I’ve been diving deep into this project using the Godot engine where I’m trying to create some awesome tile-based spaceships. I’ve got the basics down pretty well, but I’m hitting a bit of a wall when it comes to simulating disconnections accurately, especially with rotating bodies.
So here’s the deal: imagine the spaceship is zipping around, spinning like crazy, and then it gets hit or cut in half. I can handle the linear velocity and make sure that the pieces move apart correctly, but I’m struggling with how to deal with the rotation. It feels like there should be a clear way to figure out how each part should fly off in the right direction, but I’m not sure where to start.
I’ve been thinking about the physics involved and how angular momentum plays into this. When the ship is spinning, it’s not just about the linear motion of the cut pieces; they also have to retain some of the rotational characteristics they had as part of the whole. It seems like I need to break down the moments of inertia and apply some kind of transformation to determine how each smaller piece should be moving after the disconnection.
One idea I’ve tossed around is calculating the local velocity of the point at which the disconnection occurs. If I could determine that velocity vector based on the ship’s current rotation and the point of disconnection, it might give me a solid starting point. But honestly, I’m not sure how to combine that with the linear and angular velocities to get the right movement direction for each piece post-disconnection.
I’ve tried a few different approaches, but things just don’t seem to click together mathematically. I don’t necessarily need a full implementation right now, just a nudge in the right direction or maybe some basic equations that could help me figure this out.
So if anyone has experience with this kind of simulation or knows of some useful resources or equations, I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts!
It sounds like you’ve got a fun project going on! When it comes to simulating the disconnections of the spaceship pieces, you’re right that angular momentum plays a huge role. Here’s a basic way to think about it:
First, when the spaceship is rotating, each part of it has both linear and angular velocity. If you cut the ship, each piece should retain some of that rotational motion. To get the direction and speed for each piece, you can start by calculating the local velocity at the point of disconnection using the following equation:
V_local = ω × rHere, ω (omega) is the angular velocity of the spaceship and r is the position vector from the center of mass of the ship to the point of disconnection. This velocity vector will tell you how fast that point was moving just before the cut.
After you have the local velocity, you’ll want to combine that with the overall linear velocity of the spaceship at the moment of disconnection:
V_piece = V_linear + V_localIn this equation, V_linear is the linear velocity of the spaceship’s center of mass. By adding these together, you get the resulting velocity for each piece as it disconnects.
As for handling the rotation of the pieces, you might want to set the angular velocity of each piece based on how it was rotating as part of the whole ship. You can calculate the moment of inertia for each piece and apply that to determine how they continue to rotate. If they were part of a rotating body, you could maintain their angular velocity just after the disconnection.
It might take some trial and error to get everything feeling right, but experimenting with these ideas could help you move in the right direction. Good luck with your spaceship project!
You’re definitely on the right track thinking about local velocities and angular momentum. When a rotating body breaks apart, each fragment inherits both linear momentum and angular momentum from its original motion. A practical way to handle this is by first calculating the linear velocity at the precise point of disconnection due to rotation:
v_point = angular_velocity × r, where “×” denotes the vector cross product, and “r” is the radial vector from the pivot (center of rotation) to the point of separation. After finding this velocity, add it to the spaceship’s linear velocity to determine the fragment’s initial velocity.Once the piece separates, each fragment should receive its own angular velocity based on conservation of angular momentum. Calculate the new angular velocity for each part by considering their individual moments of inertia relative to their new pivot point or center of mass. The new angular velocity can be determined by dividing the original angular momentum (
L = I × ω, moment of inertia times angular velocity) appropriately between the two parts. By following these steps—first using the point-velocity calculation, and then adjusting angular velocities based on new inertia values—you’ll achieve more realistic rotation and movement for each disconnected fragment.