varunsaravagi / physicsmultiplay

Physics multiplayer demo

This is simple a demo for a multiplayer physics playground based on three.js, cannon.js, and node.js.

The scene features multi-user interactions such as:

• Object spawning (boxes and spheres).
• Mouse picking (Pick and throw objects around with the mouse).
• Apply a point gravity field.
• Chat with other players

Server-client communication is done using WebSockets with packets in JSON text-format. Simulation is done serverside only, while clients handle rendering.

Live demo at nodejitsu

Installation and Usage

To install, clone the repository and do:

apt-get install nodejs
cd physicsmultiplay
npm install
node cannon_server.js

point your browser to the IP and enter a name.

Note: to change the default port 80, you have to change it in both cannon_server.js and cannon_client.js.

Ideas and Todos

• Support convex shapes. Teapots and rabbits mandatory.
• Send update of an entity to clients only if it has been changed.
• Improved mouse-pick rendering. Link between points in constraint.
• Render mouse picks of other clients.
• Binary packets instead of text.
• Limit number of players.