Bullet Physics Contest: Most Incredible Device wins PS3/Wii

[Erwin Coumans]

Results, Youtube videos and more information can be found on the Physics Contest 2007 Wiki page

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a follow up to the PSP Contest, there will be a PS3/Wii Contest.

Thanks a lot for the entries! There are about 10 entries, and I'm happy with the quality of the video's I've seen so far.

Extension: you are allowed to make modifications/submit entries during the voting/review, until 9th of March.

Review and Voting

• * During Game Developers Conference, March 5-9 2007 San Francisco
  * Review of submissions by professional game developers during this GDC
  * Potential display at a booth on the conference
  * Voting based on those reviews
  * Results and winners will be announced Sunday 11 March 2007

GDC will be very busy, so please wait until 11 March for the results.





The goal is to build a cool Rube Goldberg demo, using Bullet physics engine. You can use Blender with Bullet, but also OgreBullet, C4Bullet, IrlightBullet or you can use your own graphics engine for a Bullet demo.
See one Mousetrap simulation movie on Youtube made with Game Blender+Bullet.

"Rube Goldberg" who came up with the idea of making very
complicated inventions to do simple things

See here for his original comics: http://www.rube-goldberg.com/
Also here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg

For more recent examples try this search on youtube...there are over 400
videos of various machines, some built in game engines but most are
real-life contraptions.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... rch=Search

This video shows a bunch of particularly good ones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlVpCcJ- ... ed&search=

This kind of demo would require a number of simple objects like
dominoes, pendulums, wheeled carts, staircases and other stuff that
could be assembled into complex gadgets.

- Platforms: choose either Win32, Mac OS X or Linux (just ask on forum if other)
- Everyone can enter this Contest for free
- By submitting the entry to the contest, you agree it can be used to promote Bullet and published/distributed.
- A wiki page will be added for contest entries
- Don't make it a puzzle-game, it should just be a Rube-Goldberg style machine that is fun to watch. Some interaction is allowed, but don't make it a duplicate the Incredible Machines game!

Registration and submitting a machine:

Either send an email to contest2007@bulletphysics.com , or private message on this forum to 'Erwin Coumans' with:

1) Your firstname, lastname, country
2) Link to your Machine (.blend) or the .blend, or source code if you use Bullet with your own graphics engine
3) Youtube movie link or screenshot of your machine

Good Luck!
Erwin

[gautam]

Hi Erwin,

Is this open worldwide or only to US residents.

Thanks

[Erwin Coumans]

This contest is open to anyone, worldwide. More details about registration, and some wiki page for contestants will be opened soon.

Erwin

[optime]

This contest is open to anyone, worldwide. More details about registration, and some wiki page for contestants will be opened soon.

Erwin

Any news on the rules / wiki page with more info?

[Erwin Coumans]

Please check this page, there will be regular updates while the contest develops.

Thanks,
Erwin

[Appolonius]

Seems like an awful big prize for this contest...

sounds like alot of fun to

[baboule]

I would be really interested in participating.

However I will have to read/watch some tutorials on the subject... someone kind enough to recommand one, for a blender artist with poor programming knowledge, please !? (I know, I can google it, but it's always nicer to get some advices/tips from people who know)

Eager to start

[Appolonius]

So sense this is a physics project, does this mean no python?
...i guess that wont happen because some engines might need python/programing to run... just make sure the thing ain't "fixed" with programing to make things work the way they want..

It should all be done with physics and no programing(that would help make things work right). that would kinda ruin the whole point of making a project like this.

[Appolonius]

baboule

If you plan on using blender, you dont need any programing knowledge.

Here is a demo I made awhile ago if you or anyone else needs help.

There is no python in this. no logic bricks used.. its all completely done with physics.

I am going to enter this competition, but I believe in being fare, and you did ask for help

Remember there is no python and no logic bricks used(other then for controlling the camera and at the end for switching to another camera for a suprize ending i just added) controls = left/right arrow

http://appolonius1978.googlepages.com/rube.blend
(for example ONLY)
this will not be my entry as it was made in only about 3 hours..

[baboule]

Appolonius

Thanks a lot for your explanation and sample file !

I'll have to take a deep look at it to try and understand

Good luck for the contest and thanks again !

[Appolonius]

Erwin, I found something that dont work.

When making a compound object, the child cannot be part of a constraint.

Heres the blend
http://appolonius1978.googlepages.com/c ... hild.blend

Also are we suppost to wait until register thing is open before we start on our entries?

This has to do with my entry, so I'm not sure where it should have been posted

[chris_bodley]

I'm in what ever needs to be done.
i always wanted to make a pointless machine

[darkelfv]

Count me in, i have already started working on contraption ideals. I would say start working on your concepts and indvidual devices then put it all together after the contest is started officaly.

rube golberg from what i looked up has at least 10 differnt devices to do a simple opperation. A example is beer pourer. or ramen cooker, door bell ringer, window washer, as the acord did , show off a car and show its name, (this one was not cg btw).

Im working on my top secret 10 devices, I have to say bullet is more capable of things that i thought it would be, Im having great fun making and testing these devices.

[baboule]

I got to admit that I've been very pleasantly surprised too by this powerful physic engine ! Congrats to the creator.

Concerning the contest and the new features that would be needed, after watching and reading here and there about bullet, I would tend to think that one of the biggest missing features would be springs (working with Blender, I don't know if they exist otherwise).

But maybe springs dont count for rigid bodies !?
Or maybe they exist but I couldn't understand the way they work.
If it's the case, sorry...

Anyway, what could be nice would be to define an object as a spring, give it a min and max value for compression/traction length, a rest state, and a "spring" value (kinda "reactivity" or "strength").
Then we could define its state at the begining of the simulation.

What could be even nicer would be to have that spring thinggy to create a deformation lattice around object it belongs to, with subdivisions along one or more axis (user defined).
It would allow for spring objects to bend, squash and stretch if they have a density/deformation coeff. (like rubber or gelly), twist, etc.
And we wouldn't be so far from cloth sim.

With that spring thing, we could have for example a long cube with two attach constraints at each end, a deformation lattice along one axis and tada ! A rubber band pistol.
Or a plane with 2~4 constraints, two-axis lattice deformation -> a trampoline.
Or eject seat... flippers... flip flap doors (maybe with the hinge constraint)... trees in the wind... bungee divers... etc.
I think the added value would be huge.

Sorry for my poor explanations, english is not my mothertongue... dont hesitate to throw stones at me

[Appolonius]

You can kinda fake springs.. like in my bridge demo

the constraint strength between 2 objects is kinda week..

To fake a spring have one object heavier then the other. I will edit in a demo in a sec

Edit: http://appolonius1978.googlepages.com/Springs.blend