Hey everyone, it’s taken way longer than I would have liked, but here’s the next game update at long last.

Progress has been slowed by a couple rounds of sickness, burn out with the project, last minute bugs, etc. but excuses aside, on to the update!

Logic Plan

The focus for this update has been on adding “logic” to the game. With some helpful input from the community, I settled on a three stage plan for this.

Stage 1

Based on using “physical” parts connected together with the linker tool, exposing data channels to transfer information between them. In fact, sensors and other parts can already be linked to display screens in this way, and Stage 1 simply builds on this approach.

New parts for this include switches, controls, sensors, and logic modules.

Stage 2

Continues on from Stage 1 by adding a new “micro-controller” part that is linked to other parts such as sensors etc. in the same way as other logic modules.

However, rather than provide a single function, it would allow for more complex logic internally without requiring lots of “physical” parts and links. It would provide a 2D node graph editor for its part behaviour UI, available nodes used in the graph would replicate the physical basic logic parts (while also perhaps adding additional functions).

Stage 3

A programmable “computer” module, again it would be externally linked to other parts but would allow the user to write custom Lua code to process these inputs and generate output data.

Progress So Far

So far I have only completed Stage 1, and I understand some may be disappointed with this, as it does have a few drawbacks. Some logic designs can require quite a few parts, taking up space in your creations, and the links can become cluttered and hard to navigate in 3D space.

The micro-controller in Stage 2 would address these problems, but would be rather more involved to implement (due to the node graph editor UI), so I decided to leave it for now. My intention is not really for people to be creating super complex logic in GearBlocks, as the focus remains on the mechanical elements that are the core of the game. However, if there’s sufficient demand to put more emphasis on logic, then I will look into implementing the micro-controller.

Actually, it would be much quicker for me to implement Stage 3’s Lua module, as the UI for it would be simple, so I’m very tempted to do this first. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in!

Linker Tool Improvements

Given the increased use of linking needed for building logic in the game, I’ve made some changes to try and improve usablility and reduce frustration:-

• Changed link indicators in an attempt to make them clearer.
• Links can now be “targeted”, and can then be deleted by holding Left Shift + Right Mouse Button.
• Links can now be created by clicking and dragging in either direction between link nodes.
• Links associated with any node can now be deleted (by targeting the node and holding Left Shift + Right Mouse Button).
• Links are no longer lost when moving a part selection (as long as the parts remain attached to the same construction).

Data Source and Reader

With that preamble out of the way, how is logic actually put together in the game?

1. Some parts are a “data source” and have an output data link node, others are a “data reader” and have an input data link node (and some are both source and reader and have both input and output link nodes).
2. Links can be created between the output and input link nodes of data source and data reader parts.
3. A data source has one or more data channels. Each channel can either be of Boolean or Number type.
4. A data reader has access to the data channels of its linked data sources, and these channels can be used in part behaviours.

In this way the output(s) of one or more parts can be passed to the inputs of another part. Logic systems can be built up by creating a network of links between source parts and readers.

Having a separate link node for every data channel is not feasible due to “physical” space constraints on parts (some have more than half a dozen output channels). So multiple data channels are combined into one data link between source and reader.

However this means that some other way of choosing data channels is needed, and so this is done in the part behaviour UI.

Part Behaviour Control Override

A linked data channel can be used to override key & joystick control. For example, linking a Button Switch to a light makes the Switch Value Boolean data channel available in the light’s part behaviour UI. Once selected for override, the light is controlled by the switch.

Note that for “triggerable” parts such as lights, only a Boolean data channel can be selected for override. Whereas for a part that has analog control (such as a motor), only a Number data channel can override control.

Part Behaviour Tweakable Override

A linked data channel can also be used to override a part’s “tweakable” (an editable value in the part behaviour UI). For example, linking a Rotary Knob Control to a light makes the Control Value Number data channel available, which can be used to override the light’s Brightness tweakable. This is then controlled by the rotary knob.

Note that for a data channel to override a tweakable, their data types (Boolean or Number) must match.

Data Source Labelling

When multiple data sources are linked to a data reader part, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between them when choosing a data channel.

To help with this, each data source can be given a unique label. Open up the part’s behaviour UI, and type in a label for easier identification.

This label then appears when choosing a data channel in a linked part.

New Parts For Logic

Many new parts have been added for building logic in the game, here’s a brief description of them.

Switches

• Types: button, rocker, and toggle.
• To use: target the switch and press E.
• Modes: momentary or latching.
• Data channel: Switch Value – Boolean.

Controls

• Types: lever, slider, rotary knob, and joystick.
• To use: target the control, hold E, and move the mouse.
• Modes: normal, auto-centre, or stepped (free or auto-centre for joystick).
• Data channel: Control Value – Number (X Value and Y Value for joystick).

Sensors

• Contact Pad Sensor:-
  • Is Contacted (Boolean) data channel set to true when something contacts it.
  • Optionally lights up on contact.
• Distance Sensor:-
  • Distance (Number) data channel contains distance to target.
  • Is Triggered (Boolean) data channel set to true when distance changes, with adjustable cool-down time between triggers.
• Proximity Sensor:-
  • Finds distance and direction to nearest object.
  • Distance, Heading, and Elevation (Number) data channels contain these values.
  • Option to detect only players or only constructions, detects all by default.
• Clock:-
  • Outputs time based on the current “time of day”, as set in the scene settings.
  • Time (Number) data channel contains time in hours, including the fractional part.
  • Hours, Minutes, and Seconds (Number) data channels contain whole number values of these.

Logic modules – Boolean Output

• Boolean Operator & Multi-Operator: Applies an Operator (NOT, AND, OR, etc.) to Boolean Input Values and outputs the result.
• Boolean Toggle:-
  • When the Toggle (Boolean) input changes from false to true, the toggle’s current value is flipped.
  • Outputs its current value.
• Number Comparator: Compares two Number Input Values with an Operator (Equal, Greater Than, Less Than, etc) and outputs the result.

Logic modules – Number Output(s)

• Number Operator: Applies an Operator (Add, Subtract, etc.) to two Number Input Values and outputs the result.
• Number Expression: Applies a custom numerical expression (with many available operators and functions) to Number Input Values and outputs the result.
• Number Filter: Applies a low or high pass filter (with adjustable cutoff) to a Number Input Value and outputs the result.
• Number Selector & Multi-Selector:-
  • Uses a Selector input to choose between multiple Number Input Values.
  • Outputs the chosen value.
• Number Junction & Multi-Junction:-
  • Uses a Selector input to choose an Output Value data channel to send a Number Input Value to.
  • All other outputs are set to zero.
• Number Register:-
  • When the Boolean Store input changes from false to true, the current Number Input Value is stored.
  • Also has Boolean inputs to trigger incrementing / decrementing of the stored value.
  • Outputs the current stored value.
• Timer: Outputs Time in seconds since last reset, with Boolean Is Running and Reset inputs.

Logic Lab Scenario

There’s a new scenario called “Logic Lab” which serves as an introductory demonstration of switches, sensors, and using logic modules to control behaviour in constructions.

This scenario also has an “Automotive Ideas” shed with some examples of logic that could be applied to vehicle creations.

And there are some examples of digital circuits to check out too.

Note that this scenario is more of a demonstration than a full tutorial. Once you’ve played through it, I’d advise loading it as a scene so you can pick it apart to see how everything is put together!

Unity Upgrade and Physics Performance

I’ve upgraded the game from Unity 2021.3 to 2022.3, which is the last LTS version before Unity changed back to numbered versioning. The most recent LTS version is 6.0, I tried upgrading to this but it broke the gear physics constraints. I didn’t have time to get to the bottom of it, but I may revisit this in the future.

However, moving to 2022.3 is enough to open up a pathway to future physics performance optimisations, such as jobifying update code and improving collision contact processing. In fact, just the upgrade alone already gives a performance boost for collision contacts, this should be noticeable particularly for larger creations.

In Summary

The new logic parts can be combined in ways that should open up a lot of possibilities. More control is now possible over creations, and all kinds of cool behaviours can be created, I can’t wait to see what the community does with this!

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Release notes:-

• Linker tool improvements:-
  • Changed link indicators in an attempt to make them clearer.
  • Links can now be “targeted”, and can then be deleted by holding Left Shift + Right Mouse Button.
  • Links can now be created by clicking and dragging in either direction between link nodes.
  • Links associated with any node can now be deleted (by targeting the node and holding Left Shift + Right Mouse Button).
  • Links are no longer lost when moving a part selection (as long as the parts remain attached to the same construction).
• Part behaviours:-
  • Key & joystick control is now overridable by linked data channels.
  • Tweakables are now overridable by linked data channels.
• New parts:-
  • Button, rocker, and toggle switches.
  • Lever, slider, rotary knob, and joystick controls.
  • Logic modules:-
    • Boolean Operator & Multi-Operator.
    • Boolean Toggle.
    • Number Comparator.
    • Number Operator.
    • Number Expression.
    • Number Filter.
    • Number Selector & Multi-Selector.
    • Number Junction & Multi-Junction.
    • Number Register.
    • Timer.
  • Sensors:-
    • Contact Pad.
    • Distance.
    • Proximity.
    • Clock.
  • Clutch gears 10T, 14T, 18T, and 22T.
• New Logic Lab scenario.
• Input improvements:-
  • “Hold Key for Menus” in CONTROLS options now off by default.
  • When “Hold Key for Menus” is off, the keys used to open the tool and construction UIs will now toggle them closed again.
  • Changed key binding implementation so that only shift, control, and alt keys are allowed as modifier keys, but now multiple modifiers can be set.
  • Added shortcut key for adding the targeted construction to the selection, with a default binding of Left Shift + Left Control + A.
  • Keys to change selected tool or manipulator now work while holding other keys (e.g. for player movement).
• Lua scripting:-
  • Added GetBehaviour() method to IPart to get a part’s behaviour by name.
  • BREAKING CHANGE:-
    • Data channels are no longer available from all behaviours in a part’s Behaviours list.
    • Instead, some parts now have a specific “data source” behaviour containing the data channels, accessible via part.GetBehaviour( ‘Data Source’ ).
    • See the PartBehaviourGraph Lua script for an example of how to access data channels now.
  • BREAKING CHANGE: Replaced PrimaryModifierKeyName and SecondaryModifierKeyName properties in InputActionProxy with PrimaryModifierKeyNames and SecondaryModifierKeyNames respectively.
  • BREAKING CHANGE: Renamed actionID_Activate to actionID_Use (e.g. as used in InputActions.GetBinding()).
  • Some properties in ILinkNode interface are now deprecated (refer to Lua scripting documentation to see available properties).
  • New “number field” UI element, like an input field but for numbers only (use IElementFactory.CreateNumberField() to create from Lua).
  • Added param to AddOption() methods in IDropdown for making UI “dropdown” options be non-selectable.
  • Added param to CreateAttachment() methods in IAttachmentOperations to optionally snap attachment owner and connected positions together.
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2022.3.62.

Hey all, just another small update!

New Flat Map

There’s now a new “Concrete Pad” map:

It’s just another boring flat map, but hopefully a bit easier on the eye for long building sessions than the “Flat Plane” map, plus it has no environmental audio.

Part Selection Duplication

You can now duplicate your current part selection.

Select some parts:

Then open the SELECTION menu and click Duplicate Selected (or just press Left Ctrl + D):

This will duplicate the parts into new construction(s), with attachments, links, etc. intact:

NOTE: To implement this, I had to change the save format slightly. Any “part intersections” (the red crosses you get after deleting attachments between intersecting parts) from existing saves will be lost.

Deprecated Parts

The engine “front crank” parts are now deprecated, as the “crank nose” part makes them redundant. I can’t remove them without possibly breaking existing creations, so they’re still in the game, just hidden in the part spawner UI.

NOTE: If you need to get access to these deprecated parts in the spawner UI again, type ShowDeprecatedParts true in the debug console.

Lua Scripting

There’s now some additional physics functionality available from Lua scripting, you can now do stuff like:

function FixedUpdate()
    if Physics.RayCast( Vector3.__new( 0, 10, 0 ), Vector3.Forward, 1000 ) then
        local distance, position, normal, colliderInstanceID = Physics.QueryCastHit( 0 )
        local part = PartColliderRegistry.GetPart( colliderInstanceID )
        if part then
            print( 'Part: ' .. part.FullDisplayName )
        end
    end
end

See the API documentation for more details: https://www.gearblocksgame.com/apidoc/class_smash_hammer_1_1_scripting_1_1_physics_proxy.html

Also, typing “LogKeyNames” or “LogAxisNames” in the debug console now lists all available input key and axis names respectively. This allows you to more easily find out what key names can be used in Input.GetKey() etc.

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Release notes:-

• NOTE: Changed save format, any “part intersections” from existing saves will be lost.
• Implemented part selection duplication. To duplicate the currently selected parts, click Duplicate Selected in the SELECTION menu, or press Left Ctrl + D.
• Torsion springs now have an option to turn off angle clamping.
• Engine “front crank” parts are now deprecated and hidden in the spawner UI (given that the “crank nose” part makes them redundant).
• Modified the EngineTool script mod to allow choice between showing engine head’s timing angle or current crank angle.
• Lua scripting:-
  • Added Physics module with methods for raycasts, spherecasts, etc.
  • Added PartColliderRegistry, with a method for retrieving a part from the ID of one of its colliders.
  • Added an overload of CreateAttachment() in IAttachmentOperations that takes a separate search position and normal for the owner and connected parts.
  • Typing “LogKeyNames” or “LogAxisNames” in the debug console now lists all available input key and axis names respectively (to be used in Input.GetKey() etc. for Lua scripting).
• Added “Concrete Pad” map.
• Bug fixes.

Happy Holidays everyone, here’s one more small update for the year!

Weld tool

This is a new script mod tool that allows parts to be attached to one another, without them needing to be properly aligned together.

They can even be unfrozen.

Jointed attachments can be created, including rotary, slider, or any other type.

Note that the attachment locations are still derived from the part’s alignment grids, so an attachment can’t be created at an arbitrary position or orientation. This doesn’t make much difference for fixed attachments, but it does limit the possible locations of jointed attachments.

Also note that some part behaviours may be expecting only one attachment of a certain type, and creating extra attachments with the weld tool may result in unexpected behaviour.

This tool is really intended for advanced builders who want to circumvent the usual grid based limitations, it’s not intended to replace the standard building system.

Lua scripting

For the modders out there, there are some additions to the Lua scripting API. From a Lua script it’s now possible to get and modify part behaviour tweakables, create and delete part attachments, and even apply physics forces to parts. I look forward to seeing what you can come up with using this stuff!

There are a few other improvements and additions too, as always, check out the release notes for details.

Thanks to you all for your support this year, for playing the game, and for sharing your amazing creations!

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Release notes:-

• Lua scripting changes and new features:-
  • Added new ITweakables interface implemented by part behaviour to provide access to its tweakables.
  • Added methods to IAttachmentOperations to create, replace, and delete part attachments.
  • Added FixedUpdate entry function, called on Lua scripts once per simulation time step.
  • Exposed fixed delta time value.
  • Added new IPhysical interface implemented by part descriptor, with a method for applying a force to a part.
  • Added TargetedPosition property to ITargeter interface.
• New script mods:-
  • ServoTool – Sets a servo / stepper motor’s trim angle from its current angle.
  • WeldTool – For attaching one part to any other, without them needing to be aligned together, or even frozen!
  • PhysicsExample – A simple demonstration of applying a force to a part.
• New 2.5×9 truck wheel (rim designed by Nate).
• Implemented joint force / torque debug visualisation, and added options to ConstructionDebug script mod to enable it.
• Added dropdown menu to part behaviour UIs, as an alternative way to choose a joystick axis to bind.
• Added toggle to video options for disabling chromatic aberration, independent of vignette.
• Bug fixes.

Hey everyone, after taking a much needed break, I’m back to work on the game!

The next major task to tackle is “logic” (switches, sensors, control modules, etc.) which will involve some experimentation and iteration to figure out how it should all work. This will take a little while, so in the meantime here’s a small update with a selection of new parts and other improvements.

Angle limiters

These parts connect to an axle via a rotary bearing, and restrict rotation between a minimum and maximum angle that you can specify.

Ratchets

These also connect to an axle via a rotary bearing, and allow for rotation in only one direction. You can configure the number of ratchet locking “steps”, set the locking direction, and optionally bind a key to temporarily release the ratchet lock.

There are also gears of various sizes with the ratchet mechanism built in.

Other parts

Speaking of gears, I’ve added a couple more spur gear size variations, and worm gears with the opposite thread direction. You’ll also find some new blocks and connectors…

…including a universal joint “yoke” that can be combined with the “Angle Axle 4 x 90” connector to build universal joints.

There a few more improvements too, check out the full release notes for details:-

• New parts:-
  • Block, resizable in all three axes (and hollow, like the sphere and cylinder).
  • U-Plate block.
  • Offset tile 1×2 and 2×2 blocks.
  • Spur gears 28T and 36T.
  • Worm gears x1, x3, and x7 with opposite thread direction.
  • Ratchets (axle-to-axle & block-to-axle).
  • Ratchet gears x1 to x3.
  • Angle limiters (axle-to-axle & block-to-axle).
  • Small corner 90 and tee 90 pipes.
  • “2-Hole & Axle (Perp)” and “2-Plate & Axle” connectors.
  • Universal joint “yoke” connector.
• Stepper motors now have optional angle limits.
• Added colliders to gear and pulley “hubs”.
• Added option to simulation settings to disable physics force range limit.
• Added option to builder tool “advanced options” to adjust part highlighting brightness.
• Added option to ConstructionDebug script mod for showing part colliders.
• Added option to game settings to disable cloud diagnostics crash and exception reporting.
• Updated localised strings.
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2021.3.45.

Hey all, here’s a small update with a few improvements and some new parts.

Angled beams and connectors

In the previous update I introduced the “V” and “W” angled beams, primarily to allow for building V configuration engines. If you’ve been using these parts, you may have noticed some bugs with the building system (e.g. sometimes your construction might freeze at a weird angle).

I’ll come back and address these problems in the future, but seeing as those angled parts are now out in the wild, I figured I might as well release the others I’ve made. So you’ll now find more angled beams, and connectors too!

Engine crank nose

I’ve added a “crank nose” part, which can attach to the existing crank parts. This is particularly useful if you want axles coming out of both ends of a single driven crank.

This makes the “front crank” parts kind of redundant actually, but I’ll have to keep them so as to not break existing builds.

More wheels

We also have some more wheels thanks to community member Alex!

There are one or two other tweaks and improvements too, here are the full release notes:-

• New parts:-
  • Engine “crank nose” with resizable axle.
  • Angled connectors.
  • Angled beams.
  • Car wheels designed by Alex (6.5 and 7 units diameter, various widths).
• Added “double audio pitch” toggle to engine head part behaviour settings.
• Added separate volume slider in audio settings for environment sounds.
• Added “Ctrl + F” freeze / unfreeze shortcut to material, painter, and grabber tools.
• Lua scripting changes and new features:-
  • New “button image” UI element (use IElementFactory.CreateImageButton() to create from Lua).
  • Added IsTargetable property to IElement (disable to prevent a UI element from blocking the mouse pointer).
  • Added GetDims() method to IBoundary.
• In PlayerHUD script mod, pressing Tab now toggles between metric and imperial units.
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2021.3.43.

Hello everyone, it’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally time for another update!

There’s too much to cover in technical detail here really, so I’ll just give a brief summary…

Combustion Engines

As I mentioned in my last post, I tried using physics forces applied to physical piston and con-rod parts to drive the engine. After prototyping this, I found it not be a viable solution, due to phantom forces (from rapidly moving piston and con-rod parts), performance cost, and other issues.

Mean Value Modelling

I looked into other possible methods for simulating internal combustion engine. The basic requirements being: a model that takes current engine RPM and throttle amount as inputs, and calculates output torque. Ideally it should be parameterised to allow for tweakable engine characteristics (giving different torque curves etc.)

Some possibilities included (in order of complexity): lookup tables, mean value modelling (MVM), 1D or multi-D fluid dynamic modelling. After investigation, I chose a basic MVM approach for relative simplicity (for performance and implementation), while still providing more flexibility and realism than a simple lookup table based solution.

This required implementing code for:-

• Gas (air) physics – flow rate calculation (choked flow), pressure state equation, etc.
• Engine physics – calculations for: throttle air flow rate, fuel flow rate, volumetric efficiency, thermal efficiency, indicated torque, friction loss torque, and pumping loss torque.
• A “sim updater” to update the simulation multiple times per fixed update (giving a smaller time step per update). I found this was necessary to improve simulation stability of the throttle air flow and intake manifold pressure.
• Part behaviours for the engine crank, head, throttle, etc. to calculate their various parts of the simulation.

Parts

I’ve made a selection of new parts (cranks, cylinders, heads, throttle, etc.) that you can use to build combustion engines.

There are three crank parts (rear, middle, front) that can be assembled together to make a crankshaft. An engine must at least have a rear crank part, as it is the “driven crank” – i.e. it has the part behaviour that actually calculates and applies torque to the crankshaft.

The piston and con-rod are not separate parts in of themselves, but are shown automatically when a cylinder and crank are linked together. They have no associated physics rigidbodies, they’re just animated based on the crank angle relative to the cylinder.

You can make pretty much any engine configuration you like!

Sound

I wanted the engine sound to be derived from and recognisable to any given engine configuration. For simplicity, the approach I went with is to play a looped “single cylinder” sound for each of an engine’s cylinders, with pitch and volume varied based on RPM and engine load. The audio playback is then synchronised across all the cylinders, with a precise timing offset for each cylinder.

I developed a method for determining timing angle from firing order and crank angle, and then used this to calculate the offset for audio synchronisation. I found the ear is very sensitive to small changes in audio timing, but when the playback is synchronised with the correct offsets, out pops the characteristic sound of a V6, V8, V10, and so on!

The resulting sounds aren’t perfect by any means. For example, the sound sample I used could be better, and there are phasing issues with certain engine configurations which can cause the overall sound to be a bit “weak” in lower frequencies. However, I’m generally quite happy with the results, given the low implementation and performance costs.

Lua Script Mods

To assist the player when building and tweaking combustion engines, I figured some additional tools would be useful. These were implemented as Lua script mods.

The EngineTool shows an engine’s firing order, provides a choice of predefined firing orders, and allows firing order to be individually adjusted per cylinder head.

The PartBehaviourGraph script mod displays real-time graphs of part behaviour data channels. It will work with any part behaviour, but will be especially useful for monitoring combustion engine torque, power, etc.

More Parts and Materials

There are a bunch of other parts in the game too, torsion springs, pipes, more gear & pulley sizes, new wheels, and more.

Linear actuators now have new “stepper” and “auto centre” operating modes, configurable in the part behaviour menu.

The materials have tweaked density & strength values, and there are new material types such as lead, teflon, and rubber.

Example Constructions

There are some new examples in the kit building scenario you can try out, to get a feel for putting engines together.

Okay that’s it for this update, I hope you enjoy it!

Full release notes:-

• New parts for building combustion engines:-
  • Cranks.
  • Cylinders.
  • Heads.
  • Throttle.
  • Starter motor.
  • Alternator (generator).
  • Fuel tanks.
  • Fans.
• Added new engine and fuel link types (for use when building engines).
• Other new parts:-
  • Racing wheels 4×8 and 5×8.
  • Torsion springs (axle-to-axle & block-to-axle).
  • Centrifugal clutch ring gear x3.
  • Spur gears 10T, 14T, 18T and 22T.
  • Pulleys x1.5 and x2.5.
  • Pipe sections.
  • “V” and “W” angled blocks.
  • Gusset x1.
  • Racing helmet for characters.
• Materials:-
  • Density and strength values tweaked to try and better match real world values.
  • New materials added: glass, glass fibre, lead, rubber, teflon, and tungsten.
• Linear actuators now have tweakable min / max extension and new “auto centre” and “stepper” modes.
• New constructions added to the kit building scenario:-
  • Go-kart (1 Cylinder).
  • Sports Car (4 Cylinder).
  • V12 Formula Racer.
  • Flat 6 Endurance Racer.
• Lua scripting changes and new features:-
  • Added methods to IDataSource interface to get a part behaviour’s individual data channels (old methods for getting data now deprecated).
  • Each data channel can now be a different type (float or boolean), and is accessible via a new IDataChannel interface.
  • New “shapes” UI element (use IElementFactory.CreateShapes() to create from Lua) for adding custom quads, primitives, and lines within a UI canvas.
  • New “time series graph” UI element (use IElementFactory.CreateTimeSeriesGraph() to create from Lua).
  • New “text objects” – UI text that can be located in 3D space, created in Lua via the TextObjects global (see ITextObjects interface).
  • Added support for resizable UI windows (see IsResizable and other new properties in IWindow interface).
  • Added support for rotating UI elements (see IRotatable interface).
  • Added Vector2 type.
• New script mods:-
  • UIShapesTest – Demonstrates UI shapes.
  • TimeSeriesGraphTest – Demonstrates UI time series graphs.
  • PartBehaviourGraph – Displays real-time graphs of part behaviour data channels (such as torque, power, etc.)
  • EngineTool – Shows an engine’s firing order, provides choice of predefined firing order, or for individual adjustment per cylinder head.
  • MiniMap – Displays a map showing construction locations in the scene.
• Improved debug console (window background, command history length).
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2021.3.40.

Hey everyone, time for a long overdue update!

Combustion Engines – Not Ready Just Yet

By this point, I was hoping to have combustion engines done. I tried a purely physics based approach, using separate cylinder, piston, con-rod, & crank rigidbodies, and applying a force to the piston based on the current angle of the crank. This worked reasonably well, but had problems with “phantom forces” whereby the engine got torque applied to it, sometimes flipping over the vehicle it’s in. Also, using physics for all the parts like this has RPM limitations, and doesn’t scale that well for sim performance.

So I’ve decided to change tack slightly, I still want to keep the appearance of the moving parts (i.e. pistons and con-rods), but my plan is now to procedurally animate these in code. There’s not really any need to use physics as these parts can’t collide with anything when inside an engine. To apply torque to the crankshaft, I’m working on something similar to the electric motors, but with a different torque curve.

Hopefully I’ll be able to get this done soon, but in the meantime I thought it would be good to get a small update out. Here’s what’s in it…

Parts

There are now some slider versions of the 1-Hole and 2-Hole connectors, some new “angle axle” connectors, and a larger centrifugal clutch.

Also, the rounded beams can now be resized one unit smaller than before.

Part Behaviours

I’ve improved how the invert option works for parts with a single key bind (e.g. brakes), adding a separate invert option for the joystick axis.

You can now type in values for any part behaviour slider, by right clicking it. Even values beyond the normal slider range can be entered (but no guarantees the physics won’t blow up with higher RPMs or torques!)

No Collide Tool

For those who want to bypass part collisions in their builds, I’ve added a new “PartCollision” script mod tool that can be used to disable part collisions. Parts with their collision disabled will still collide with the ground, but nothing else.

Here are the full release notes:-

• New parts:-
  • “1-Hole Slider” and “2-Hole Slider” connectors.
  • Angle axle 90, 180, 3 x 90, & 4 x 90 connectors.
  • Centrifugal clutch x3.
• Rounded and half rounded beams can now be resized one unit shorter.
• Added “invert axis” option to part behaviour joystick axis settings.
• In brake, clutch, and differential part behaviours, replaced “invert direction” option with “invert control”, which properly inverts their control behaviour.
• By right clicking a slider in the part behaviour settings, it’s value can now be edited by typing in a number.
• Shortcuts (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V) for copy and paste in part behaviour settings.
• A construction can now be unfrozen (via the construction UI) while the player is seated in it.
• Lowered minimum mouse sensitivity values.
• Added methods to IConstructionOperations to set whether parts are collidable (and added IsCollidable property to IPart interface).
• Added new PartCollision script mod.
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2021.3.34.

Happy Holidays everyone,

I’ve just released another update, with a bunch of new parts!

Clutches

These attach two axles together, one with a fixed attachment, the other with a rotary bearing. The clutch can be engaged / disengaged with a key press, which will smoothly lock / unlock the rotary bearing.

Clutch Gears

These are a type of spur gear that attach to an axle with a rotary bearing only. Similar to regular clutches, they can be engaged / disengaged from the axle they’re attached to.

Brakes

Wheels already have built in brakes that you can optionally enable, but these separate brake parts allow you to brake an axle without needing to use a wheel. The brakes attach to an axle with a rotary bearing, and to the part you want to brake against (e.g. a beam) with a fixed attachment.

Angle Sensor

You can attach an axle to this sensor, and link a display to it. It’ll show the axle’s current relative angle, RPM, etc.

There are a few other tweaks and improvements too, here are the release notes:-

• New parts:-
  • Angle sensor.
  • Clutches x3 and x4.
  • Clutch gears x1 to x3.
  • 32T and 48T Hi & Lo bevel gears.
  • Disk brakes x3 and x4.
• Added brake calipers to wheel brakes.
• Added setting to speed / altitude sensor to use imperial units.
• Parts and materials are now listed in order in UI.
• Bug fixes.

Hey everyone, it’s time for another game update!

But first I just wanted to say a big thanks to all of you for playing the game and sharing your creations. It’s great to see so many new players joining the community, it really helps motivate me to keep trying to make the game better!

OK, on to the update.

Soap Box Challenge

See how fast you can get down the hill under gravity alone, no motors allowed. This new scenario gives you an idea of the kind of “mini games” possible with Lua scripting, but it still barely scratches the surface really, hopefully we can push the boundaries of this more in the future. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think.

New Parts

Continuous servo motors, more crown, rack, & worm gear sizes, more “hole & plate” connectors, and round ended beams.

Part Behaviours

Separate servo forward & reverse angles, flip pulley belts, link displays to multiple parts, etc.

Here’s a quick look at some of these changes:

Release notes:-

• New Soap Box Challenge scenario.
• New parts:-
  • Small and medium continuous servo motors.
  • 24T and 40T Hi & Lo crown gears.
  • x3 rack gear.
  • x1 worm gear.
  • More “1-Hole Plate” and “2-Hole Plate” resizable connectors.
  • Rounded and half rounded resizable beams.
• Part behaviour improvements:-
  • Servo motor part behaviour now has separately tweakable forward and reverse angles.
  • Servo and stepper motor part behaviours now have an “angular speed” data channel.
  • Pulley part behaviour now has an option to flip belt routing.
  • Displays can now be linked to multiple other parts.
• Motor, battery, and rotor parts can now attach to each other, and to other parts in a more consistent way.
• Changed plate on “plate axle” connector part to be circular.
• Tweaked material strength of all wheels.
• Added buttons to UI screens to open containing folder in Windows Explorer.
• Added player “free flight movement mode” setting to allow for moving horizontally rather than along the view direction.
• Added settings to the controls options screen for disabling each of the manipulators.
• Improved crosshair.
• Added Hungarian translations to currently localised strings, thanks to BlueGoldFlag.
• Bug fixes.
• Upgraded to Unity 2021.3.33.

Wow very cool, this is an awesome walkthrough of the tutorial from kAN Gaming!