newton2: a first look at the next version

Theirs so many math-based track designing programs i have just chosen to stick with good 'ol NL editor. But i might actually give this a chance.
How easy is it to use? Will i be raped with lines of math and calculations?

[rcmaniac25]

Program is looking great. Can't wait to try it out when it is released.

> Theirs so many math-based track designing programs i have just chosen to stick with good 'ol NL editor. But i might actually give this a chance.
How easy is it to use? Will i be raped with lines of math and calculations?

There's not a single line of math, but you have to be logical to work out how to shape certain elements. It's also pretty easy and I think you could really pick it up within a week or so.

^haha thats just awesome!

will this one be easier than the current one? will i pick up newton2 if i learn the first one?

^ Im prob not one to say so but by looking at the video, it looks like it will be simialar to the old newton. So my guess would be yeah

Excellent. Purely excellent. This is precisely what I was waiting for to begin the complete implication of newton into projects. I'm very excited for this. This is probably the thing that will get me back into NoLimits.

[A7]

All I can say is wow. My best work to date is Quake (which is hand-built + heartlined + Not Released) However I have not stopped playing with the first Newton. I found it to be an excellent way to come up with quick and creative ideas for layouts. Version 2 seems much more 'complete' and apparently will blow any other current tools out of the water. So, I will most definitely be switching.

There is one suggestions I have, that I hope would not be too difficult to implement. I think it would be useful if the Sections on the side could be renamed by the user. Example: Instead of there being "Section 1, Section 2, Section 3..." The user could rename the sections to be "Lift, Drop, Helix, Dive Loop, Hill, Heartline Roll, MCBR, etc.." Thus, It would be much easier to navigate a highly sectioned track.

Anyways, Keep up the good work. From what I can see so far Newton 2 will be extremely useful to nearly all of the NL community. As "A113" said previously, I would also like to know if it will be free or if it will cost.

^I second the idea of being able name the sections accordingly to what part of your coaster your at. Haha good idea[approve].

Will this be any good with inverted coaster styles?

^You can do inverted coasters. Put the heartline negative. It works fine, I've done it. This will do everything.

First, thanks to dcs221 and Matt for answering some of your questions. Both have been testing newton since the early betas of version one...almost a year now! Hard to believe.

just because you have the program doesn't mean you know how to make your tracks realistic. Plus, wat about the things such as the layout or elements of a coaster, that adds to originality and adrenaline.

Excellent point...agree 100%. It's easy to use tools like newton, but not so easy to master.

I would also like to know if it will be free or if it will cost.

I've updated the F.A.Q. with this question--it will probably be free. I've thought about selling it, but to do so at a cheap enough price (say...the cost of a tasty Starbucks frappuccino) and still make a profit against transaction costs is looking pretty slim.

The user could rename the sections to be "Lift, Drop, Helix, Dive Loop, Hill, Heartline Roll, MCBR, etc.." Thus, It would be much easier to navigate a highly sectioned track.

Already in there.[;)]

Will this be any good with inverted coaster styles?

It handles them just fine. In fact, here's one a made entirely in newton2 (alright...except for a small section between the last break block and the station):

I never really finished it...you might have noticed some sloppy flanges...so don't look too closely!

all i can say is wow after watching that video.
that ride is so flawless and realistic!
i cant wait for this!!!

wow that looked the smoothest thing i have ever seen but i dont think i will be able to use it cause i have a mac and i dont have bootcamp or any of stuff so darn but ill be looking forward to riding some amazing rides.

Can you upload this one? It looks incredible.

Will there still be the "newton transitions" as some people call it in Newton 2? Basically meaning that the transitions in Newton1 were not exactly realistic. Will they be better here?

if you watched that video he posted, that should answer your question.
everything looked great!

i wasnt a fan of the tracks that came from the first one, but Newton 2 looks amazing!!!

Wow this is beyond awesome!

Oh just wondering, but what formal training do you have in math entropy? Seems like you added a lot to the original FVD formulas, if you even used those to start.

I never actually got into Newton 1 for two reasons: first because of the lacking ability to have overlapping time zones, and second because I'm on WinXP, which doesn't come preloaded with the .NET 3.0 framework, and I could never really figure out how to work that. So, my question is, will this require the .NET framework like the previous version? I hope not, because this looks perfect for what I want to do with NL!

It still requires the .NET framework so you have to go and download it from the Microsoft website : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en

After you've installed that it'll work. If you have any problems with that post back here and I'll try and help you out.

I'm expecting some awesome tracks coming from Jimmy Yoshi and Jakizle when this goes public

The question is, when will it? Hope soon!

This is going to be a breakthrough for realistic steel coasters, when used by the right people. I'll probably still stick to handbuilding for woodies, but this may even replace Elementary FVD for steel rides since it has added features. Awesome work!

Originally posted by griffonluv

Will there still be the "newton transitions" as some people call it in Newton 2? Basically meaning that the transitions in Newton1 were not exactly realistic. Will they be better here?

That is all dependant on the transition types you use. You can make them sudden, or smooth.

That looks amazing, but I have a question...What exactly are time zones? I mean the name is pretty self-explanatory, but I don't understand how over-lapping or multiple time zones are used while building coasters?

Originally posted by CoastaGuy

That looks amazing, but I have a question...What exactly are time zones? I mean the name is pretty self-explanatory, but I don't understand how over-lapping or multiple time zones are used while building coasters?

A single timezone defines a complete transition from a starting value to an ending value. You tell newton how much you want the parameter (whether that be the roll, normal force, or lateral force) to change, the transition function that defines how that change occurs, and how long it takes for the transition to finish.

In the original version of newton, the roll, normal, and lateral transitions all share the same start/stop times. In the new version, as well as in FVD, you are free to choose them independently, so that a roll transition can extend over several normal transitions.

Incidentally--and this is just my personal opinion and/or design philosophy--it's better to use shared zone (or single-zone force in the terminology of newton2) sections as much as possible. For example, I created the Recoil coaster almost exclusively with shared zones (with the exceptions of the drop out of the lift, the zero-g roll, the turn between the interlocking wingovers, and I think the turn into the final break run). The timewarping transitions (thank Hansixx for that tip) really allow you to get more mileage out of those single-zone sections.