Rolling Ball, is a Script for 3Ds Max that allows the automatic rotation of a ball in any direction and on any surface.
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💡 Just animate the main control called <ctrl_ball> and the ball will rotate automatically.
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The Script mathematically calculates how much the ball should rotate and in what direction. Considering the distance traveled and the radius of the ball.
There are no dynamic, CUDA, or physical collision calculations.
The response of the ball on a ground is performed by calculating the intersection point of the ball <ballGround> on the ground with the Intersect Ray function of 3ds Max. And at that point of intersection the ball is positioned, so that the geometry of the ball or the terrain is not taken into account.
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💡 In summary, the Script performs:
∙ A calculation for the rotation (how much the ball should rotate and in what direction)
∙ A calculation for the position in Z (Intersection between <ballGround> and the terrain)
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Rolling Ball does not need to be installed. Just drag the script into the 3ds Max viewport or use the menu Scripting / Run Script... and Rolling Ball will be ready to be used.
The interface has only one button.
Pressing it will create a Ball Rig.
You can create as many balls as you want, each one will have its own independent rig.
Pressing the button will create the RIG BALL
ctrl_ball: Controls the position of the ball on the X and Y axes. By animating <ctrl_ball> the ball will rotate automatically. (You need to activate the Auto-Key button to get results.)
<aside> 💡 You will see the results when you play the animation.
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Ball: You can linked any object to the ball and it will move accordingly.
ballBase: Allows you to take off the ball from the surface. You will be able to animate bounces or any animation that requires separating the ball from the selected terrain.
ballGround: Is the intersection with the selected surface. When <ctrl_ball> moves, it traces a ray that hits the selected surface. At that intersection point <ballGround> is positioned