This section will describe how to create physics data in VE-Suite using a simple example.

First, load simple.ves in the same way you loaded simple_physics_boxes.ves in the previous section of this chapter. Right-click on DefaultPlugin in the VE-Conductor Network window and click on Geometry Config. This will open the CADTree Manager.

Expand the Model_Geometry tree by clicking on the arrow. In this example, you should see three nodes: eightCorners, Surface0.75, and Surface0.75_cloned. Each node corresponds to a different part of the visualization: eightCorners corresponds to the bounding box, while Surface0.75 and Surface0.75_cloned each correponds to one of the white polygonal objects.

Initialize physics on a node by right-clicking on it and selecting Initialize Physics. The CADTree Manager will open. Click on the Physics tab to set the Physics Properties (Mass, Friction, Restitution), Motion Type, LOD Type, Mesh Type, and Mesh Decimation). Each node must be initialized before physics can be run.

Once you have initialized physics, the Initialize Physics option will no longer be available when you right-click on a node. To edit the physics properties of a node, right-click and select Properties... This will open the CADTree Manager with the Physics tab, where you can edit your previously set physics properties.

Note: You must reset the simulation before editing a node's physics properties.

Initializing physics on a node also enables you to pick up individual parts of a visualization and move them. Simply hold down the Shift key and left-click on the object to drag it within the plane of the screen.