Spline physics

[markus]

I would like to see some basic physics for simulating splines such as ropes, cables, hoses etc. This functionality is missing from Max since Reactor was removed in 2011.

It should be fast to set up. Convert any spline, pin points to objects/helpers and start simulating.
It would be great if they could be manipulated interactively in real-time, like cloth in marvelous designer.

[markus]

Also, it would be great if you could adjust the length of your spline after you start simulation, if for example you pull your rope around and find it is too long or too short, just adjust length parameter and the sim just continues with a longer spline. This would be similar to how you can adjust cloth patterns while simulating in marvellous designer!

[markus]

Of course you would have to treat other objects in the scene as rigid bodies, or even dynamic bodies. Have some kind of include/exclude list etc.

[Swordslayer]

Check the 'Physics Spline' from the MCG Sample Pack.

[markus]

Thanks for the tip Swordslayer, I will check it out!

[markus]

Lots of cool stuff in MCG samples pack, although I wasn't blown away by the physics of physics spline. 😉 It seemed a little slow to use, had a few hickups, and  it was hard to get any accurate collisions. I would really like to see something faster and interactive in Max (with features like tugging in the viewport like the cloth simulator).

I would also love to see other improved cloth and rigid bodies simulations in Max, where it feels like max is falling behind other software packages. MassFX is ok for rigid bodies, but cloth I feel isn't that good, and theres no built in splines simulation there.

[michael_spaw]

Thanks for the Idea.

Michael Spaw

3ds Max, Product Owner/Designer

Media and Entertainment Division

[^lele^]

Yes please.

There is something to be said for the setup speed, and ease of use, of good old reactor, and not just for ropes.

I'm sure Mike and Chip both well remember the awe which greeted us as we played with the boat demo scene, to name one, realtime in viewport with full user interaction, what feels like a million years ago.

Any time i try and pick up MassFX, i invariably end up crashing in a number of creative ways, and accomplish little (although clearly my drive to dig deeper isn't quite there, these days.).
It'd be annoying to have to resort to the Flex modifier or some 3rd party particle dynamics or something something, to just create believable hanging cables, wires and such. 

[^lele^]

In fact, the simplest way to get a viable, if limited, alternative, would be to keep the Flex Modifier results as Spline, rather than turning them into a mesh with no polygons.

A spline and the flex modifier adjusted just so provide for a very quick way to drop cables on stuff (gravity and UDeflector Spacewarps needed, ofc.).

[RGhost77]

Something like this would be cool!

[Kranos_Orphydian]

this would be so awesome.