Activators Module

Activators

The Activators module is one of the most important modules of RBDLab. With it we can manipulate the way we work with our simulation in many ways. We can activate the chunks we want at any time we want. We can deactivate Constraints in different ways. We can add speeds to the chunks, prior to the simulation there are many possible options, and we are going to see them one by one.

Submodulos Activators

The Activators module is divided into 3 sub-modules, Settings, Activators and Initial Velocity.

Settings Submodule

In the Settings sub-module, we will first configure whether we want to work with the Target Collection or with the entire scene.

Then we will choose what we want the Activators to affect. We can choose only one option or several.

It is important if we are going to work with the Kinematics option (something very common) that we have set our Target Collection to Kinematics (within the Physics module).

Finally we have the option "Substeps" that allows to add more calculation passes to the Activators tool. Usually 1 is enough, but if we have very small chunks or the Activator Object animation is very fast, we may need more substeps.

Submodule Activators

In this sub-module, we can choose which chunks we want to be affected by the work we are going to perform. It is as simple as selecting the chunks and clicking on the "Include Chunks" button. This way, we are telling RBDLab that it will only work in the Activators module with those chunks.

We also have 2 "special" primitive shapes. One with a spherical shape, and another with a cubic shape. Although they may look like normal meshes, they are actually special geometries that work much faster than normal geometries. In 90% of the cases, these 2 shapes will work with Activators, but we can always use any geometry to do it, just select it and click on "Set Activators".

The "Automatic Range" option is activated by default. This way, RBDLab will only work with the range of frames it needs (if for example we have animated our activators for 90 frames, it will only calculate 90 frames).

There is another option available that is only shown when working with Constraints, which we will see later.

Initial Velocity Submodule

This submodule is very useful. It allows to add an initial velocity to each chunk, prior to its simulation. In this way we can create different very interesting effects that we will see later. You can add constant velocities, or a velocity between 2 random ranges, an explode tool, or even add an Ease In-Out. We can also rotate the geometries, see a Preview, etc...

Example of the use of Kinematic Activators

Choose the geometry

The first step is to make sure that our geometry is in Kinematic mode.

Then, we use the RBDLab size selection tool, and manually deselect the chunks we are not interested in.

Finally, we click on the "Include chunks" button and make sure in the Settings module that we are working with the Kinematic option.

Activator Object

The next step is to add and animate the Activator Object. We can choose between the 2 options that RBDLab gives us ( Spheric or Cubic ) or use our own geometry, converting it into Activator Object with the button "Set Activator. In this case, we will use RBDLab's own object, Cubic.

Once added, we scale it to our needs, place it and animate it as we want. It is NOT necessary to apply the scale to this object. If it is a geometry that has been converted to an activator, it is necessary.

Record Activators

Once everything is configured as we want, the last step is to click on the "Record Activators" button. This button will make RBDLab detect the zone through which the Activator Object moves, in this way, it will activate each chunk separately and we get the result we want.

If we see that some chunks do not "fall" it is probably due to friction, which can be configured in the Physics module. It can also be that a very small chunk has not been activated, simply increase the number of Substeps in the Settings submodule.

Examples Kinematics + Initial Velocity

Example 1

We are going to use the same example, adding the Initial Velocity option. We activate it in Settings and set a value of -2 in Y. We can see how the chunks are now "shot" in that direction.

Example 2

Here we can see another example of using Initial Velocity to create a shockwave effect on the ground. In this case, we have used a value between 1 and 2, so that the initial velocity of each chunk varies between these 2 values and is more organic.

Example 3

In this example, we increase the speed with the Multiplier option and also show the use of the Ease In-Out options.

The Rotation panel tools work exactly the same.

Initial Velocity - Explode

Example 1

With the Explode tool, we can use an empty as a "pivot" point from which our geometry will have an initial velocity. It is very useful to create a multitude of effects. We can set the distance to which the pieces will be separated before starting the simulation and the pivot point from which it will do so.

Example 2

Here we see the same scene as above, but with the pivot point moved.

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