Published: 2013-03-26 06:41:15
March 25, 2013 16:42
Box2DFlash is a 2D rigid body simulation library for games. Programmers can use it in their games to make objects move in believable ways and make the world seem more interactive. From the game's point of view a physics engine is just a system for procedural animation. Rather than paying (or begging) an animator to move your actors around, you can let Sir Isaac Newton do the directing. Box2DFlash is written in AS3, and resides in the Box2d namespace. Most of the types defined in the engine begin with the b2 prefix, to match the C++ version.
Box2DJS is a JavaScript port of Box2D Physics Engine. To tell the truth, this is converted from Box2DFlashAS3_1.4.3.1 in an automatic manner. (The reason why not Box2DFlashAS3_2.0.0 based is simply because I overlooked the renewal.)
Google developer advocate Seth Ladd has quietly but consistently been producing an excellent series of articles on his blog about a JavaScript port of Box2D, the physics engine used in Angry Birds.
Box2D is written and maintained by its original author, Erin Catto. Erin, who works for Blizzard Entertainment, built the library for a physics tutorial at GDC back in March 2006.
Erin Catto is a bit of a legend really, and I’m astonished that he only has 500 twitter followers. Surely we can help with that, right? I wonder if Jer Thorp’s plea to Rovio to chuck him some cash ever worked? I know that they at least publicly acknowledged his contribution but only after he confronted them at GDC.
