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Code archives/3D Graphics - Mesh/Wipeout vapour style trails

This code has been declared by its author to be Public Domain code.

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Wipeout vapour style trails by Modded2009
I was looking for a usable mesh system for a wipeout style trail but not using sprites. This is inspired a several year post but designed to be a triangular mesh instead of flat to be better viewed from all angles. And of course faster than square..

Just thought I’d share it in case anyone else can find use for it. The example bellow is a little buggy but shows trails up to 5,000 segments long and it doesn’t slow this old pc down so I guess it reasonably optimised! 
Graphics3D 1280,768,32,2
SetBuffer(BackBuffer())

camera= CreateCamera()
MoveEntity camera,4,4,4
ball_piv = CreatePivot()
ball = CreateSphere(5,ball_piv)
ball_tar = CreatePivot(ball_piv)
testp1 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp2 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp3 = CreatePivot(ball)
PositionEntity testp1,-.6,0,0
PositionEntity testp2,  0,1,0
PositionEntity testp3, .6,0,0

testp4 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp5 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp6 = CreatePivot(ball)
PositionEntity testp4,-.6,1,0
PositionEntity testp5,  0,2,0
PositionEntity testp6, .6,1,0

testp7 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp8 = CreatePivot(ball)
testp9 = CreatePivot(ball)
PositionEntity testp7,.4,0,0
PositionEntity testp8,  1,1,0
PositionEntity testp9, 1.6,0,0

TurnEntity ball,0,0,0
ScaleEntity ball,.1,.1,.1
PointEntity camera,ball
light = CreateLight()
RotateEntity light,0,45,0

a# = 0.0
trail = create_trail(50,testp1,testp2,testp3,255,170,170)
trail2= create_trail(500,testp4,testp5,testp6,170,255,170)
trail3= create_trail(5000,testp7,testp8,testp9,170,170,255)

Function upate_trail(trail,testp1,testp2,testp3)
	Local tsurf  = GetSurface(trail,1)
	For a = CountVertices(tsurf)-1 To 3 Step -1
		VertexCoords(tsurf,a,VertexX#(tsurf,a-3),VertexY#(tsurf,a-3),VertexZ#(tsurf,a-3))
	Next
	VertexCoords(tsurf,0,EntityX#(testp1,True),EntityY#(testp1,True),EntityZ#(testp1,True))
	VertexCoords(tsurf,1,EntityX#(testp2,True),EntityY#(testp2,True),EntityZ#(testp2,True))
	VertexCoords(tsurf,2,EntityX#(testp3,True),EntityY#(testp3,True),EntityZ#(testp3,True))
End Function

Function move_trail(trail,testp1,testp2,testp3)
	Local tsurf = GetSurface(trail,1)
	For a = CountVertices(tsurf)-1 To 0 Step -3
		VertexCoords(tsurf,a,EntityX#(testp1,True),EntityY#(testp1,True),EntityZ#(testp1,True))
		VertexCoords(tsurf,a-1,EntityX#(testp2,True),EntityY#(testp2,True),EntityZ#(testp2,True))
		VertexCoords(tsurf,a-2,EntityX#(testp3,True),EntityY#(testp3,True),EntityZ#(testp3,True))
	Next
End Function

Function create_trail(sections,testp1,testp2,testp3,colr=75,colg=75,colb=255)
	Local trail = CreateMesh()
	Local tsurf = CreateSurface(trail)
	Local trail_length = sections
	AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp1,True),EntityY#(testp1,True),EntityZ#(testp1,True))
	AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp2,True),EntityY#(testp2,True),EntityZ#(testp2,True))
	AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp3,True),EntityY#(testp3,True),EntityZ#(testp3,True))
	For a = 0 To trail_length-1
		AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp1,True),EntityY#(testp1,True),EntityZ#(testp1,True))
		AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp2,True),EntityY#(testp2,True),EntityZ#(testp2,True))
		AddVertex(tsurf,EntityX#(testp3,True),EntityY#(testp3,True),EntityZ#(testp3,True))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,0+(a*3),1+(a*3),3+(a*3))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,1+(a*3),4+(a*3),3+(a*3))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,1+(a*3),2+(a*3),4+(a*3))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,2+(a*3),5+(a*3),4+(a*3))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,0+(a*3),3+(a*3),5+(a*3))
		AddTriangle(tsurf,0+(a*3),5+(a*3),2+(a*3))
	Next
	b = CountVertices(tsurf)
	For a = 0 To b
		If a < 6
			If a < 3
				VertexColor(tsurf,a,colr,colg,colb,.1)
			Else
				VertexColor(tsurf,a,colr,colg,colb,.5)
			EndIf
		Else
			VertexColor(tsurf,a,colr,colg,colb,1-Float(a)/Float(b))
		EndIf
	Next
	EntityFX trail,1+2+4+8+32
	Return trail
End Function

wframe = False

a = -1
While Not(KeyHit(1))
	PositionEntity ball,Cos(a)*3,Cos(a*2)*3,Sin(a*2)*1.5
	PositionEntity ball_tar,0.01+Cos(a+10)*3,Sin(a+10*2)*3,0.01+Sin((a+10)*2)*1.5
	
	TurnEntity ball_piv,0,.5,.2
	PointEntity ball,ball_tar
	RotateEntity ball,EntityPitch#(ball,True),EntityYaw#(ball,True),0
;	PointEntity camera,ball
	If a = -1 Then move_trail(trail,testp1,testp2,testp3)
	If a = -1 Then move_trail(trail2,testp4,testp5,testp6)
	If a = -1 Then move_trail(trail3,testp7,testp8,testp9)
	upate_trail(trail,testp1,testp2,testp3)
	upate_trail(trail2,testp4,testp5,testp6)
	upate_trail(trail3,testp7,testp8,testp9)

	PositionEntity camera,0,0,0
	TurnEntity camera,0,1,0
	MoveEntity camera,0,0,-7

	If a# > 360 Then a#=a#-360
	a# = a# + 1

	If KeyHit(17) Then wframe = Not wframe
	Wireframe wframe

	UpdateWorld
	RenderWorld
	Color 255,255,255
	Text 10,10,TrisRendered()
	Flip; False
Wend
ClearWorld
EndGraphics
End

Comments

puki2009
I like it. You just customise the required trail length via the first value of create_trail()

Stick it in the Code Archives.

EDIT:
Oh, this is the Code Archives. I thought I was in General Help.


_PJ_2009
Very nice!

I was actually looking for something like this a while back, the triangular flat mesh as opposed to sprites for 'jets' / 'trails' :)

Many thanks, "Modded"

(also, just running the demo example makes a nice screensaver :D )


Chroma2010
This is really cool! Took a minute to figure out how to incorporate it as wingtip vapor but it looks ace!


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