Version 1.0 [25.March.2010] Download Demo/Update Now

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Thanks to Flingster to writing this Silver Bullet 4D Documentation!

SilverBullet4D Draft Documentation-PDF (1MB | 25.Jun.07)

SilverBullet4D can be downloaded from Remotion's website at the following web address: http://www.remotion4d.net/

PhyTools User will be get Free Update!

Obtain It

PhyTools2 User have already access to some SB4D+ extra plugins.

The Update from SB4D to SB4D+ is available here SB4D to SB4D+ Update

Maxon Cinema 4D 9.6 or higher on Windows or Mac. CPU with SSE2 or Altivec support.

The latest version will work only with C4D 9.6, 10.1 or 10.5 on Windows or MacOS X. There are no differences between Windows and Mac versions. Following files for all platforms are always available.

Supported Platforms:

• Windows 32: SilverBullet4D.cdl
• Windows 64: SilverBullet4D.cdl64
• Mac OS UB : SilverBullet4D.dylib

You will receive an email with SilverBullet4D serial number.

1. Please remove all old or Demo versions of SilverBullet4D , if you have any before Unzipping/Unpacking.
2. Make sure C4D is closed
3. Unzip/Unpack the package and all its contents into your default Cinema 4D plugins folder (MAXON → CINEMA4D → PLUGINS folder).
4. To Unpack 7z files you will need 7-Zip it is available for Windows and Mac OS.

The hierarchy should look something like the following once unpacked:

• MAXON\CINEMA_4D\plugins\SilverBullet4D

So for example at time of writing this document mine under Windows XP looks like the following:

• P:\Program Files\Design\MAXON\CINEMA 4D R9\plugins\SilverBullet4D

Once this has been completed you are ready to start C4D up. You will get the splash screen for C4D and as the plugins load you will be prompted to input your serial number(s). See section above about serial number precautions. Once this is completed C4D should start up normally and you will be ready to go!

1. Sphere shape.
2. Cube (with fillet) shape.
3. Cylinder (with fillet) shape.
4. Capsule shape.
5. Cone shape.
6. Floor (plane) shape. (always static!)

(Any unsupported shape will be automatic converted to one of it!)

1. Convex shape (pyramid, platonic…).
2. static polygon shape.
3. dynamic non-convex polygon shape (tube, torus…)

Instance, is actually not a shape but a reference to any other shape. The advantage of Instances is lower memory consumption, because the shapes will not be really copied but shared. Instances must be placed AFTER its source in the hierarchy to use all its advantages.

• SilverBulletSolver
  • Instance to Bunny (this is wrong!)
  • Bunny
  • Instance to Bunny

We have 3 different bodies types. 1: Dynamic Body is simulated by the SilverBullet, user can NOT move it! 2: Static Body stay always on the same place, collider shape, user can NOT move it!!!! 3: Kinematic: Movable, animated bodies, user can move it.

It is allowed to change this types any time during simulation!

It is also allowed to disable and enable objects any time during simulation! disable bodies will be temporally removed form simulation, but not deleted and can be enabled again.

actually it is mostly for C4D 9.6 because there is no bake object command! It is now adaptive and will add position and rotation keys only if body was moved or rotated, to save memory.

The first one is new experimental faster solver but it does not support bounciness for now, this will be changed later. “Classic Mult Bounceiness” is older solver with bounciness with will be calculated by Multiplication. TB = B1 * B2 “Classic Mix Bounceiness” is the same solver as above but bounciness will be calculated by Mixing values. TB = B1*0.5 + B2*0.5

per default it is 10, this should be enough for simple cases. This parameter is important for collision resolution in complex cases. Cases where many object are colliding, like box stack. So if you have some problems with collision resolution then this parameter can be increased. If you have set SubStep count to high value then this parameter may be a bit lower as usual.

How SubSteps (SubFraming) works: If it is set to 2 then every C4D Frame will be subdivided on 2 sub frames, like this: [0]–[0.5]–[1]–[1.5]–…

If you set it to 4 then it will look like this: [0]–[0.25]–[0.5]–[0.75]–[1]–[1.25]–[1.5]–…

This is important for fast moving object to detect collision. Increasing this parameter make simulation preciser!

Scaling is important for precision of simulation too.

The default Gravitation is -9.8 m/s^2, Meter!

The default “World Unit Scale” is 0.01, so 1 Meter is equal 100 c4d units!

“Basic Units” in c4d preferences must also be Centimeter!

A Cube 200x200x200 is actually 2x2x2 Meter big!

• Try to not convert objects with “c” to polygon object this can make simulation slower… but some times it may make simulation results better.

1. Can I add polygon objects without polygons, only points?
   • Yes, it is possible. This point clouds will be used as Convex shapes!
2. Can ConvexCreator from PhyRIS be used in SilverBullet too?
   • Yes, SilverBullet can work with some of PhyRIS tags and this will be extended in future releases.
3. What is Convex Shape?
   • Sphere, Cube, Capsule, Pyramid and all other shapes without tunnels without holes and without inlets or bays.
   • Convex Polygons
4. What is Concave Shape?
   • Actually there are no just concave shapes, it is better to call them Non-Convex shapes.
   • Any complex shape with holes like Torus or Human body are Non-Convex shapes
5. How to Bake simulation created with SB4D in C4D 10.x ?
   • First select SilverBullet4D object then select “Show Tracks…” in context menu.
   • In Timeline press “Bake Object” from “Functions” tab.
   • Now select all new created Objects and again open Timeline by pressing “Show Tracks…”.
   • Select all tracks and remove all unused keys by pressing “Clean Tracks”, now you are done. (10.5 only)

This is the main solver object. You can drop object for simulation into “Rigid Bodies” field or simple under this object.

This is the Material parameter Tag. You can add it to any object under SB4D-Solver. If you add this to Null with many bodies then all this bodies will use this parameter. (Just like C4D Material)

All object without this Tag will have parameters for “Defaulg” group of SB4D-Solver. You can also use “ST” in object name to make it Static or “KN” to make it Kinematic. Please not that “St” or “Kn” will not work!

If “Start Sleeping” is enable then this body will sleep from the begin of simulation until another body hit it. Setting both Linear and Angular Sleeping to 0.0 will disable Sleeping at all!

“Coll.Eps(Margin)” this parameter alway override default setting. This create some 0.4(default) c4d units small hull about body for better collision resolution.

“Coll.Shape Scale” With this parameter you can make collision shape smaller or bigger as visible shape. This is usually helpfully for ConvexCreatorPro outputs where shapes are colliding instantly in the first frame. By setting “Coll.Shape Scale” to say 95% this initial collision can be prevented.

“Linear Damping” will slowdown linear body movement. Set it to 1000 and you body will move and react very very slow. “Angular Damping” will slowdown rotation of this body. Set it to 1000 will nearly prevent body from rotation.

All “Variation” parameter will add random changes for all bodies with this tag.

A Null object with this Tag and some children will be used as one Compound shape. The position of this Null object is Center of Mass for this Compound. The same can be arrived by adding “COM” in name of the Null object.

This is Part of SB4D+ only!

ConverxCreaterPro+ allow you to split/break complex polygonal mesh in convex parts.

There 3 different Method of creating convex parts from you mesh.

The first one is “Convex Parts” this will try to split you mesh into convex shapes with variable point count.

The second one it ”Tetrahedron” this will try to spline you mesh into Tetrahedrons only, with alway have 4 points.

The last one is ”ConvexHull” in this case only one convex shape around you mesh will be created.

This is Part of SB4D+ only!

You do not need to create this tag by you self, SB4D solver will do it for you.

If you see this Tag on the Object then something must be wrong with it.

For example its Volume can be near Zero (0.0000001) and this can make simulation instable.

Another possibility is that you mesh is not clear and has degenerate triangles with Zero surface. (2 or 3 points are on the same place)

In SB4D+ 0.74 there are two new XPresso nodes.

One is SB4D Solver Node and allow to get some information from main SilverBulet4D object.

The most impotent for now is probably “Max ID” with get maximum RigidBody ID for Iteration Node.

If you connect “Max ID” with “Iteration End” then you can iterate tough all RigidBodies.

Please look to “XpressoTest2.c4d” example file.

In SB4D+ 0.74 there are two new XPresso nodes.

One is SB4D RigidBody Node it allow to read many internal parameter from every rigid body.

It allow too to set some parameter if “Xpresso Controled” is enabled in MatterTag.

You can set for example Gravity or add Linear or Angular forces…

The description for another SilverBullet4D+ improvements is on the way.