MSPhysics 1.0.3 (16 October 2017)

[Anton_S]

MSPhysics
MSPhysics is a real-time physics simulation extension for SketchUp.

MSPhysics allows doing physics simulation of groups and component instances, where each object can be assigned a specific shape, specific states, density, contact properties, magnet properties, script, and more. These features allow complex interactions between objects and the physics world. The parameters of the physics world, such as gravity, update timestep, and solver model, can too be adjusted.

MSPhysics also allows interconnecting objects with joints (constraints) for establishing mechanical interactions between objects. MSPhysics has 14 joints: Hinge, Motor, Servo, Slider, Piston, UpVector, Spring, Corkscrew, BallAndSocket, Universal, Fixed, CurvySlider, CurvyPiston, and Plane. Each joint can be assigned its specific properties, such as minimum and maximum position/angle limits, as well as controllers for controlling position, angle, speed, linear or angular friction, and other. The controllers themselves can be stimulated with a use of a slider controller, keyboard key(s), joystick, and/or a desired script. This flexibility allows creating and inventing many things, such as vehicles, robots, and instruments.

MSPhysics also comes with a reliable Replay animation tool, which allows recording simulation and exporting to SkIndigo, KerkyThea, or a sequence of images.

In many ways, MSPhysics resembles its predecessor SketchyPhysics. First of all, MSPhysics is not a new version of SketchyPhysics. MSPhsyics is written entirely from scratch, integrating the latest Newton Dynamics Physics SDK and heavily basing on a C++ extension. Both are capable of achieving same things, in one way or the other; however, MSPhysics is significantly faster and goes further, especially with a lot of the features described above. MSPhysics has a by far more advanced and a well documented scripting API, allowing users to write more proficient scripts for their models. Another difference is having advantage over user input. In SketchyPhysics there was a struggle in creating keyboard and mouse controlled games. Whenever simulation would run, there had to be an active control panel window to redirect user input, that is to prevent the interference of SketchUp's keyboard shortcuts. In MSPhysics, however, the control panel is not necessary. MSPhysics utilizes AMS Library, which on the Windows side, allows taking control over user input and switching SketchUp fullscreen. Imagine playing FPS games in SketchUp, in fullscreen mode, without having various keyboard commands taking control over the simulation. All that is possible with MSPhysics.

Huge credit goes to Julio Jerez for writing the Newton Dynamics physics engine; as well as, to those who contributed in making this project a reality.

Aside from the ToDo list, the only part that needs heavy working on is the demonstrations and tutorials.

Video

Video

Useful Links

• Wiki
• Tutorials by Samuel Ketner
• MSPhysics Models at 3DWarehouse
• Change Log
• Scripting Documentation
• PituPhysics YouTube Channel

Compatibility and Requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP or later / Mac OS X 10.6+
• SketchUp 6 or later. SU2017 64bit is recommended!
• AMS_Library 3.5.0+

Download
Refer to the list below for various download links:

• Current version can downloaded and installed through PluginStore or Extension Warehouse
• An RBZ format of the current version is also available at Google Drive
• Development activity can be found at GitHub
• Prior versions can be found at Google Drive

If encountering errors with overwriting, remove original AMS Library and MSPhysics versions prior to installing the new ones. Refer to the Uninstallation Instructions section for details.
Refer to the video below for a walk-through guide on downloading and installing MSPhysics:

Video

You can instead, refer to MSPhysics Installation Guide installing, uninstalling, and troubleshooting issues.
Recommended Extensions

• Shapes loader by István Nagy: Allows loading and resizing box, sphere, cone, cylinder, pyramid, capsule, and torus shapes with a click of a mouse. MSPhysics on its own doesn't come with a shapes adder tool, like SketchyPhysics did. This extension fills in the missing tool.
• SPGears by jgrundman: Even though this plugin was initially intended for SketchyPhysics, it works just fine with MSPhysics as well. Manually drawing gears is not something that one must do, as in the end result, all geometry making up the gears must be distributed into convex subgroups. That is, for the collision to generate properly, each tooth must represent a separate subgroups/subcomponent. SPGears plugin does just that. It draws gears suitable for the collision generation algorithm.
• Convexify by Fredo6: Splits groups into convex shapes. For dynamic concave shapes to have proper collision shapes, the geometry making up the concave shape must be split into convex subgroups. Until an automatic internal convex decomposition algorithm is developed, this is the right kind of plugin to rely on. This tool is also suitable for fracture effects.

Installation Instructions
Refer to the steps below to install the plugin:

1. Download ams_Lib_x.y.z.rbz and MSPhysics_x.y.z.rbz
2. Open SketchUp
3. Select (Menu) Window->Preferences
4. Navigate to Extensions section within the System Preferences dialog.
5. Click Install Extension... button, select ams_Lib_x.y.z.rbz, and click Open.
6. Repeat the same step for MSPhysics_x.y.z.rbz
7. Ensure that both AMS Library and MSPhysics extensions are checked.

Uninstallation Instructions
Refer to the steps below to uninstall the plugin:

1. Navigate to your plugins folder:
   For Windows
   
   • For SU8 and below the plugins folder is located in
     
     • C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Google SketchUp #\
   • For SU2013 the plugins folder is located in
     
     • C:\Program Files (x86)\SketchUp\SketchUp 2013\
   • For SU2014 and later the plugins folder is located in
     
     • C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 20##\SketchUp\
     • %appdata%\SketchUp\SketchUp 20##\SketchUp\
     • C:\ProgramData\SketchUp\SketchUp 20##\SketchUp\Plugins
   For Mac OS X
   
   • For SU8 and below the plugins folder is located in
     
     • [YOUR USER NAME]/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp #/SketchUp/plugins
   • For SU2013 and later the plugins folder is located in
     
     • > Library > Application Support > SketchUp # > SketchUp > Plugins
2. Select ams_Lib folder, ams_Lib.rb file, MSPhysics folder, and MSPhysics.rb file and delete them.

Credits

• Julio Jerez for the NewtonDynamics physics engine.
• Chris Phillips for ideas from SketchyPhysics.
• István Nagy (PituPhysics), Faust07, and many others for testing.

[Rich O Brien]

That looks legendary!

Can you assign different masses?

Do static objects have friction levels etc?

If you need a Private Beta forum setup let me know.

[pilou]

What is advantage / disadvantage between them ?

[mitcorb]

This is interesting. I was having the same kind of questions as Rich about adjustability. Thanks for posting.

[Rich O Brien]

@Pilou

What are you talking about?

@Tim

Great minds think alike....fools seldom differ

[pilou]

What are you talking about?

SketchyPhysics / MSPhysics

[tt_su]

This is a completely new plugin? It's not inherited from SketchyPhysics at all?

[Anton_S]

Can you assign different masses?

Modifying mass?
That's just a tiny little bit of the API. There are lots of things you will be able to do with the bodies.
I'm nearly done with the Body API! Check out documentation if your interested.

This is a completely new plugin? It's not inherited from SketchyPhysics at all?

Yes TT, all from scratch! This plugin uses the latest Newton Dynamics 3.12, while SketchyPhysics used some old version. You've seen how fast the wall is simulated. Try simulating the same wall in SketchyPhysics. It will be like 1 FPS (If not BugSplat).

The aim of writing this plugin is to bring SketchyPhysics back! To be honest, the whole point I joined this forum was to learn Ruby programming, in order to have some skills in fixing SketchyPhysics bugs. As time wen't I did fix a few things here and there, but wasn't satisfied. SP needed some general reconstruction. Starting the project from scratch wasn't a bad idea after all.

There are a few things I need to do before releasing the first version:

1. Dialog
2. Joints
3. Materials

[Anton_S]

SketchyPhysics / MSPhysics

I won't share any advantages/disadvantages over SketchyPhysics as it might hurt Chris Phillips's (the author of SketchyPhysics) feelings. SketchyPhysics was his idea in the first place. I wouldn't mind renaming MSPhysics to unofficial SketchyPhysics, but only after I make it compatible with SketchyPhysics...

[Frederik]

I've never tried using SketchyPhysics (primary because I haven't had the need, but also because I heard it was conflicting with other plugins), but this sure looks interesting...

[Krisidious]

Any hopes of using this system to test structural stability of home designs?

[solo]

This will be crazy awesome, please pick me if you need testers as I would love to play with this. I'll also need to get Tomasz (the author of Thea4SU) alerted so we can get render support ASAP as this will be a game changer.

[pilou]

Do you know that you have also a Physic engine (Bullet) for Sketchup inside Simfonia ?
(free version is existing)

[Anton_S]

Any hopes of using this system to test structural stability of home designs?

You won't be able to see the wood break in half, but you would be able to get the force applied on an object.

This will be crazy awesome, please pick me if you need testers as I would love to play with this.

I'll post a beta version someday.

Do you know that you have also a Physic engine (Bullet) for Sketchup inside Simfonia ?
(free version is existing)

Bullet is a good physics engine, but I prefer using NewtonDynamics physics engine for MSPhysics for variety of reasons. It's a free physics engine, as well.

[Krisidious]

"You won't be able to see the wood break in half, but you would be able to get the force applied on an object."

That sounds great, I'm in it for the data not the visuals...

[solo]

This will be crazy awesome, please pick me if you need testers as I would love to play with this.

I'll post a beta version someday.

Someday?

[Anton_S]

Someday?

Maybe in a couple of months.

[Krisidious]

This is the internet... If there's no Beta, it didn't happen.

[cotty]

The aim of writing this plugin is to bring SketchyPhysics back!

Great idea

[Anton_S]

This is the internet... If there's no Beta, it didn't happen.

You know what? I don't care if you think it doesn't exist. I'm good as long as you're not planning to hack into my PC and steal the files.

[tt_su]

hack into my PC and steal the files.

[Anton_S]

Hello guys,

I posted the first alpha version. There are still a lot of things to be worked on, but I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to upload updates as I go.

Go to the first post and read all the compatibility and requirements, as this plugin is not user friendly yet.

As far as uploading it to GitHub, it will be in a matter of days.

I haven't yet created joints, and the dialog, but you can test destructing building and such things...

Have a nice day!

[cotty]

Fist test VERY promising!

[kaas]

Very nice. First test no problems. Considering modelling a pachinko machine...

[tt_su]

As far as uploading it to GitHub, it will be in a matter of days.

[josuapa]

Fist test VERY promising!

It's awesome. I'm testing, but my blocks fall into infinity (the boundary surface drops as well) . I do not know how to make a surface to retain them. How I can fix it? Could you stop the simulation and save the drawing? Thank you!

[cotty]

You need a static mesh (context menu).

[Anton_S]

It's awesome. I'm testing, but my blocks fall into infinity (the boundary surface drops as well) . I do not know how to make a surface to retain them. How I can fix it? Could you stop the simulation and save the drawing? Thank you!

It states in the status text to use SHIFT key to lift objects.
You can use ESC to quit and Break/Pause button to toggle play.

[josuapa]

You need a static mesh (context menu).

Thanks a lot ! It's perfect !!!!

[Pixero]

Can it do soft bodies too?