging as I showed how I needed it in the other thread.

However we based our asset on the Unity Splines. Really, really promising spline framework of yours. But if you guys release all of a sudden something that doesn't work properly anymore we are in a support hell with negative reviews.

Some don't like beta-testing, I however do. It shapes the way. If you guys want early feedback and testing, I'm in

 

First thing I did when using Splines package here is writing extensions...

Can you please add convenience methods

• Convert float3 to Vector3 (and back)
  
• Get a list of Vector3 from Spline ("GetPositions()")
• Spline.SetKnot(-1, ...) // -1 to fetch last knot

And I guess I will stumble on many other stuff that would be nice to have.

 

I was wondering why the spline.changed delegate has been deprecated and insted the static method UnityEditor.Splines.Spline.OnSplineChanged is implemented.
Is there any advantage by using this workflow?

 

How precise is the EvaluatePosition on the spline?
I'm placing X objects on the curve based on the Length of it (example if length = 10, 10 objects, 1 at every unit), and I want them to move all together along the spline, but It's not accurate at all. Even when spawning I can see weird spacing between objects (in this example spline length = 120, with 120 objects):


Then if I try to move them using varioug methods it always end ups with inaccurate offset building over time.
Is there a spline resolution somewhere? Or something else I should use instead of EvaluatePosition?
Thanks!

 

float3 has an implicit conversion operator for Vector3, so a toVector3() method would be redundant.

 

Its implicit, so you don't need to cast,

Code (CSharp):

1. float3 myFloat3;
2. Vector3 myVector = myFloat3;
3.  

You can pass float3 to all methods that take Vector3 as a parameter without casting. and it works both ways.

Code (CSharp):

1. float3 position = transform.position;
2. // to some stuff
3. transform.position = position;

 

You'll still need to cast when using some math operators the add implicit is missing for example
e.g (my use case)

Code (CSharp):

1. myVar += (Vector3)MySpline.EvaluatePosition(0.5f);

 

Any chance to have informations on that? Just so I know if I wait for an update or move onto another spline system.

 

Can unity spline methods be called from Jobs?

 

Hello,

I just tried the package and take a look at the extrude example but it seems that it's hard-coded and can only extrude a tube and not any kind of mesh. Is there plan to create a more generalized version of this script ? It could be very useful in many scenarios, like create roads from a prefab.

Taking example from the Sprite Shape Controller it could be very cool to be able to specify different meshes depending to the curvature of the spline in order to have more control of the result.

Anyway, the package it's cool and I'm looking forward to see what else is coming.

Good job.

 

This would be such a basic needed tool, i cant stress enough how important this would be. There is a free spline tool in the unity asset store, called spline mesh, which sadly isnt updated anymore, but maybe could be used as an inspiration.

 

Hi @gabrielw_unity - I've noticed that SplineUtility.GetPointAtLinearDistance returns based on the scale of the spline - e.g. if the spline gameobject is scaled to 2 and you ask for a point 1 unit away, it will return a point 2 units away. Is this expected behaviour? It's easy enough to work around at uniform scalings, but a bit tricker if the scale is non-uniform.

Edit: this is my current hack, but it relies on the forward vector of the previous point, so I guess it's not completely accurate -

Code (CSharp):

1. float localSpaceDistance = transform.InverseTransformVector(currentForwardVector.normalized * distance).magnitude * Mathf.Sign((distance));

 

I'm using 2021 lts. Can't find official github for Splines. Should i install 2022, download via package manager and copypaste to 2021 project, or is there some easier way?

edit: i guess this is the closest one for official: https://github.com/needle-mirror/com.unity.splines

 

@kaarrrllll is there an ETA for the next spline update? I thought end of Feb, but there's nothing yet. Just asking if I should continue with current version or still wait for next

 

Nice, thanks. I know it's hardly an option, but if you guys need some testing or feedback before you roll it out to the masses, just hit me up. Or I guess @JasonBooth as well, since his asset is one which uses your splines extensively and it's an excellent showcase.

 

Hello, and first all of thank you for the amazing spline package. However, I stumbled upon an issue with the UVs if I extrude the spline. I would expect the uvs to span the entire extruded spline, but if you consider the below spline, where

if(uv.y =1) col.rgb = float4(1,1,1,1);

, you see that the uv space is restricted between the first and second knot of the spline.



Do you have any suggestions or timeline on how to fix this?

 

How can I attach a Knot to an GameObject, so when this GameObject moves the knot also move ?

 

Bug in 2.2.0: When you add a new knot to a spline it goes straight into Bezier instead of Auto.

Why?

 

How can I always set everything on the Spline to Auto? Bezier is so annoying and can never get it right. It might be nice for fine-tuning in advanced mode, but generally it's not for simple use cases.

 

I toyed around with combining MicroVerse with Easy Roads and using Unity Splines as bridge:

In case anyone wants the code, you can get it here.

 

Hi! First of all, thank you for making this package. I truely see the potential using it.

I'd like to ask for a tip or two, but I'm not sure if I'm taking the spline system a bit out of intended use case:
I'm sampling a spline for the nearest position from a Rigidbody to set its position via rb.MovePosition along with evaluating the tangent to get a forward rotation. Also evaluating spline data to set the boundaries of the possible movement perpendicular to the spline. The velocities I'm targeting are in the hundereds thus the movement via RB.

The problem I'm having is when the spline is relatively curved my horizontal movement is either slowed to a crawl or absolutely catapulted on the set boundaries. Is my vector logic flawed? No problems on a straight spline no matter the direction.

Code (CSharp):

1. private void FixedUpdate()
2.         {
3.             _position = rb.position;
4.             var d = SplineUtility.GetNearestPoint(_container.Spline, _position, out _nearest, out var t, SplineUtility.PickResolutionMax, SplineUtility.PickResolutionMax);
5.             // horizontal offset limit
6.             var width = zone.WidthData.Width.Evaluate(_container.Spline, t, new Interpolators.LerpFloat());
7.  
8.             // evaluate rotation
9.             var fwdRotation = Quaternion.LookRotation(_container.Spline.EvaluateTangent(t), _container.Spline.EvaluateUpVector(t));
10.             rb.rotation = fwdRotation;
11.             _fwdDir = fwdRotation * Vector3.forward;
12.             _targetForward = _fwdDir * (Time.fixedDeltaTime * speed);
13.  
14.             // get horizontal input
15.             var rawHorizontal = fwdRotation * Vector3.right * (inputHandler.Horizontal * Time.fixedDeltaTime * horizontalSpeed);
16.             var futureHorizontal = Vector3.ClampMagnitude(_horizontalOffset + rawHorizontal, width);
17.             _horizontalOffset = futureHorizontal;
18.          
19.             var nextPos = Vector3.ClampMagnitude(_targetForward + _horizontalOffset, speed);
20.  
21.             rb.MovePosition((Vector3)_nearest + nextPos);
22. }

The input is from the mouse screen position form -1 to 1.

 

Unity's Splines in use with Cinemachine 3:

https://blog.unity.com/engine-platform/see-whats-new-with-cinemachine-3

 

Hi -

1) Is there no way we can reverse the order that the SplineAnimate component is played? I was hoping I could set MaxSpeed to a negative speed (or to manually set a direction) to get it to go in reverse (like other third party solutions), but since you clamp it to >= 0 this is not an intended use case.

The way I had to solve this was to duplicate the spline at run-time by pulling out a subset of the spline reversal code from EditorSplineUtility.ReverseFlow () and make an extension method out of it so I could use it at run-time. And then reference the reverse spline when going in the reverse direction. This isn't an ideal workflow.

2) There are also no published events for reaching the end of the path, so I had to poll the normalized position myself using the Updated event that you provide to know when the path was finished using SplineAnimate.

 

C# keyword 'new' not 'New'. Use it in front of the constructor BezierKnot() and Spline().

 

I am trying to use the splines as a basis for my level editor.
My aim is to take a number of Prefabs each of which will be a flat road section (one may be tarmac, another dirt etc.) and modify these prefabs to fit along the spline.

In order to do this, I am taking the length of my prefab and, for each point in its mesh, finding the equivalent point along the spline, then moving the mesh point an appropriate amount so the mesh bends to follow the spline.

At the end of that mesh, I position the next prefab's mesh and so on .

To make life simple I am doing this in 2 dimensions - so my spline is confined to Z=0

My track pieces are simple planes (at the moment) scaled by 2 along the x axis.

So as I iterate over each vertex in the track's mesh, I need to find the equivalent point along the spline, at that distance along the spline.

I had thought that GetPointAtLinearDistance() would give me this - but it appears not.

Using this code

Code (CSharp):

1.         container = GetComponent<SplineContainer>();
2.         spline = container.Spline;
3.         float d;
4.         for (int i = 0; i < spline.GetLength(); i++)
5.         {
6.             Vector3 splinePoint = spline.GetPointAtLinearDistance(0, i, out d);
7.             Debug.Log($"At {i} d is {d} and point is {splinePoint}");
8.         }

My spline's length is 228

But any value of i greater than 200 gives d as 1 and the point of (200,0,0) - where my last knot is at (200,0,0)
e.g.

Code (CSharp):

1. At 217 d is 1 and point is (200.00, 0.00, 0.00)
2. UnityEngine.Debug:Log (object)
3. SplineExperiments:Start () (at Assets/SplineExperiments.cs:26)
4.  
5.  

So it looks as if the linear distance is measuring along the x axis, and not along the spline - which sounds wrong?


Attached image is for context so you can see the spline.


This is all a long-winded way of asking if there is a way of finding the point a certain distance along a spline?

 

Building fails and this compiler error is reported. At a high level has anyone else experienced this error?
Assets\Samples\Splines\2.2.0\Spline Examples (requires Shader Graph package)\Runtime\LoftRoadBehaviour.cs(158,21): error CS0103: The name 'Undo' does not exist in the current context

 

I've been trying to use SplineData to pass in more than just floats. Example cases:
Case 1:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. public class WidthsSplineData : MonoBehaviour {
3.         [SerializeField]
4.         SplineData<int2> i2 = new();
5.         public SplineData<int2> Widths {
6.             get {
7.                 return i2;
8.             }
9.         }
10.         public int Count => i2.Count;
11.         SplineContainer splineContainer;
12. ...
13. }

Case 2:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. public class MaterialSplineData : MonoBehaviour {
3.     [SerializeField]
4.     SplineData<Material> material = new();
5.     public SplineData<Material> Material {
6.         get {
7.             if (material.DefaultValue == null)
8.                 material.DefaultValue = Resources.Load<Material>("Road");
9.             return material;
10.         }
11.     }
12.     public int Count => material.Count;
13.     SplineContainer splineContainer;
14. ...
15. }

Case 3:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. public struct Combo : IComparable<Combo> {
3.     public float scale;
4.     public int mat;
5.     public float offset;
6.     public int CompareTo( Combo other ) {
7.         return 0;
8.     }
9. }
10.  
11. public class ComboSplineData : MonoBehaviour {
12.         [SerializeField]
13.         SplineData<Combo> combo = new();
14.         public SplineData<Combo> Combo {
15.             get {
16.                 if (combo.DefaultValue.mat == 0) {
17.                     Combo defCombo = new() {
18.                         mat = 7,
19.                         offset = .2f,
20.                         scale = 7.4f
21.                     };
22.                     combo.DefaultValue = defCombo;
23.                 }
24.                 return combo;
25.             }
26.         }
27.         public int Count => combo.Count;
28.         SplineContainer splineContainer;
29. ...
30. }

Case 1 when the inspector draws the Data Values for a Data Point, the two integer input fields when expanded overlaying on tope of the +- buttons

Case 2 works as it fits on one line and confirmed I can use other non-numeric types

Case 3 throws a NullReferenceException in SplineDtaropertyDrawer.cs:31

I would really like to be able to have a combination of data used for SplineData. Nothing in the documentation implies I can not except for the PropertyDrawer not handling it correctly. Use case: change a set of properties at different points on a spline.

Are there constraints as to the TDataType used for SplineData?

In all use cases, it seems that the "Default Value" are never used when a new Data Point is added with the + button. Even your example WidthSplineData does not do this. Why call it Default Value if it isn't used by default?
Is there something more in code that needs to be done to support it?

Also, can you help me understand when DataPoint<TDataType>.CompareTo( TDataType other ) is called?
I assume CompareTo( float other ) is used to sort the Data Points array. But I'm not sure if I need to implement it for TDataType, nor how to do it if I don't know why/when it is called?

 

Thanks you so much for the response - and sorry it took so long for me to reply - for some reason the forum didn't email me to tell me there was a response.

I did look briefly at the samples - but the road on looked like it was extruding a 2d shape along the spline, whereas I'm bending a 3d shape around it - so (in my head, at least) it is my mesh driving the computation whereas with the road sample, it is the spline deciding where each point should be generated - but perhaps I should have looked more closely!

I'm working on changing my editor now following your advice - so thanks, once again.

 

It's late here so I may be missing something - but the constructor forNativeSpline takes a float4x4 as the transform parameter, but the transform property of container is a Transform?

 

How do I add a point in the middle of an existing spline without the tool automatically creating a new spline instead?