Soda Constructor (Revisited)
(2024 version - here)
(2020 - here)
(2019 - here)
(2018 - here)
Yeah, that was the famous Soda Constructor from Ed Burton and Soda company. It was the experience one never forget - the app was fabolous. It was Java based applet in which you could build simple spring-mass system based models with muscles and make them live.. This app was very popular and many people created their own robots, walkers, etc. Later, Soda has changed the app into something bigger, there was Soda Zoo, Soda Race and even the second version of Constructor was released. For me, however, none of them were that magical as the original one.
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| Original Soda Constructor by SodaPlay. |
Soda Today
Now, as we have 2018 and I am after more than 15 years of my studies in physics doing stuff like simulations I realized that it would be funny to show this app to my kids. And what? Nothing. There is nothing left in the internet - the app dissapeared same as the Java applet technology. There was some try to raise Kickstarter campaign to get Soda back, but it was not successful.
Therefore, I didn't wait long and decided to write my own version of the app from scratch. From the physical point of view it was rather simple, eventually this is a bunch of springs, masses and some time varying sinous muscles. Nothing fancy, especially that whole thing works fine with Euler integrator which surprised me a lot. I used several sources to make it as close as possible to the original app and - it is 50% done I'd say. While I am not going to repeat the sound synhesis part (is it needed anyway?) I decided to make the physical part as close as possible to original.
I recommend you to play it now on the San Jose website.
Results
Please have a look below to see some of the creations I've made with the program.
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San Jose was written from scratch. This is the main view, where you can
either go into construction or play mode. The default object of dainty
walker based model is loaded.
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| Adding more masses attached in the back and increase of gravity made the walker less efficient (this is the result of 2018 app). |
I added one additional feature to the app - you may easily load/save your model by using its internal text format for the models. The user may either paste his model from clipboard or edit values by hand. Of course models done using graphics editor may be easily converted to this format (by clicking save). I hope this (easy) way people may share their creations.
Possibilities
There are many ways the app may be used, please have a look on the talk given by the author of original app Ed Burton. Shortly after I wrote my version I realized there is someone doing the same stuff as open constructor as well as springy thingies from KrazyDad. However, all those versions have their own flavour and I think mine has the spirit :-)
Enjoy, it's free. Play it here and have fun!
Maciej Matyka, 2018-03-01, Wrocław
Contact: maciej.matyka@gmail.com
Constructor2018 is the part of http://felp.pl project
ps My collection of links important for the Soda Constructor project and its history:
https://web.archive.org/web/20040212024753/http://www.warptera.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20031208183323/http://www.sodaplaycentral.com:80/models.php
http://www.lightcycle.org/workspace/spring_set/spring_set_appvar.pde
https://processing.org/discourse/alpha/board_Contribution_Simlation_action_display_num_1083008179.html
http://www.lightcycle.org/workspace/spring_set/
http://www.tom-carden.co.uk/p5/soda_rip/appvar/index.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20031210110220/http://www.sodaplaycentral.com:80/articles/mss.php
https://web.archive.org/web/20031208180149/http://www.sodaplaycentral.com:80/articles/articles.php
https://web.archive.org/web/20160417141419/http://www.warptera.com:80/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050309104454/http://sodaplay.com:80/constructor/beta/daintywalker.xml
Sodaplay was the first online community that I was ever part of.
ReplyDeleteI remember ripping your models apart, trying to figure out how you did what you did. I was probably responsible for a LOT of the web traffic to warptera.com.
I'm grateful to have been part of the community. I am still close with some of the other members that were active when I was building a lot, between 2003 and 2005. It's really cool to see the spirit carried on here.
Hi John.. hmm.. I hope you didn't think I'm the author of original Soda after reading this. I'm only rewriting the original program in JS in order to bring it back to life as far as I can (doig this for myself & kids :-). For me Soda was the first experience I had with simulations which had strong impact on myself...
Deletebtw. I'm looking for betatesters for the new version of "new soda" with .xml import/export, static points, 0 length springs etc. If you like to become one, pls email me at maciej.matyka@gmail.com
DeleteOmg it's warptera!
ReplyDeleteI'm 27 Now, was around 10-12 years old when I started with soda constructor. Like John said, the sodaplay forums was the first online community I was part of. I also remember studying warptera models (also remember mono was awesome). Thanks for bringing the constructor back, big nostalgia.
-lewa
I do want to add that, the friction multiplier seems to need to be much higher. Thinks should be almost sticky at max. And, is there no speed adjustment for the muscle sine?
DeleteI will think of both soon, thank you for the feedback!
DeleteI had actually started programming my own clone (with added commands), might send it to you at some point. Finding this page today got me inspired to start working on it again, in Game Maker 8 Pro (lol).
Deletegood! I will be happy to see it. There is one more around (OpenConstructor) which I found after finished this one :)
Deletebtw. I'm looking for betatesters for the new version of "new soda" with .xml import/export, static points, 0 length springs etc. If you like to become one, pls email me at maciej.matyka@gmail.com
DeleteIt's nice to find this. I think the last time I looked a few years ago there was nothing, now there are this one and others, thanks :)
ReplyDeletethank you, I'm still working on this, please drop me an email to: kodernastrychu@gmail.com and I will let you know about updates ;)
DeleteCheers!
Maciek
btw. I'm looking for betatesters for the new version of "new soda" with .xml import/export, static points, 0 length springs etc. If you like to become one, pls email me at maciej.matyka@gmail.com
DeleteYou're almost there! All you need now is the ability to create static points (to make construction grids), and we're set! Everything else would just be icing on the cake!
ReplyDeletestatic ponts are done, now I'm looking for solid betatesters :-)
Deletedid original soda have static points? just courious
Deletebtw. I'm looking for betatesters for the new version of "new soda" with .xml import/export, static points, 0 length springs etc. If you like to become one, pls email me at maciej.matyka@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteNice surprise!
ReplyDeleteI was looking for Soda Constructor to show it to mi sons and I found it had been turned off long time ago.
Then I found yours. Great job! Thanks!
I have something better - together with my former student we are now working on the 2.0 version with all the server backend and possibility to save/load/link to your models you create. This is avalable for testing only, you are welcome to join the testing team with your son, just email me: maciej.matyka at gmail.com
DeleteThis is great! I was an early and happy SodaPlay user when it first came out. One of the more useful/educational items on the web at the time.
ReplyDeleteSo great you have resurrected it!
I hope you continue development to the point where you find value in a 3D version and then it explodes into the next level thereafter which includes skinning for organic looking character development/interaction.
Could be huge, like, next level Erector Set, meets Legos, meets Organic Ecosystem, meets ???
This is so cool... Well done.
Cool, thanks!
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ReplyDeleteyo i see lewa and warptera in the comments. just thought id say hi! -matthew102000
ReplyDeletehi, you may want to reply to their post then it will be more visible.
DeleteSome of them are on Facebook group as well -
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ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI see the last post here was about 4 years ago, but I noticed the site was updated in 2024—not that long ago—so there's a chance someone might read this.
My name is Marcello, and I’m an old Sodaplay user. My nickname back then was Jeckyll. I wrote a paper on how Sodaconstructor worked ("The Physics Behind the Sodaconstructor") in collaboration with another veteran user, Lectavay. I also created a 3D version of Sodaconstructor called "Springs World 3D" (SW3D), which was online for a few years.
The app has been offline for a long time now. After a drastic drop in interest and a couple of years of near-zero traffic, I eventually shut it down. However, I kept all the account data, the models, and, of course, the source code.
It’s been about 20 years since then, and I haven't touched it, but over the holidays, I dug up the old material to see if I could do anything with it. It seemed like a shame to let all the creativity of the SW3D users be lost. In the SW3D equivalent of the "Zoo," users posted hundreds of models—veteran users like mono, GetZ, glitch, and many others tried their hand at building 3D models.
So I thought: what if I used AI to resurrect those old models? So I did.
I fed the old code to Gemini, and after a couple of days, I created a web app (JavaScript/HTML) that runs smoothly on any browser and lets you view all those old models. I'm currently refining it because Gemini couldn't perfectly replicate the numerical integration algorithm, so some models (about 10%) don't run perfectly yet. However, it won't take me long to fix that.
If anyone is interested, I could share the viewer app along with the hundreds of models created by the users of the old SW3D.
If you're still out there, let me know!
Hi, nice to hear from you, Jeckyll!
DeletePls drop me an email to maciej.matyka@gmail.com - we gathered a few people on Facebook group around Soda, that you may know from these times.
Good move with Gemini!
OMG!!! Jeckyll!!!! I was playing with SW3d back in 2003!!! Same time as Soda constructor!!! I'm interested!!! I've actually been coding half the night trying to recreate SW3d when I found this post!!! I joined that facebook group btw... I'd love to see what you've been working on!!!
DeleteGreat to see you're still active!
Hi EVAI,
DeleteIt’s really great to hear that there are still people who remember my old SW3D.
If you send me your email address, I can send you the 3D model viewer along with the nearly 400 models that users of the old SW3D created over the years.
Also, you might be interested to know that I’ve just finished building a new version of SW3D. In addition to viewing models, this new version allows you to create new ones, interact with them, and save them directly to your computer.
I’ve tested this new version extensively, and it seems to work quite well. As soon as I finish writing a short user guide, I plan to release it freely.
Best regards, Marcello (Jeckyll) :)
Hello Jeckyll. I posted here in 2021 and happy that I’m still on this blog blast, especially hearing of this latest progress. My son (who was 10 ay time of the original in 2000) and I would enjoy experiencing what you’ve done with SW3D after your user guide is complete.
DeleteCheers!
blewzdood at gmail
Marcello! Great to hear back from you! I joined the facebook group that you joined back at Christmas :D So you can find me on there or just email me EVAIinvesting at gmail ! I'm so happy I heard back from you!
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ReplyDelete