Hi SideFX,

After toying with the Physics Painter for a bit, I have a couple of suggestions for you guys

1. Size Randomization: Default to a more natural random size distribution like LogNormal (as seen in the Attribute Randomize SOP) - and perhaps allow the user to choose between a couple of methods.
   
2. Allow the instances to be vertically padded pre-simulation more. They frequently overlap and then slowly sink into each other during simulation. This could be another parameter next to Surface Offset.
   
3. Stroke Padding: Could this be renamed to Stroke Rate or something? “Padding” seems like an ambiguous choice to me.
   
4. Could we support being able to provide the instances as packed geometry on a second input? They could sport a @weight each for the randomization weighting, and also the physical attributes like mass and so on. We could potentially be left to swap with Render resolution geometry using the Transform Pieces workflow and/or we could provide the Render resolution on a 3rd input and the node can do that work for us.
   
5. Could we consider the TimeShift-trick to solve quasistatically, as an option?
   
6. If you paint outside of the collision object and over the ground plane, it appears to paint at random spots near the camera. Could we suppress those?
   

Thanks for the cool tool,
Jason

PS.
I hope it could become a true blue node distributed with the core application as it has uses beyond Games.

Hi Jason,

Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad you like the tool!
As for your feedback:
1. That's a good RFE!
2. The tool should already solve any intersections between objects prior to simulation, and offset them from the surface using the Surface Offset parameter. Would you like to add padding between objects themselves? The Stroke Padding parm might help with that.
4. That's something I had already planned on implementing!
5. Could you explain what you mean?
6. Will look into that!

Thanks,
Paul

Hey Paul

Sorry for the tardy response!

2. When I try to paint some toruses onto a box, I'm getting vertical some overlap of objects prior to simulation. Is it reliably de-intersected on your end? Not for me. If we could artificially grow the size (just the bbox, peak-like or some other vertical exploding) to ensure no intersections but keep the Stroke Padding the same.

5. You can “solve x frames in the future, immediately” with a timeshift/null trick; so you can paint in an already-solved state - maybe with the original paint position as Guide Geometry. It might be impractical, but perhaps take a look? Here is a link where you'll see Mr Lait explain it: https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/59886/?page=2#post-268123 [www.sidefx.com]

Thanks for considering it!
Jason