Enforce single-axis velocity - ios

I'm trying to build a game, using SpriteKit, in which there's a ball that bounces up and down. Now I want to let the player control the balls movement in the X axis and let the physics engine control the Y velocity.
For example, when the ball hits a corner it starts moving sideways on it's own. I would like it to bounce of the corner and then quickly stabilize and stop moving side-ways. Is there anyway of doing this without trying to counteract any sideways movement by applying an impulse? Would it be easier to just manually control the ball's movement up and down?
I've tried applying a counteracting force without much success (the ball freaks out):
override func update(currentTime: NSTimeInterval) {
let ballDx = ball?.physicsBody?.velocity.dx
if let ballVelocityX = ballDx {
if ballVelocityX != 0 {
ball?.physicsBody?.applyForce(CGVectorMake(ballVelocityX * -1, 0))
}
}
}

Sounds like you need to apply linear damping in the x direction. Here's an example of how to do that:
// Adjust this value as needed. It should be in [0,1], where a value of 1 will
// have no effect on the ball and a value of 0 will stop the ball immediately.
let xAlpha:CGFloat = 0.95
override func update(currentTime: CFTimeInterval) {
/* Apply damping only in x */
let dx = sprite.physicsBody!.velocity.dx * xAlpha
let dy = sprite.physicsBody!.velocity.dy
sprite.physicsBody?.velocity = CGVectorMake(dx, dy)
}

Related

SpriteKit: how to smoothly animate SKCameraNode while tracking node but only after node moves Y pixels?

This question and others discuss how to track a node in SpriteKit using a SKCameraNode.
However, our needs vary.
Other solutions, such as updating the camera's position in update(_ currentTime: CFTimeInterval) of the SKScene, do not work because we only want to adjust the camera position after the node has moved Y pixels down the screen.
In other words, if the node moves 10 pixels up, the camera should remain still. If the node moves left or right, the camera should remain still.
We tried animating the camera's position over time instead of instantly, but running a SKAction against the camera inside of update(_ currentTime: CFTimeInterval) fails to do anything.
I just quickly made this. I believe this is what you are looking for?
(the actual animation is smooth, just i had to compress the GIF)
This is update Code:
-(void)update:(CFTimeInterval)currentTime {
/* Called before each frame is rendered */
SKShapeNode *ball = (SKShapeNode*)[self childNodeWithName:#"ball"];
if (ball.position.y>100) camera.position = ball.position;
if (fabs(ball.position.x-newLoc.x)>10) {
// move x
ball.position = CGPointMake(ball.position.x+stepX, ball.position.y);
}
if (fabs(ball.position.y-newLoc.y)>10) {
// move y
ball.position = CGPointMake(ball.position.x, ball.position.y+stepY);
}
}
I would not put this in the update code, try to keep your update section clutter free, remember you only have 16ms to work with.
Instead create a sub class for your character node, and override the position property. What we are basically saying is if your camera is 10 pixels away from your character, move towards your character. We use a key on our action so that we do not get multiple actions stacking up and a timing mode to allow for the camera to smoothly move to your point, instead of being instant.
class MyCharacter : SKSpriteNode
{
override var position : CGPoint
{
didSet
{
if let scene = self.scene, let camera = scene.camera,(abs(position.y - camera.position.y) > 10)
{
let move = SKAction.move(to: position, duration:0.1)
move.timingMode = .easeInEaseOut
camera.run(move,withKey:"moving")
}
}
}
}
Edit: #Epsilon reminded me that SKActions and SKPhysics access the variable directly instead of going through the stored property, so this will not work. In this case, do it at the didFinishUpdate method:
override func didFinishUpdate()
{
//character should be a known property to the class, calling find everytime is too slow
if let character = self.character, let camera = self.camera,(abs(character.position.y - camera.position.y) > 10)
{
let move = SKAction.move(to: character.position, duration:0.1)
move.timingMode = .easeInEaseOut
camera.run(move,withKey:"moving")
}
}

Jumping with Sprite Kit and Swift

I am creating an app in Sprite Kit and Swift and want to create a sprite that jumps upwards while the screen is pressed, therefore jumping higher as the screen is pressed higher. I have achieved that effect, but gravity in the physics engine is not being applied until after the screen is released. Therefore the jumps are infinite (increasing exponentially) rather than levelling off at a certain point (like a quadratic equation / parabola).
How does one apply gravity actively during the motion of a sprite?
Here is my basic movement code:
override func update(_ currentTime: TimeInterval) {
// Called before each frame is rendered
// touched is true while screen is touched
if touched {
nodeLeft.physicsBody?.applyImpulse(CGVector(dx: -5, dy: 0))
}
}
NOTE: The object is jumping right and left rather than up and down
The gravity should be working constantly, and probably is. As you apply an impulse on every tick however, this force is much stronger than the gravity.
What you need to do is to decrease the effect of the impulse over time.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, for instance by using the position of the sprite as a base for the impulse: The higher the sprite position, the lower the impulse.
if touched {
let minX: CGFloat = 200 // some suitable value
let multiplier: CGFloat = 10
let force = max(0, (nodeLeft.position.x / minX - 1) * multiplier)
nodeLeft.physicsBody?.applyImpulse(CGVector(dx: -force, dy: 0))
}
The minX value in the above example probably makes no sense. But the logic is fairly sound I believe. You obviously need to experiment and tweak this (and the multiplier) to suit your needs.

Move SpriteNode in direction of a swipe at a preset speed

So basically I have the coin object, and I want to launch it across the screen. I have the following code which runs some calculations on the swipe, but not sure what is relevant for my current situation:
override func touchesBegan(touches: Set<UITouch>, withEvent event: UIEvent?) {
touching = true
let touch = touches.first
let loc = touch?.locationInNode(self)
if coin.containsPoint(loc!){
touchPoint = loc!
touchTime = (touch?.timestamp)!
}
}
override func touchesEnded(touches: Set<UITouch>, withEvent event: UIEvent?) {
touching = false
let touch = touches.first
let loc = touch?.locationInNode(self)
var xDiff = (loc?.x)! - touchPoint.x
var yDiff = (loc?.y)! - touchPoint.y
let distance = sqrt(xDiff * xDiff + yDiff * yDiff)
}
I want the coin to be essentially thrown in the direction of the swipe, but I want it to reach a certain y-coordinate on the screen each time, before falling back down due to gravity. So I guess I need to somehow calculate the perfect speed each time to make it reach that y-point, and then push the coin object in the swipe direction at that speed?
Any help much appreciated! I'm online for the next few hours, so ask for more info and I'll be able to get back to you pretty quick.
It depends if you want the coin to be interacting with other physics bodies afterward. You have attached several "physics" tags to the question so I assume you want that :)
I'd go for a mathematics-based approach indeed. So basically you are just getting a direction from the swipe. The speed itself is dependent on the gravity that's affecting the coin.
You can separate the speed vector in the vertical and horizontal component.
The vertical distance to cover is let verticalDistance = targetHeight - coin.position.y. The coin has to have zero vertical speed at the highest point, and we know that during the animation it decelerates with a constant -9.81 pt/s*s (off the top of my head).
So the speed graph looks like this:
with formula f(x) = -9.81 * x + v where v is the vertical starting speed we are solving for. Algebra tells us that f(x) intersects with the x-axis with x-value v / 9.81.
The total distance covered up until the point where f(x) intersects with the x-axis is equal to the surface area of the triangle under f(x). This triangle's surface is 1/2 * v/9.81 * v (which is 1/2 * width * height).
Since you know what this distance should be (verticalDistance from previous paragraph), algebra dictates v = sqrt(2 * 9.81 * d). Now you know you starting vertical speed, based on the height the coin has to travel!
Since you know the coins angle (dictated by user's swipe) and the vertical speed, you can calculate the horizontal speed. I'm leaving that to you ;) Note that we are of course ignoring drag / friction which could impact the coin speed. Also my algebra might be rusty.
As a side note
I would replace let touch = touches.first with
guard let touch = touches.first else {
return
}
In this way, touch is a non-optional.

Scenekit camera orbit around object

Hello everyone,
I come back to you about my current problem. I already asked a question about that but no one had success to help me. Then I will explain my complete problem and how I tried to fix it. (I tried several things)
So, I need to code a lib that adds many functions in order to manage cameras and objects in a 3D world. For that we have chosen SceneKit Framework to use Metal.
I will post a very simplified code but all necessary things are here.
To illustrate my thought here is a GIF which explains how I want my camera acts like:
http://i.stack.imgur.com/5tHUl.gif
This comes from Stack question (thanks rickster) : Rotate SCNCamera node looking at an object around an imaginary sphere
The goal is to load a scene and handle User Pan Action to move camera around the gravity center point of a 3D object in my 3D world. Here is my basic simplified code:
import SceneKit
import UIKit
class SceneManager
{
private let scene: SCNScene
private let view: SCNView
private let camera: SCNNode
private let cameraOrbit: SCNNode
init(view: SCNView, assetFolder: String, sceneName: String, cameraName: String, backgroundColor: UIColor) {
self.view = view
self.scene = SCNScene(named: (assetFolder + "/" + sceneName))!
if (self.scene.rootNode.childNodeWithName(cameraName, recursively: true) == nil) {
print("Fatal error: Cannot find camera in scene with name :\"", cameraName, "\"")
exit(1)
}
self.camera = self.scene.rootNode.childNodeWithName(cameraName, recursively: true)! // Retrieve cameraNode created in scene file
self.camera.removeFromParentNode()
self.cameraOrbit = SCNNode()
self.cameraOrbit.addChildNode(self.camera)
self.scene.rootNode.addChildNode(self.cameraOrbit)
let panGesture = UIPanGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(panHandler(_:)))
panGesture.maximumNumberOfTouches = 1
self.view.addGestureRecognizer(panGesture)
self.view.backgroundColor = backgroundColor
self.view.pointOfView = cameraNode
self.view.scene = self.scene
}
#objc private func panHandler(sender: UIPanGestureRecognizer) {
// some code here
}
}
Then I have explore many possible solutions I had found on Internet. I will present the principal solution I had explore.
1) EulerAngle
Src: Rotate SCNCamera node looking at an object around an imaginary sphere
I wanted to applied the rickster's method in this Stack. Here is my trying code:
#objc private func panHandler(sender: UIPanGestureRecognizer) {
if (sender.state == UIGestureRecognizerState.Changed) {
let scrollWidthRatio = Float(sender.velocityInView(sender.view!).x) / 10000 * -1
let scrollHeightRatio = Float(sender.velocityInView(sender.view!).y) / 10000
cameraOrbit.eulerAngles.y += Float(-2 * M_PI) * scrollWidthRatio
cameraOrbit.eulerAngles.x += Float(-M_PI) * scrollHeightRatio
}
}
That works well for Y axis but the camera spin around itself on X axis. I do not understand very well what refers to the eulerAngle but I notice the Z axis never changes. Is this why the rotation is not spherical?
2) Homemade solution
src: SceneKit Child node position not changed during Parent node rotation
That is a question I have posted about the worldPosition and localPosition. But the solution proposed did not work... (Or I did not understand)
This is the solution I will use principally. But if you have another solution, I am ready to explore and try it!
Theoretically the var alpha is the angle between abscissa axis and position of the camera (2D (x, z)) in trigonometry circle. I use that to calculate the ratio to apply at X and Z rotation's axes.
The goal is to have a rotation that follows a segment on 2D plan (x, z).
But that did not work cause of self.camera.position is coordinated relative to cameraOrbit (parent node) and it needs the worldPosition property.
The parameters of camera worldTransform is a matrix I did not understand so I can not use it. Even if I can use the worldPosition property, I am not sure that it will work very well cause of my angle and ratio applied to X and Z axes.
What do you think about this, maybe I need to change my method?
#objc private func panHandler(sender: UIPanGestureRecognizer) {
let cameraROrbitRadius = sqrt(pow(self.camera.position.x, 2) + pow(self.camera.position.y, 2))
let alpha = cos(self.camera.position.z / self.cameraOrbitRadius) // Get angle of camera
var ratioX = 1 - ((CGFloat)(alpha) / (CGFloat)(M_PI)) // Get the ratio with angle for apply to Z and X axes rotation
var ratioZ = ((CGFloat)(alpha) / (CGFloat)(M_PI))
// Change direction of rotation depending camera's position in trigonometric circle
if (self.camera.position.x > 0 && self.camera.position.z < 0) {
ratioX *= -1
} else if (self.camera.position.z < 0 && self.camera.position.x < 0) {
ratioX *= -1
ratioZ *= -1
} else if (self.camera.position.z > 0 && self.camera.position.x > 0) {
ratioZ *= -1
}
// Set the angle rotation to add at imaginary sphere (cameraOrbit)
let xAngleToAdd = (sender.velocityInView(sender.view!).y / 10000) * ratioX
let yAngleToAdd = (sender.velocityInView(sender.view!).x / 10000) * (-1)
let zAngleToAdd = (sender.velocityInView(sender.view!).y / 10000) * ratioZ
let rotation = SCNAction.rotateByX(xAngleToAdd, y: yAngleToAdd, z: zAngleToAdd, duration: 0.5)
self.cameraOrbit.runAction(rotation)
}
This method works for Y axis too. But the rotation above the object works bad. I can not explain it simply but the rotation of camera is offbeat of this theoretically movement.
I think I have explain every important things. If you have any ideas or tips?
Regards,

SpriteKit move physics body on touch (air hockey game)

I'm trying to make an air hockey game using SpriteKit. I trying to make the pucks draggable but I can't make them continue to move after the touch has ended. Right now I am binding the touch and the puck and setting it's position when the touch moves.
using the physics system:
override func update(currentTime: NSTimeInterval) {
for (touch, node) in draggingNodes {
let targetPosition = touch.locationInNode(self)
let distance = hypot(node.position.x - targetPosition.x, node.position.y - targetPosition.y)
var damping = sqrt(distance * 100)
if (damping < 0) {
damping = 0.0
}
node.physicsBody!.linearDamping = damping
node.physicsBody!.angularDamping = damping
let translation = CGPointMake(targetPosition.x - node.position.x, targetPosition.y - node.position.y)
node.physicsBody!.velocity = CGVectorMake(translation.x * 100, translation.y * 100);
}
}
You're likely going to need to do a lot more reading. Either you'll use the physics system:
In which case you'll impart an impulse onto the puck on the touch end event, having calculated the speed based on a delta in position and delta in time from last frame to current frame (or some type of average over more than 1 frame).
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/GraphicsAnimation/Conceptual/SpriteKit_PG/Physics/Physics.html
[OR]
You'll manually set velocity on the puck (not using the physics system), and then manually update the puck's position per frame based on that velocity, then recalculate its vector when it comes into contact with another object based on angle of of incidence.

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