Modelling entities 3
Last updated
Last updated
Displaying visual indications of various physics properties is simple and fun. First we can directly attach geometries to particle positions. In the example below we use the most simple case of drawing spheres with proportional radius to the particle’s mass.
It is also interesting to visualize the forces and velocities of particles. We can use the standard vector display components to achieve this. Colour coding is also helpful and it can be also related to the actual magnitude of the vector quantities instead of the normalized and scaled approach used below.
A very interesting component is the “data recorder” node. It stores values over time up to a maximum buffer size. We can use this to track the positions over time and plot the trajectories of particles.
Using this technique gives already a good hint of the beautiful geometries we can create using physics; there is a natural kind of smoothness in the curves obtained. Moreover, the geometries obtained are beyond the classical constructive geometries of points, lines and curves tools available in standard CAD applications.
Practice
Create a floating annotation showing the traveled distance of the projectile using the “tag 3d” component.
Use the position and velocity to define a coordinate system and attach oriented geometries such as the paper planes seen in the earlier session.
Experiment with various elevation angles and determine which can achieve the highest vertical and longest horizontal travel.
The introduction of simulated design modelling aimed at demonstrating that basic knowledge of physics and mathematics can be directly implemented and their behaviour and results be experienced in a direct and intuitive way by computation.
We developed conceptual as well as technical foundations for a simple but effective simulated design modelling environment. Critical take away points from this session include the importance of creating our own high-level, in the sense of beyond purely numerical or geometric, semantic entities that capture essential properties of physical objects; and structuring a rather complex set of processes in compartments with clear scope and purpose to contain complexity.
Moreover, experimenting even with this minimal projectile setup, the opportunities for generating and observing complex relations evolving overtime are endless. We will proceed with augmenting various aspects of our system to develop intricate types of interactions and design results.
We also started working with cluster components as a method to encapsulate logic for reuse. You may refer to the bonus material – Modular design for further practice with creating custom components.
