LCB Powder Simulator

LCB Powder Simulator is an efficient, fully native JS powder simulation that runs on the Canvas 2d API and cdejs.

Table of Contents

• Web Interface (direct link here)
• Other deployements
• Getting started
• Documentation
  • Simulation Class
  • MapGrid Class
  • Simulation API
  • Materials
  • Brushes
  • Saves
• Visual Examples
• NPX Commands
• Credits

Web Interface

A quick and simple Web page to test out the simulation without installing anything!

Link: https://louis-charlesbiron.github.io/LCB_Powder_Sim

Other deployements

Desktop App:

- Download Instructions

• Coming soon!

- Info

• Toggleable transparent app background for cool effect :)
• Allows for a fullscreen experience
• More accessible UI (because bigger)
• Runs on NeutralinoJS

---

Chrome Extension:

- Download Instructions

• Coming soon!

- Info

• A Nice little distraction in the top right of your browser
• More compact UI

 

Modules / Packages

For those who know how to code a bit and want have more control over the simulation, here are the NPM and native browser build releases as well as Documentation bellow!

NPM:

Use a quick template (recommended):

• ESM (with Vite) -> npx lcb-ps template yourProjectName

• UMD (vanilla) -> npx lcb-ps browser-template yourProjectName

Or create the project yourself:

• Get the ESM version by running npm install lcb-ps

• Or simply copy the following package.json file and run npm install

- Minimal example package.json

{
    "name": "project-name",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "main": "index.js",
    "type": "module",
    "scripts": {
      "dev": "vite"
    },
    "dependencies": {
      "lcb-js": "^1.0.4"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
      "vite": "^7.3.1"
    }
}

- /!\ For web workers to work, add this vite.config.js

export default {
  optimizeDeps: {
    exclude: ["lcb-ps"]
  }
}

- Note: if you are using this librairy NPM version of this librairy, using Vite or any other bundler is recommended.

Browser Build:

Get the UMD version by downloading these two files:

• lcbPS.min.js
• RemotePhysicsUnit.min.js

(Or the unminified versions: Raw builds)

Again, a fully Node.js-less template is available by running npx lcb-ps browser-template yourProjectName

---

Getting Started with Modules / Packages

1. Get the library files. (npm install lcb-ps or UMD builds)

If using UMD version: Place both files in the folder of your choice.

libFolder/
├─ lcbPS.min.js
└─ RemotePhysicsUnit.min.js

Then place only the librairy file in your HTML

    <!-- Only if you're using the browser/UMD version! -->
    <script src="lcbPS.min.js"></script>

2. In your HTML file, place a canvas element to display the simulation on. (See cdejs for more info)

<canvas id="simulationCanvasId"></canvas>

3. In a JS file, create a new Simulation instance, and link it to the previous HTML canvas element.

const {Simulation} = lcbPS

// Create the simulation
const simulation = new Simulation(document.getElementById("simulationCanvasId"))

This will create a fully functionnal powder simulation using default settings! See UMD Template

 

Documentation

This section explains what are the available functions and types to control certain aspect of the simulation.

Simulation Class

The Simulation class is the core of the simulation and manages all rendering and world manipulation (except for physics).

The Simulation constructor takes the following parameters:

- new Simulation(CVS, readyCB?, worldStartSettings?, userSettings?, colorSettings?)

• CVS -> A CDEJS Canvas instance.
• readyCB? -> A callback ran once the simulation is started. (simulation)=>{}
• worldStartSettings? -> An object defining the simulation start settings. (Defaults to DEFAULT_WORLD_START_SETTINGS)
• userSettings? -> An object defining the user settings. (Defaults to DEFAULT_USER_SETTINGS)
• colorSettings? -> An object defining the color settings. (Defaults to DEFAULT_COLOR_SETTINGS)

Noteworthy attributes

• pixels -> The array containing all materials (might not be directly available when using workers)
• backStepSavingMaxCount -> The amount of back step saved (Defaults to DEFAULT_BACK_STEP_SAVING_COUNT)
• isMouseWithinSimulation -> Whether the mouse is inside the simulation bounding box
• isRunning -> Whether the simulation is currently running
• selectedMaterial -> The material used by default for world manipulation (Defaults to MATERIALS.SAND)
• brushType -> The shape used to draw materials on the simulation with mouse (Defaults to BRUSH_TYPES.PIXEL)
• sidePriority -> The side prioritised first by the physics (Defaults to SIDE_PRIORITIES.RANDOM)
• loopExtra -> A callback called on each rendered frame (Defaults to null)
• stepExtra -> A callback called on each physics step (Defaults to null)

  WorldStartSettings:

• autoStart -> Whether the simulation automatically starts once instanciated. (Defaults to true)
• usesWebWorkers -> Whether the physics calculations are offloaded to a worker thread. (RECOMMENDED) (Defaults to true)
• aimedFPS -> The desired frame per seconds. (Defaults to 60) (Put null for V-Sync)
• zoom -> The base zoom value. (Defaults to 1)

Note: The following world start settings are only work when autoSimulationSizing is not set.

• cameraCenterPos -> The camera center position. (Defaults to the center of the map)
• mapWidth -> The base width of the map. (Defaults to MapGrid.DEFAULT_MAP_WIDTH)
• mapHeight -> The base height of the map. (Defaults to MapGrid.DEFAULT_MAP_HEIGHT)
• mapPixelSize -> The base size of the map pixels. (Defaults to MapGrid.DEFAULT_MAP_PIXEL_SIZE)

UserSettings:

• autoSimulationSizing -> If a number, automatically resizes the simulation based the provided number, as pixel size. Disabled otherwise.
• dragAndZoomCanvasEnabled -> Whether the user can use left click to move around and wheel to zoom (Defaults to true)
• warningsDisabled -> Hides warning messages from console (Defaults to false)
• showBorder -> If true, displays the bounding box of the simulation (Defaults to true)
• showGrid -> If true, displays a grid over the simulation to delimit pixels (Defaults to true)
• zoomInIncrement / zoomOutIncrement -> Defines the increment value for zooming in/out (Defaults to 0.25 / -0.2)
• minZoomThreshold / maxZoomThreshold -> Defines the min/max zoom threshold values (Defaults to 0.1 / Infinity)
• smoothDrawingEnabled -> Whether to fill gaps between mouse event for smoother drawing (Defaults to true)
• visualEffectsEnabled -> Whether to display some visual effect (Defaults to true) [MAY AFFECT PERFORMANCE]
• drawingDisabled -> Whether the user can draw with the mouse. (Defaults to false)

ColorSettings: This object allows the color customization of the grid and materials.

• grid, border -> The color of the grid and border of the map. [r,g,b,a]
• AIR, SAND, WATER, ... -> The color of each material. (The key must be in UPPERCASE) [r,g,b,a]

MapGrid Class

The MapGrid class is mostly used internally to handle the simulation world space / dimensions.

It still provides informative world functions such as getLocalMapPixel, getAdjacency, indexToMapPos, mapPosToIndex as well as the mapWidth / mapHeight in both local and global pixels.  

Simulation API

The simulation programming interface

This section will go over pretty much all available functions to control the simulation.

- Simulation setup

• readyCB -> A callback ran once the simulation is started. (simulation)=>{} (Defined in the Simulation's constructor)

This can be used to update map properties / import a world as soon as the simulation is started.

- Simulation configurations

- updateMapSize(width?, height?) -> Updates the map dimensions.

• width The new width of the map (local px)
• height The new height of the map (local px)

- updateMapPixelSize(pixelSize?) -> Updates the map pixel size. (Defaults to MapGrid.DEFAULT_PIXEL_SIZE)

• pixelSize The new map pixel size (global px)

- autoFitSize(pixelSize?, globalWidth?, globalHeight?) ->Updates map size and pixel size automatically based on the optimal fit for the provided sizes.

• pixelSize The desired map pixel size (global px) (Defaults to DEFAULT_MAP_RESOLUTIONS.DEFAULT)
• globalWidth The width to cover (global px) (Defaults to the canvas width)
• globalHeight The height to cover (global px) (Defaults to the canvas height)

- updateSidePriority(sidePriority) -> Updates the side prioritised first by the physics.

• sidePriority The new side priority. One of SIDE_PRIORITIES. (Defaults to SIDE_PRIORITIES.RANDOM)

- updatePhysicsUnitType -> Updates whether the physics calculations are offloaded to a worker thread.

• usesWebWorkers Whether an other thread is used. (Defaults to true)

- Simulation Control

- start(force?) -> Sets the state of the simulation to be running.

• force If true, forces the start even if simulation is already running.

- stop() -> Sets the state of the simulation to be stopped.

- step() -> Runs and displays one physics step.

- backstep() -> Displays the previous physics step saved. (Does not actually run physics backwards)

- User Control

- updateSelectedMaterial(material) -> Updates the material used by default for world manipulations.

• material The materials to select. One of MATERIALS

- updateBrushType(brushType) -> Updates the shape used to draw materials on the simulation with mouse.

• brushType The brush type to use -> One of BRUSH_TYPES

- updateReplaceMode(replaceMode) -> Updates the material(s) allowed to be replaced when drawing on the simulation.

• replaceMode The material(s) allowed to be replaced, as an int -> One of REPLACE_MODES

- updateColors(colorSettings) -> Updates the colors used for the grid and/or the materials.

• colorSettings The colors to update

- World Interation

- placePixel(mapPos, material?, replaceMode?) (Similarly placePixelAtCoords, placePixelAtIndex) -> Places a pixel on the map.

• mapPos The map position of the pixel ([x,y])
• material The material used, one of MATERIALS. (Defaults to the selected material)
• replaceMode The material(s) allowed to be replaced, as an int. (Defaults to the current replace mode)

- placePixelsWithBrush(x, y, brushType?, material?, replaceMode?) -> Places pixels at the specified coordinates, according to the provided brush pattern.

• x The X value of the center positions
• y The Y value of the center positions
• brushType The brush type used, one of BRUSH_TYPES. (Defaults to the current brush type)
• material The material used, one of MATERIALS. (Defaults to the selected material)
• replaceMode The material(s) allowed to be replaced, as an int. (Defaults to the current replace mode)

- clear() -> Fills the simulation with air

- fill(material?) -> Fills the entire simulation with a specific material.

• material The material used, one of MATERIALS. (Defaults to the selected material)

- fillArea(pos1, pos2, material?, replaceMode?) -> Fills the specified area of the map with a specific material.

• pos1 The top-left pos of the area ([leftX, topY])
• pos2 The bottom-right pos of the area ([rightX, bottomY])
• material The material used, one of MATERIALS. (Defaults to the selected material)
• replaceMode The material(s) allowed to be replaced, as an int. (Defaults to the current replace mode)

- Persistence

- load(mapData, useSaveSizes) -> Fills the map with saved data.

• mapData The save data. (String, Uint16Array, Object)
  • Either a string in the format given by the function exportAsText()
  • Or a Uint16Array containing the material value for each index
  • Or an Object containing the material value for each index {"index": material}
• useSaveSizes? Whether to resize the map size and pixel size to the save's values

- exportAsText(disableCompacting?, callback?) -> Exports the simulation map as text.

• disableCompacting Whether to disable the text compacting (not recommended for large maps) (Defaults to false)
• callback If using web workers, use this callback to retrieve the return value (stringValue)=>{...}

- Others

- getPixelAtMapPos(mapPos) -> Returns the material at the provided local pos.

• mapPos The map pos ([x,y])

- updateImgMapFromPixels(force?) -> Updates the display image map according to the pixels array (Basically, renders a frame)

• force If true, disables optimization and forces every pixel to get redrawn (mostly used internally)

 

Materials

There are multiple material enums available each describing different properties:

- Materials types (MATERIALS)

• AIR -> Represents an empty pixel.
• SAND -> Falls in air and liquids, forms pile of itself.
• WATER -> Falls in air, spreads horizonally once grounded.
• STONE -> A solid block that stands still, and doesn't interact.
• GRAVEL -> Falls in air in liquids, but doesn't form pile of itself.
• INVERTED_WATER -> Water, but with inverted gravity.
• CONTAMINANT -> Acts like water, but spreads in other liquids.
• LAVA -> Acts like water, but slowed down. Transforms into stone when in contact with liquids. Slowly melts away some other materials.
• ELECTRICITY -> TODO. Can interact with some materials.
• COPPER -> Similar to stone, but can get lit by electricity.

- Material groups (MATERIAL_GROUPS)

• TRANSPIERCEABLE -> A group of materials some other can fall through. (AIR, WATER, INVERTED_WATER, CONTAMINANT)
• LIQUIDS -> A group of liquids. (WATER, INVERTED_WATER, CONTAMINANT)
• CONTAMINABLE -> A group of materials that can be contaminated. (WATER, INVERTED_WATER)
• MELTABLE -> A group of materials that can be melted. (SAND, GRAVEL)

- Material states (MATERIAL_STATES)

• EMPTY -> No states
• COPPER:
  • LIT -> Represents lit copper
  • ORIGIN -> Represents lit copper in direct contact with electricity
  • DISABLED -> Represents unlit copper

Brushes

All brushes available are given in the BRUSH_TYPES enum:

• PIXEL -> Draws a single pixel.
• VERTICAL_CROSS -> Draws pixels in a + symbol.
• LINE3 -> Draws pixels in a | symbol.
• ROW3 -> Draws pixels in a - symbol.
• BIG_DOT -> Draws pixels in a fat dot symbol.
• X3 -> Draws pixels in a 3x3 square.
• X5 -> Draws pixels in a 5x5 square.
• X15 -> Draws pixels in a 15x15 square.
• X25 -> Draws pixels in a 25x25 square.
• X55 -> Draws pixels in a 55x55 square.
• X99 -> Draws pixels in a 99x99 square.

 

Visual Examples

Create your own isolated interactive worlds!

Npx Commands

The main command interface: npx lcb-ps <commandName> <params?>

This is the global lcb-ps command. It provides access to all regular lcb-ps commands and some more. It also provides basic command autocompletion upon receiving an incomplete command name.

Commands:

This is the list of commands available through the lcb-ps command.

• template -> Creates a simple ESM project template. (npx lcb-js template <folderPath?>)
• browser-template -> Creates a simple UMD project template. (npx lcb-js browser-template <folderPath?>)
• documentation -> Opens the documentation (npx lcb-js documentation)
• help -> Shows commands syntax (npx lcb-js help)
• list -> Shows all available commands and aliases (npx lcb-js list)
• version -> Returns the installed version of the librairy (npx lcb-js version)

Credits

Made by Louis-Charles Biron !

Every line of code and documentation in this repository was written by hand with passion!