Selected object toolbar

Physics Line

When a physics line or one of its points is selected, the toolbar switches to line-editing actions for points, segments, curves, and line skins.

When it appears

Where this control fits

Appears when the selected object is a physics line or when the editor is working with physics-line edit points.

What It Opens

Switches the workflow toward line editing, including object-level settings and point-level shape controls.

Why It Matters

When a physics line or one of its points is selected, the toolbar switches to line-editing actions for points, segments, curves, and line skins.

Detailed behavior

How this control works

This section expands the short walkthrough row into the practical behavior a player or level creator needs to understand.

Line As Object

When the whole physics line is selected, it can use normal object controls such as settings, movement, duplication, and supported gameplay behavior.

Point Editing

When an edit point is selected, the toolbar changes to curve and point controls because the player is editing line shape rather than the whole object.

Collision Shape

Physics lines can become ramps, rails, paths, boundaries, flexible-looking surfaces, or custom collision silhouettes.

Solve Mode Difference

Some scale or shape edits can be restricted in solve mode because the simulation is already running.

What each control does

Control reference

Physics Line is one of the deepest tools in Ancient Machines. A line can be a drawn collision surface, a non-physical visual, a textured cable, a filled closed shape, a solid converted object, or a chain of segments where each segment has its own gameplay behavior.

Current Line Segment

Selects which segment of the physics line is being edited. Segment-specific settings, physics overrides, damage, laser, magnet, and one-side platform rules apply to this selected segment.

Focus Mode

Helps isolate the selected segment while editing a dense line. Use it when a long line has many small segments and the current one is hard to inspect.

Apply For All Segments

Applies compatible segment settings across the full line instead of only the current segment. This is useful for global texture, physics, and hazard tuning.

Line Thickness

Controls the base thickness of the line. It affects readability and can influence the generated collision shape when the line has physics enabled.

Enable Line Round Edge

Rounds line caps and joins where supported. Enable it for pipes, ropes, soft cables, and smooth rails; disable it for sharp industrial edges.

Draw Line Segment In Back

Draws the selected segment behind other line parts. This helps layered or overlapping line art read correctly.

Line Joint Draw Type

Chooses how corners are joined: Miter for sharp corners, Bevel for cut corners, or Round for smooth bends.

Enable Thickness Change

Allows the segment thickness to change along the line. Use it for tapered branches, ramps, pipes, organic shapes, and hand-drawn looking surfaces.

Thickness Change Ratio

Controls how strongly the thickness changes. Positive and negative values can make the segment grow or shrink along its direction.

Line Draw Thickness Offset

Offsets the visual thickness independently from the base line path. It is useful when the drawing needs to sit differently from the collision center.

Connect First And Last Point

Closes the line by connecting the last point back to the first point. This is important for loops, closed shapes, containers, and fill-based line objects.

Segment Offset X/Y

Moves the selected segment's drawn position without moving the whole object. Use it for visual alignment and layered line styles.

Segment Rotation

Rotates the selected segment's drawn transform. This is useful when segment artwork needs to be angled differently from its raw points.

Segment Scale X/Y

Scales the selected segment visually on each axis. It can stretch or compress a segment's drawn shape without redrawing the whole line.

Draw Position Type

Controls whether the visual line is drawn centered on the path, toward the inner side, or toward the outer side.

Draw Position Offset

Fine-tunes the visual offset from the physics path. Use it when the collision should stay precise but the art should shift.

Enable Line Segment Skip

Skips drawing or processing a selected segment where supported. This can create gaps, broken rails, segmented decorations, or non-continuous paths.

Disable Physics

Turns off physics for the selected line segment. The segment can remain visible while no longer acting as a collision surface.

Enable Line Simplification

Simplifies line data before it is used. This helps reduce overly dense point data, especially after hand drawing or complex curve edits.

Line Simplification Factor

Controls how aggressively the line is simplified. Higher simplification can make physics cleaner but may remove small drawn details.

Convert To Solid Object

Converts selected line segments into a solid object shape. This is for cases where a drawn line needs to behave like a filled, solid physics body instead of a thin line.

Solid Conversion Precision

Controls the precision used when turning line geometry into a solid object. Higher precision can preserve detail but may create heavier physics.

Force Two Phase Conversion

Forces a two-phase conversion path for more difficult line shapes. Use it when a complex line does not convert cleanly in one pass.

Set Solid Object As Sensor

Makes the converted solid object's fixture act as a sensor. It can detect overlap without physically blocking movement.

Keep Physics Line

Keeps the original physics line when a solid object is created. Turn it off when the solid object should replace the line, or keep it on for combined visual and physical behavior.

Start Conversion Segment

Marks this segment as the start of a solid conversion range. Use it with an end segment to convert only part of a long line.

End Conversion Segment

Marks this segment as the end of a solid conversion range. Everything between start and end can become the converted solid shape.

Override Segment Physics

Allows the selected segment to use its own density, friction, restitution, and sensor settings instead of inheriting the general line settings.

Segment Density

Controls mass behavior for the segment when physics override is enabled. Higher density makes the segment heavier in dynamic setups.

Segment Friction

Controls how strongly other objects grip or slide against this segment. Use high friction for sticky ramps and low friction for ice or metal rails.

Segment Restitution

Controls bounce on the selected segment. Higher values make objects rebound more strongly.

Segment Is Sensor

Makes the segment detect contacts without physically blocking objects. This is useful for invisible triggers, damage zones, and detection rails.

Segment Material Override

Overrides the material type used by this segment. Material affects how the segment is interpreted visually and by gameplay systems that care about material type.

Destroy Other Object

Makes contact with the segment able to destroy other objects. Use it for spikes, cutting lasers represented by lines, saw rails, and lethal surfaces.

Other Object Constant Damage

Applies continuous damage while another object remains in contact with the segment. Damage Amount controls how strong that continuous damage is.

Contact Damage Multiplier

Multiplies damage caused through contact. Use it to make one segment more dangerous than the rest of the same line.

Enable Segment Damage

Makes the segment itself damageable. It can receive damage, lose strength, play damage feedback, and eventually be destroyed.

Segment Damage Skin

Shows visual damage on the segment. Damage skin can use line texture compression, fill texture scale, or alpha-based damage display.

Use Alpha As Damage Skin

Uses transparency as the visual damage indicator. This can make a damaged segment fade instead of showing a separate crack texture.

Segment Strength

Controls how much damage the segment can take before it breaks or is considered destroyed.

Segment Initial Damage

Starts the segment already partially damaged. Use it for cracked bridges, weakened walls, and puzzle pieces that are close to breaking.

Minimum Force To Damage

Requires a minimum impact force before damage is applied. This prevents tiny contacts from slowly damaging heavy line structures.

Damage And Destroy Sounds

Controls whether segment damage and segment destruction play sounds, and which destroy sound type is used.

Destroy Particles

Plays particles when the segment is destroyed. The particle type controls the visual effect used for that segment.

Damage From Direction

Restricts damage or destruction to a chosen direction: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right. Use it for one-sided weak points and directional hazards.

Segment Magnetic

Makes the segment affected by magnet behavior. This lets part of a line participate in magnetic puzzles without making the whole line magnetic.

Segment Reflect Laser

Allows the selected segment to reflect laser interactions. Use it for mirrors, reflective rails, or line-built optical puzzles.

Laser Heal And Destroy

Controls whether lasers can heal or destroy this segment. Minimum Force To Destroy By Laser and Transfer Laser Impact To Damage tune the laser interaction.

Segment Is Not Interactive

Marks the segment as non-interactive for gameplay interactions where supported. This is useful for purely decorative sections inside a larger line.

One Side Platform

Makes the segment behave like a one-way platform. Direction controls which side blocks movement: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.

Line Alpha

Controls transparency for the visible line. Keep alpha high for important collision surfaces and lower for guides or background detail.

Line Color

Sets the primary color of the line. This color is still important even when textures are enabled because textures can be tinted.

Second Color

Adds a second line color when enabled. Use it for two-tone cables, rails, warning stripes, and state-readable line art.

Enable Line Texture

Applies a stroke texture to the line. This is how a simple physics line becomes a rope, hose, chain, branch, metal strip, cable, or decorative rail.

Line Texture Type

Chooses the stroke texture used by the line. The game includes material-like texture families such as wood, metal, rubber, rope, organic, rock, energy, and more.

Line Texture Scale

Controls the scale of the stroke texture along the line. Smaller values make dense texture detail; larger values make larger visible patterns.

Line Bevel Texture

Uses bevel texture behavior when the selected line texture supports it. This can make the line read as a raised or rounded material.

Line Texture Compression

Controls how much the stroke texture is compressed or stretched along the line. It changes the texture density on long and short segments.

Texture Flip X/Y

Mirrors the line texture horizontally or vertically. Use it to align directional textures between connected segments.

Enable Fill

Fills the inside of a closed physics line. This is usually used with Connect First And Last Point or with line shapes that enclose an area.

Fill Color Alpha

Controls transparency of the fill color. Low alpha can create glass, water, fog, or subtle background panels.

Enable Texture Fill

Uses a fill texture inside the closed line shape. This is separate from the line stroke texture.

Fill Texture Type

Chooses the texture used inside the filled shape. This lets a closed line become a textured ground, wall, plate, or custom object surface.

Fill Texture Scale

Controls how large the fill texture appears inside the shape.

Fill Texture Flip X/Y

Mirrors the fill texture horizontally or vertically. Use it to line up patterns across multiple filled line objects.

Fill Texture Rotation

Rotates the fill texture without rotating the physics object. This is useful for diagonal grain, fabric direction, or mechanical paneling.

Line editing workflow

Editing controls

Physics Line editing changes depending on whether the whole line, a point, or a segment is selected.

Whole Line Selection

Select the line object when you want object-level settings: physics body behavior, global line style, overall transform, game settings, duplication, and deletion.

Point Selection

Select an edit point when the shape itself needs to change. Point editing exposes Bezier controls, delete point behavior, and segment manipulation.

Bezier Point

Bezier mode lets a selected point create a curve instead of a hard corner. Lock curve controls when both handles should move together cleanly.

Segment Editing

Segment editing lets you move or rotate a section of the line instead of only dragging one point. It is the fast way to reshape bridges, ramps, and rails.

Delete Edit Point

Removes one line point while keeping the line object. Use it to simplify a messy line or remove an accidental curve/control point.

Separate Line Segment

Splits or separates a segment workflow so that the selected part can be treated differently from the rest of the line.

Straight Line Drawing

Use straight segments for predictable collision: ramps, floors, walls, beams, moving barriers, and simple supports.

Circle And Ellipse Drawing

Circle and ellipse line modes create arcs, loops, rings, half-pipes, curved rails, and decorative machine paths with radius and angle control.

Locked Movement

Line editing can use locked movement or locked segment rotation modes so the shape changes along one intended axis or transform.

Current Segment First

When debugging line behavior, first verify which segment is selected. Many important settings are segment-local, so the wrong segment can make the line appear inconsistent.

Visual Before Physics

It is often best to finish the visible shape, then tune disable physics, sensor, conversion, damage, and material settings segment by segment.

Test With Real Objects

Always test marbles, crates, lasers, magnets, and character movement against the final line. Small point edits can change collision results dramatically.

How the systems combine

Option groups

Physics Line is strongest when visual, physics, conversion, and gameplay rules are treated as separate layers.

Visual Stroke

Line color, second color, alpha, round edge, joint type, texture type, texture scale, bevel texture, compression, and texture flips define how the line looks.

Closed Shape Fill

Connect first and last point, enable fill, fill alpha, texture fill, fill texture type, scale, flips, and rotation turn a line into a filled visual surface.

Segment Transform

Segment offset, rotation, scale, draw position type, draw offset, thickness change, and segment skip let individual sections differ from the main path.

Physics Layer

Disable physics, sensor, density, friction, restitution, material override, and simplification decide how each segment behaves in the simulation.

Solid Conversion

Convert to solid object, precision, two-phase conversion, sensor fixture, keep physics line, and start/end conversion segment turn drawn line regions into solid objects.

Gameplay Segment Rules

Damage, destruction, constant damage, direction checks, particles, sounds, laser reflection, laser healing/destruction, magnet behavior, and one-side platform rules can differ per segment.

Practical setups

Examples

These examples show why Physics Line is more than a drawing tool.

Textured Rope Bridge

Use a stroke texture, round edges, low/medium thickness, friction override, and several straight segments. Add damage only to weak sections that should break.

Decorative Cable With No Collision

Enable line texture and color, then Disable Physics on the decorative segments. The cable remains visible but no longer blocks or pushes objects.

Converted Solid Platform

Close the line, enable fill, then Convert To Solid Object with enough precision. Keep Physics Line on if the line art should remain visible after conversion.

Segmented Hazard Wire

Enable Segment Damage or Destroy Other Object on only the dangerous segments. Use direction damage if the hazard should work from one side.

Magnetic Rail

Enable Segment Magnetic only where magnetic objects should react. Leave other segments normal so the player can read which parts affect the solution.

Laser Mirror Line

Enable Segment Reflect Laser on selected parts of the line. Combine it with material/texture differences so reflective sections are visually obvious.

One-Way Ramp

Enable One Side Platform and choose the blocking direction. This makes a line act like a platform from one side while allowing movement from the other.

Breakable Closed Shape

Use fill, damage skin, strength, initial damage, destroy particles, and destroy sound. Convert to solid only if the filled shape must behave as a solid body.

Curved Machine Guide

Use Bezier points for smooth curves, lock curve controls while shaping, then simplify only enough to keep collision stable.

How to use it

Practical workflow

Use this flow while building or debugging a level that depends on this control.

Select the whole line for object-level behavior.

Select a point when the shape needs to change.

Use bezier controls only where a curve is needed.

Straight segments are simpler and often more predictable for physics.

Test moving objects against the final line.

Small point changes can create unexpected collision results.