Toposcape

Toposcape is a simulation of a ball rolling on a smooth surface. The surfaces are modeled using NURBS and my own physics engine handles the motion of the ball on the surface (and through the air). I hope you enjoy it.

Several example surfaces are provided to experiment with. The following basic usage instructions can be found in the application as well.

1. Open one of the provided example surfaces by choosing Open from the File menu.

2. Set the intial velocity of the ball using the mouse.

• Move left and right to change the direction of the ball's velocity and move up and down to set the speed of the ball's velocity.
• You can zoom in and out to get a better perspective by holding down the right mouse button and moving the mouse up and down.

3. Click the mouse when the ball's initial velocity is set appropriately. Then click the button again to roll the ball.

4. While the ball is rolling on the surface, you can affect its trajectory by applying forces to the ball. Clicking inside the blue navigation circle will apply a force to the ball that is proportional to the distance from the center of the blue circle.

• To apply the greatest force, click inside but nearest the edge of the circle.
• Clicking towards the top-center of the circle will apply a force to the ball in the direction which it is currently traveling.
• Clicking towards the bottom-center of the circle will apply a force to the ball in the direction opposite the direction that the ball is traveling.
• &Similarly, clicking in the right or left sides of the circle will apply forces to the ball pushing it to the right or left relative to the direction it is traveling.

Screenshot:

Copyright © 2023 by Brian DiLoreto.  All rights reserved.