How to calculate third point on line using atan2? - actionscript-3

I'm trying to animate some bitmaps out in relation to a center point. They don't all start at that center point, but I want them to fly out as though a force from that center point slammed into them and pushed them outwards radially, such that they fly completely off the stage.
So: I know the center point, and the x and y position of each bitmap arranged around it. For each one I can draw a line from the center to that x,y point. I should then be able to get the angle formed by that line to the horizontal, and then set a destination point farther out on that line. The bitmap will be tweened out to that point. I believe that that is what Math.atan2 is for.
Here's what I've got as I iterate through the array of bitmaps (i is an object):
var angle:Number = Math.atan2(i.bitmap.y - centerY, i.bitmap.x - centerX) * 180 / Math.PI;
var dist:Number = 200; //arbitrary number, just to test
destX = centerX + dist * Math.cos(angle); //destination x
destY = centerY + dist * Math.sin(angle); //destination y
Instead of these things gliding out radially, they're jumping around.
I'm having trouble understanding atan2 and exactly what I'm doing wrong.
Thanks,
David

You can achieve the same effect without trigonometric functions using just vector operations:
var dist:Number = 200; //arbitrary number, just to test
var dx:Number = i.bitmap.x - centerX;
var dy:Number = i.bitmap.y - centerY;
var length:Number = Math.sqrt( dx*dx + dy*dy );
var normalizeddx:Number = dx / length;
var normalizeddy:Number = dy / length;
destX = centerX + dist * normalizeddx; //destination x
destY = centerY + dist * normalizeddy; //destination y
This should be much faster, than using trigonometric functions. I don't know the language specifics of actionscript, so probably this can be optimized more.

Try removing the *180/PI to keep the angle in radians.
var angle:Number = Math.atan2(i.bitmap.y-centerY, i.bitmap.x - centerX);
Then change destX and destY to
destX = i.bitmap.x + dist * Math.cos(angle);
destY = i.bitmap.y + dist * Math.sin(angle);

atan2 could work in this situation I suppose but I would just use atan:
var angle:Number = Math.atan((i.bitmap.y - centerY) / (i.bitmap.x - centerX));
ADDITION:
Code I just saw on another forum that appears to do what you want (there's only a slight difference from what you wrote in the first place)
var angle:Number = Math.atan2(mouseX,mouseY-180)-Math.PI/2;
var xNew:Number = 20*Math.cos(angle);
var yNew:Number = -20*Math.sin(angle);

You have to get rid of the *180/Math.PI part. The angle has to be in radians. So the first line would look like
var angle:Number = Math.atan2(i.bitmap.y - centerY, i.bitmap.x - centerX);
The rest should be fine.

Related

Making objects chase another (AS3)

So i have an object that i want to chase another object. Everything is working fine, however i tried to implement an easeTo function to make it so that the object doesn't take the most direct route to the x,y locations of the object it is chasing. This also works but the thing that is really pissing that i can't fix is the fact that the objects speed changes depending how far away from the object it is chasing is. For example, if the object being chased is on the far right of the stage and the chaser spawns on the far left, it will go really fast towards the object on the right and slow down as it gets closer. I would love for it to go at a consistent speed. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Here is my code
private function easeTo(cur:Point, target:Point, ease:Number):Point{
var dx:Number = target.x - cur.x;
var dy:Number = target.y - cur.y;
var finalResult:Point = new Point(); //create a var to hold the result
finalResult.x = cur.x + (dx * ease);
finalResult.y = cur.y + (dy * ease);
return finalResult;
}
public function chase(xValue:Number, yValue:Number):void{
//store current x and y in a point var
var curPos:Point = new Point (x,y);
//store the mouse x and y in a var
var targetPos:Point = new Point(xValue, yValue);
var nextPos:Point = easeTo(curPos, targetPos, 0.001);
this.x = nextPos.x;
this.y = nextPos.y;
}
So the (xValue:Number, yValue:Number) is the x and y values of the object it is chasing being passed into the chase function.
I would suggest using Math.min (when dx or dy is negative) and Math.max (when dx or dy is positive) with a value you define to be your max speed
ie:
var maxSpeed:Number = 20;
if (dx >= 0){
dx = Math.max(dx,maxSpeed)
}else{
dx = Math.min(dx,maxSpeed)
}
repeat for dy

How do I play an animation in a specific place controlled by actionscript?

I have this moving character and when I press a button I want it to shoot at a object pointed by the mouse. But the character is moving so I don't know how to make the animation in a specific place. I am using Flash, actionscript 2 or 3
There are many ways in which it can be done, but this one is known to be one of the simplest:
Given source point A and target point B:
Calculate distance between A and B
var distance:Number = computeDistance(A,B); //define your function where computeDistance returns the Pythagorean distance between A and B
Calculate x and y difference
var dx:Number = B.x - A.x;
var dy:Number = B.y - A.y;
// normalization. Think of this as a ratio of the legs relative to the hypotenuse
dx = dx / distance;
dy = dy / distance;`
Calcualate xSpeed and ySpeed by multiplying dx and dy with speedPerFrame (arbitrary)
var xSpeed:Number = dx*speedPerFrame;
var ySpeed:Number = dy*speedPerFrame;
Increment your object's x and y position using xSpeed and ySpeed in the main game loop (respectively). Make sure you add a check if the object has arrived at the destination point.

Rotate image around center point of it's container

I have Image component inside some container with clipAndEnableScrolling property set to true. I need a static method which gets this Image, rotation angle and rotates Image around center point of container without loosing any previous transformations. The best method I've created adds error after few rotations.
I thing it must work like this
public static function rotateImageAroundCenterOfViewPort(image:Image, value:int):void
{
// Calculate rotation and shifts
var bounds:Rectangle = image.getBounds(image.parent);
var angle:Number = value - image.rotation;
var radians:Number = angle * (Math.PI / 180.0);
var shiftByX:Number = image.parent.width / 2 - bounds.x;
var shiftByY:Number = image.parent.height / 2 - bounds.y;
// Perform rotation
var matrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
matrix.translate(-shiftByX, -shiftByY);
matrix.rotate(radians);
matrix.translate(+shiftByX, +shiftByY);
matrix.concat(image.transform.matrix);
image.transform.matrix = matrix;
}
but it doesn't. Looks like I can't understand how transformation works(
If you are trying to rotate the object around it's center, I think you'll want some more like this:
var matrix:Matrix = image.transform.matrix;
var rect:Rectangle = image.getBounds( insertParentObject );
//translate matrix to center
matrix.translate(- ( rect.left + ( rect.width/2 ) ), - ( rect.top + ( rect.height/2 ) ) );
matrix.rotate(radians);
//translate back
matrix.translate(rect.left + ( rect.width/2 ), rect.top + ( rect.height/2 ) );
image.transform.matrix = matrix;
Also here is a link to the same SO question with varying answers including the one I provided:
Flex/ActionScript - rotate Sprite around its center
As discussed in the comments if you are looking to rotate an object around a point (that is the center of your container), here's a function that I think would work:
//pass rotateAmount as the angle you want to rotate in degrees
private function rotateAround( rotateAmount:Number, obj:DisplayObject, origin:Point, distance:Number = 100 ):void {
var radians:Number = rotateAmount * Math.PI / 180;
obj.x = origin.x + distance * Math.cos( radians );
obj.y = origin.y + distance * Math.sin( radians );
}
Then you just call it:
rotateAround( rotateAmount, image, new Point( container.width/2, container.height/2 ) );
The last parameter distance you can pass whatever you like, so for example if I wanted a distance of the image vector length:
var dx:Number = spr.x - stage.stageWidth/2;
var dy:Number = spr.y - stage.stageHeight/2;
var dist:Number = Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
rotateAround( rotateAmount, image, new Point( container.width/2, container.height/2 ), dist );
Here's the solution I've found:
public static function rotateImageAroundCenterOfViewPort(image:Image, value:int):void
{
// Calculate rotation and shifts
var center:Point = new Point(image.parent.width / 2, image.parent.height / 2);
center = image.parent.localToGlobal(center);
center = image.globalToLocal(center);
var angle:Number = value - image.rotation;
var radians:Number = angle * (Math.PI / 180.0);
var shiftByX:Number = center.x;
var shiftByY:Number = center.y;
// Perform rotation
var matrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
matrix.translate(-shiftByX, -shiftByY);
matrix.rotate(radians);
matrix.translate(+shiftByX, +shiftByY);
matrix.concat(image.transform.matrix);
image.transform.matrix = matrix;
image.rotation = Math.round(image.rotation);
}
Teste only with the angles like 90, 180 etc. (I don't need any else).

find angle and velocity for a parabola that meet specific range

i'm a little ashamed to ask this, but i have tried a lot of different things and can't make it work.
i have a game that shots a bullet, i have made the code that calculates the parabola trajectory given a an angle and a velocity, but i'm trying to make the calculus needed to get the angle and velocity needed to reach X point (the user enemy tank) and i'm unable to make it work as i need.
my current code is:
var startingPointX:Number = globalCoord.x;
var startingPointY:Number = globalCoord.y;
var targetX:Number = tankPlayer.x;
var targetY:Number = tankPlayer.y;
//distance between user and enemy tank
var distanceTarget = Math.sqrt(( startingPointX - targetX ) * ( startingPointX - targetX ) + ( startingPointY - targetY ) * ( startingPointY - targetY ));
var fixedVel = (distanceTarget/10)*2;
var fixedG = bullet.g;
// launch angle
var o:Number = -(Math.asin((0.5 * Math.atan(fixedG * distanceTarget / fixedVel * fixedVel))) * 180 / Math.PI);
bullet.init(startingPointX, startingPointY, o, fixedVel);
and the functions in the bullet object that actually position the bullet in the parabola trajectory is:
public function init(x, y:Number, rot:Number, speed:Number) {
// set the start position
var initialMove:Number = 35.0;
this.x = x + initialMove * Math.cos(2 * Math.PI * rot / 360);
this.y = y + initialMove * Math.sin(2 * Math.PI * rot / 360);
this.rotation = rot;
//get speed
dx = speed * Math.cos(2 * Math.PI * rot / 360);
dy = speed * Math.sin(2 * Math.PI * rot / 360);
//animation
lastTime = getTimer();
addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME,moveBullet);
}
public function moveBullet(event:Event)
{
//get the time passed
var timePassed:int = getTimer() - lastTime;
lastTime += timePassed;
//move bullet
dy += g * timePassed / 1000;
this.x += dx * timePassed / 1000;
this.y += dy * timePassed / 1000;
//bullet past the top of the screen
if (this.y < 0)
{
deleteBullet();
}
}
any help would be really useful, thanks ! :D
Regards,
Shadow.
If this is a ballistics problem in the sense that you project a particle from point A with velocity v at an angle theta and you want it to hit a point T where the y coordinates of A and T match (ie they lie on a plane perpendicular to the vector of gravitational force vector) then you can calculate the required angle and velocity from this equation (See your wiki link where this is defined):
R = (v * v * sin(2 * theta))/g
Here R is the distance travelled in the x direction from your start point A . The problem you are facing is you are trying to interpolate a parabola through just 2 points. There are an infinite amount of parabolas that will interpolate 2 points while the parabola through 3 points is unique. Essentially there are an infinite amount of choices for velocity and angle such that you can hit your target.
You will either need to fix the angle, or the velocity of the bullet in order to use the above equation to find the value you require. If not, you have an infinite number of parabolas that can hit your target.
The above assumes that air resistance is ignored.
EDIT : Thus if you know velocity v already you can get theta from simple rearrangement of the above :
( asin(g * R / (v * v)) ) / 2 = theta
Based on the suggestion from #mathematician1975 i resolved the code to this and works perfectly :D
var distanceTarget = startingPointX - targetX ;
var fixedVel = 100;
var fixedG = tmpB.g;
var o:Number = (0.5 * Math.atan((fixedG * distanceTarget / (fixedVel * fixedVel)))) * 180 / Math.PI;
//this is only necessary why the enemy tank is facing left
o -= 180;
what i made is:
set a fixed velocity as #mathematician1975 said, a lot bigger than before
the distance between starting and ending point is lineal and not using Pythagoras.
the -180 is just why the enemy tanks is facing left.
i hope someone would find it useful in the future :D
Regards,
Shadow.

Zooming an object based on mouse position

I've got a large large Sprite, and I want to zoom in and out keeping mouse position as the pivot point, exactly how google maps or the photoshop zoom works, when you rotate the mouse wheel.
To archieve the zoom effect I tween the scaleX and scaleY properties, but the fixed point is (0,0), while i need to be the mouse position (that changes everytime, of course).
How can I change this?
thanks.
I just did a Google search for "zoom about an arbitrary point" (minus the quotes) and the first result looks promising.
You have to take the original offset out the scale and then reapply it at the new scale. I've done this myself but don't have the code to hand right now, so I'll see if I can dig it out and post it later.
The pseudo code for this is something like this (from memory):
float dir = UP ? 1 : -1;
float oldXscale = Xscale;
float oldYscale = Yscale;
Xscale += dir * increment;
Yscale += dir * increment;
newX = (oldX - Xoffset) / Xscale;
newY = (oldY - Yoffset) / Yscale;
Xoffset += (newX * oldXscale) - (newX * Xscale);
Yoffset += (newY * oldYscale) - (newY * Yscale);
Anything not declared is a "global"
Found out by searching the right words on google ...
This link explains the Affine Transformations http://gasi.ch/blog/zooming-in-flash-flex/
and so I can Tween the transformation Matrix:
var affineTransform:Matrix = board.transform.matrix;
affineTransform.translate( -mouseX, -mouseY );
affineTransform.scale( 0.8, 0.8 );
affineTransform.translate( mouseX, mouseY );
var originalMatrix:Matrix = board.transform.matrix;
TweenLite.to(originalMatrix, 0.7, {a:affineTransform.a, b:affineTransform.b, c:affineTransform.c, d:affineTransform.d, tx:affineTransform.tx, ty:affineTransform.ty, onUpdate:applyMatrix, onUpdateParams:[originalMatrix]});
:-)
private static function onMouseWheel(event:MouseEvent):void {
var zoomAmount:Number = 0.03;
if (event.delta < 0)
zoomAmount *= -1;
var x:int = largeLargeSprite.mouseX;
var y:int = largeLargeSprite.mouseY;
largeLargeSprite.scaleX += zoomAmount;
largeLargeSprite.scaleY += zoomAmount;
largeLargeSprite.x -= x * zoomAmount;
largeLargeSprite.y -= y * zoomAmount;
}