Godot Recipe: 3D Arcade-style Car (with a sphere)

[@retroleigh]

For those attempting to convert this project to Godot 4, the conversion will only get you so far. The scaling of the track and the paths will be off (the paths are far bigger than the track), the car position in the world will need adjusting and a few key functions have been renamed: "update()" is now "queue_redraw()" "offset" is now "progress" (you'll know where to replace these when you try to run it) Export syntax has also changed: @export (bool) var show_debug = false becomes @export var show_debug : bool = false etc Hope this helps! A great little project - thanks KidsCanCode. (it would be nice to see this officially updated for 4.0 as part of your new series)

[@Kidscancode]

Or you can look at the updated version: kidscancode.org/godot_recipes/4.x/3d/3d_sphere_car/

[@retroleigh]

@@Kidscancode Perfect! Didn’t even see that when I looked at your site. When did you add that?

[@akitaropiquet7580]

@@Kidscancode No offense but the updated script for 4.x doesn't work. Either I'm missing something obvious or the tree is messed up. The root node is RigidBody so the mesh follows the movement of the sphere.

[@akitaropiquet7580]

I must be missing sth obvious, bc I downloaded your project for 4.x and it works great! With the same code & tree on my own, the mesh is rolling with the ball (and so the "car" stops moving forward soon after).

[@akitaropiquet7580]

I think I found it: on your website, you forget to mention to activate "Top Level" in CarMesh Transform.

[@steve16384]

This is the first Godot vehicle game I've come across where the vehicle handling is both accurate and fun. Edit: And I've just discovered there's an AI car as well. Even better!

[@atlantisfigi7583]

Where did you find AI car?

[@steve16384]

@@atlantisfigi7583 Sorry, it's been a while so I can't remember. I assume it was somewhere in the source.

[@humoroushusky8629]

You explains things very well! Great job! 👍🏻

[@MP-pv4eb]

Thank you, good tutorial. I do want to point out that I initially tried to follow the text tutorial on your site, but I ran into a few issues. Turns out for things to function correctly, the car mesh needs to have transform>top level checked.

[@Josematube]

Very very original the approach of using a RigidBody for handling the car. Thanks for the tip! Regards. Jose.

[@memeplus7560]

This might just have given me a very VERY specific piece of the puzzle that I have been posed with for a while. This might also be how the Asphalt franchise has handled it’s vehicle movement. This didn’t just help me it saved me a LOT of work.

[@skaruts]

You might want to invert the mesh rotation when you're reversing, or else it will look wrong: _if ball.linear_velocity.length() > turn_stop_limit:_ *var rotation_dir = rotate_input if speed_input >= 0 else -rotate_input* _var new_basis = car_mesh.global_transform.basis.rotated(car_mesh.global_transform.basis.y,_ *rotation_dir)*

[@Luchs010]

But with this solution, the car only correctly rotates while you are holding back, if you let go of the key, it will start rotating in the wrong direction again, but it's still driving backwards until it stops because of friction

[@skaruts]

@@Luchs010 perhaps that's true, I can't remember. But I used something in another project that might help: I used a *move_direction* variable to track whether the car was going forward or backward, and I set it like this (in _process): *move_direction = sign( car.linear_velocity.normalized().dot(-car.transform.basis.z) )* Iirc, that will set *move_direction* to -1 or 1, depending on which way the car is going. When *move_direction* is *-1* you invert the steering. In this case the "car" is also a RigidBody, but it's not a sphere. So, I'm hoping it works with the sphere too, but I haven't tested it. Sorry for replying so late.

[@MeanGeneHacks]

Best channel on Godot by far!

[@thelumberjack8838]

Amazing video as always

[@DenerWitt]

god damn it, I really needed this first 1 minute. This is a great way to make a car game. I feel like I just met Jesus.

[@Kidscancode]

It really is a cool method. When I saw the original Kenney tweet about it, I knew I had to try it in Godot.

[@emmadrew50]

i have met Jesus and i can confirm he is a cell shaded car

[@cinomontague]

Keep it up I love seeing new Godot content

[@mathew3267]

I did this same thing in Unity. Its fine for driving on 100% flat surfaces.

[@jaffnimanlangit5510]

been long time u not upload anyway thanks for the upload and tutorial aprreciate it mate quick question will u make another tutorial for mobile in the future?

[@Kidscancode]

What about mobile? Most things are platform-independent.

[@minadaniel814]

Why wouldn't you make a full Godot course? It would be great, and I will definitely enroll on that one.

[@swangames4450]

he has a website with loads of great text tutorials!

[@FrozenWell]

great tutorial just starting to look at 3d in godot so super useful

[@VojtechLacina]

This is great tutorial, I got huge inspiration from your car tutors in the past. I'd like to ask - do You create the track in other app like Blender or do You use Godot spline tools? I tried to use them and I'm finding them very unintuitive to work with - manualy setting locations of points of "the road" is very frustrating

[@Kidscancode]

No, I made the track in Blender using the art pack that's linked in the writeup. Agreed, the 3D pathing tools need some improvement.

[@VojtechLacina]

@@Kidscancode Thank You

[@dmr12jmy]

Great video. Any pointer on how to use Blender with the art pack to create the track? I hacked a script together to import all the obj files and spread all the objects in Blender so I can clearly see then and select them. Snaping to grid, I can sortof put something together, but that's hard. At least much much harder than it looks with the tool MAST, created by the author of the art pack (but for Unity though).

[@CosimoDavideViggiano]

I agree with you, and the big issues is: how to set the mesh collider? I had problems with the tutorial, I tried to create my simple track with the same asset, but when it comes to set the collider...how I can do? From Blender? From Godot? I have tried to create the mesh collider in Godot, but my car as a strange behaviour. So I don't know if it was my fault at code or my fault to make the track.

[@darshigoswami5124]

Can u teach us how multiplayer mode works for godot and also a tutorial on making a drag and drop inventory system???? Ur tutorials have been so helpful.

[@Kidscancode]

I have multiplayer on my list, just haven't gotten to it yet.

[@gear323]

Hopefully someone eventually does a remake of Atari Hard Drivin' or better yet, Atari Race Drivin' in Godot. That would be super awesome. After all, that was the first 3d driving game ever made for the arcades. The Grand Daddy of the entire genre

[@koosh4319]

Could you make a tutorial on creating a multiplayer simple racing game?

[@jlebrech]

what about a hybrid approach, the standard way to control a car but also this way to simulate drifting?

[@bioman1hazard607]

Omg I'm gonna make a fun game with this, thank you

[@Oreboat]

overall this still works in godot 4 but when I try to rotate to a mesh normal or have the mesh lean while turning it can be a but glitchy for rotating the mesh to another mesh's normals it just doesn't allow turning, at all, sideways or to another mesh for rotating to lean during a turn it overall works but the mesh keeps trying to correct itself back to facing forward

[@Wonkabonka]

sad to hear that since i was gonna try making this

[@ZeldaACFan17]

I wonder if you could rotate the model on an axis in the direction you turn to simulate leaning on a motorcycle, or rotate on the same axis but in the opposite direction of the turn to simulate body roll in cars 🤔 Maybe have the lean angle increase up to a point with speed for a bit more realistic looks

[@cholasimmons]

i love your rendering style, is that a form of toon shader?

[@Kidscancode]

It was an outline shader I grabbed from somewhere.

[@1MoreSonicRobot]

I noticed that as the collision ball is rolling it bounces a bit. Wondering if locking the rotation on the collision will provide a much smoother movement?

[@marcosadrian65]

Simply the best! Awesome tuts please do more 2d stuff!

[@Kidscancode]

Hah, usually people are asking for more 3D content. What would you like to see in 2D?

[@marcosadrian65]

@@Kidscancode thanks! we'll hope not be a super complex theme but will be interesting see how we can build a rope system, that can interacting whit kinematicbody2d for instance, but it's just a suggestion I think that anything you want to show it's more than fine 😀

[@cmds.learning7426]

cool project

[@rlplayz6643]

only request is maybe show how to make a drift/skid clouds as you have in the demo

[@fcole90]

Thanks for the great tutorial! 😃 Unfortunately, when I open my model it doesn't display its subtree. I can only press on the editor icon and then it tells me if I want to create a new inherited scene. Did you use some special settings to achieve that? I'm using version 3.2.3.stable.mono

[@mimes4494]

maybe the editable children tab? you select the node and right click on it there should be that option

[@bruceparker6142]

I'm using godot 4 for this tutorial. I noticed your line onready var car_mesh = $CarMesh But there is no CarMesh node in your scene tree. How did that work? I used @onready var car_mesh = $sedan because the car I chose was a sedan and I just copied the node path. If I typed CarMesh the error suggests the node does not exist my CAR is: Node3d Rigid Body (Ball) collisionshape (sphere) Spatial (sedan) #this is how it was imported from Kenney spatial (sedan2) meshinstance (body) meshinstance (wheel_backLeft) meshinstance (wheel_backRight) meshinstance (wheel_frontLeft) meshinstance (wheel_frontRight) RayCast3D DirectionalLight3D Camera3D My WORLD consists of a Node3d- staticbody3d collisionshape3d #box meshinstance #plane directionallight3d camera3d When I run the scene I get no script errors but my car will not move. I tried to redo the car using simple shapes from godot instead of importing Kenney's car Node3d Rigid Body (Ball) Collisionshape3d (sphere) Node3d (car) meshinstance (body) #box meshinstance (wheel_backLeft) #cylinder meshinstance (wheel_backRight) #cylinder meshinstance (wheel_frontLeft) #cylinder meshinstance (wheel_frontRight) #cylinder RayCast3d My world to put this new car in is the same as before. Now my car falls through the ground. So I did the following: Node3d Rigid Body (Ball) Collisionshape3d (sphere) RigidBody (car) meshinstance (body) meshinstance (wheel_backLeft) meshinstance (wheel_backRight) meshinstance (wheel_frontLeft) meshinstance (wheel_frontRight) RayCast3d CollisionShape3d #to collide with the ground of my world This stopped the car from falling through the ground but now it bounces non stop. Can anyone assist? I added collision shapes to the wheels and adjusted the location of my collision shape for the ground and that stopped the bouncing. I'm using a rigid body for the car. The wheels rotate when I steer but the car skates around as though it's driving on ice.

[@ChipmunkiousD]

3.5.1, car isn't moving. I wouldn't think it'd make a difference since the sphere is doing the heavy lifting, but does the fact that I'm trying to use a Sprite3D instead of a mesh have something to do with it? Or maybe it's something with my track (simple flattened cylinder with a collider)?

[@TheInfamousLegend27]

i would've suggested putting the sprite as a child of a spatial node, but using the spatial node instead of the mesh itself doesn't let it move so idk. I do want to figure this out myself tho because the option of a 3D and 2D billboard racer mode is something I want to toy with

[@danielkeenan2508]

Very nice. Thank you.

[@pascalcasier959]

Excellent

[@rbcubosengenharia694]

This is awesome, thanks. I have some trouble with my car bumping, solve using lerp in car_mesh.transform.origin = ball.transform.origin

[@Kidscancode]

Yes, I had that as well. It's an issue with rigid bodies and collision meshes. I solved it the same way. :)

[@dagnolio6013]

@@Kidscancode How did you guys go about this exactly? I have tinkered with lerp but it does not seem to solve the bouncing with the track

[@Kidscancode]

@@dagnolio6013 I lerped the y position of the model, so that the small changes in the sphere bumping up and down are smoothed out.

[@drdrub]

@@Kidscancode I've been trying to troubleshoot this. It appears the issue starts when the gravity is changed from 1 to 10. Feels like there should be a better solution.

[@rlplayz6643]

what would be the code for this? i have been experimenting with lerp and I understand it but not sure what to call inside it

[@pizzarand]

Didn't look that great in my project (when interacting with slopes) but thanks for the excellent tutorial nonetheless.

[@triq0]

love this tutorial but i'm not really familiar with managing scenes in godot. i made a new test scene and tried dragging in my car scene that had this tutorial and now my car isn't affected by gravity and doesn't do anything

[@NateHeroic]

This is awesome.

[@willbrownmusic]

Does not work anymore, get an "(update)" error, not found in base self

[@Kidscancode]

There's nothing stopping this from still working. You'll have to account for Godot 4 changes, but those are documented well. That said, your error message is incomplete - that's not exactly what it says, and you've provided no context, so it's impossible to say what the actual problem with your code is.

[@retroleigh]

The update() method in the "Control" node has been renamed to queue_redraw() in Godot 4+

[@3333927]

No dump in speed with "ball.add_constant_central_force()"

[@thelumberjack8838]

use the apply_central_force

[@deviouschimp4663]

Wait, with this approach. If you are turning while no longer accelerated, turning wouldn't work no?

[@DestusG]

We need more recipes😁

[@Kidscancode]

Suggestions?

[@DestusG]

@@Kidscancode shaders?

[@bioman1hazard607]

So I've found an updated version of this tutorial but when I try to add my own vehicle model, the game breaks, is there any way you can update this tutorial to 4 and make it modifiable

[@ruslanakhmadov5870]

Thank you! Any tips how to add an extra collision for a car (sphere doesnt cover the full mesh and car goes through wall halfway) ? Anything I tried ended up with walls ignoring extra collision or it rotates with a sphere

[@TheInfamousLegend27]

increase the radius of the original collision shape to a precise size maybe? just a quick idea lol

[@TheWilsonChannel]

Hey, I'm kinda stuck with a weird issue, been following up to 10:00 and while the car moves forwards and backwards if I give it inputs as soon as the game opens, if I don't give an input during the first second or so the car seems to be locked/asleep, checked with some debug labels and Godot seems to still be responding (the labels update when keys are pressed and shows their names). Also tried downloading the repo, and grabbing the CarExample scene, model and script into my project and it also has the same issue. Debugger doesn't seem show any issues. Thanks for the tutorials! Really like the explanations

[@TheWilsonChannel]

So, setting the Ball's gravity scale to 10 (originally left it at 1) and activating Can Sleep seems to have fixed it.... that's my fault I guess for trying to play around with parameters before even checking if it was working

[@w.lf404]

how would you activate the particle emission when the car drifts? in your written tutorial there is nothing, just add particles :D

[@itsME-dc4vm]

Nice ;D

[@HavingFunTimes]

how do you stop the sphere bouncing?? 0:27 you can see it bouncing so much, it makes it really jittery

[@Kidscancode]

This is coming from the trimesh collision of the ground. It's easily solved by lerping the y position of the model.

[@HavingFunTimes]

@@Kidscancode thanks for the response! mine ends up bouncing so much that it comes off the track! I guess Ill have to find another method like raycasting.

[@n41sd]

Nice idea, theres any possibility to limit on a path the track and avoid car to turn and go to wrong way? I`m coding a old school car game and i need to limit to go only foward! Thanks

[@Kidscancode]

Definitely - that's how the AI cars are driving around the track. You have a Path that follows the track and that allows you to determine if you're pointed in the right direction. Similar to the example I did here: kidscancode.org/godot_recipes/ai/context_map/

[@chimingito]

is it possible to have the sphere only collide with the ground but have a different hitbox that's more accurate to the car mesh be used for hitting walls and other cars?

[@Kidscancode]

Definitely. I'd put it on a separate layer so the car bodies collide with each other.

[@chimingito]

@@Kidscancode hm I cant get it to work, since the car mesh is not parented but being placed at the pivot of the sphere with code, I can't find a way to make the forces from the collisions transfer from the car collider to the sphere.

[@bnkm07]

can u make a tutorial that start a timer after the game starts and when u reach the finish line it stops and save the time as highscore?

[@РашидБерезкин]

How this type of car behave on slopes / ramps? What happened if it stops on ramp? Will it roll back due to gravity?

[@Kidscancode]

It works fine on ramps (example shown in video). Whether it rolls back depends on your angular damp setting.

[@GostosasGarotas]

wow!

[@OkamiSatsugaiCheri]

For some reason I can't open the 4.X version of the project. I am using Godot 4.1.3.

[@LennoxKnight-st6lm]

could you do an arcade racer video for 4.2 or (by the time this comment is made) 4.3?

[@msrsls5983]

真棒👍

[@DRSChickenYT]

do you have a tutorial on how to make the race track?

[@lordnaeo4670]

Hi...sorry for my question, but do you know how to integrate the steam SDK with godot? I already used the "godotsteam". I compiled everything correctly and the godot even opens. The problem occurs when I use debug. It doesn't open anything ... I tried several times. If you can help, thank you (sorry for English. I'm using google translator).

[@jasperbrooks2118]

can you make a ' capsule ', that can only roll forward and, pivot . .

[@Kidscancode]

I'm not sure what you mean. The "tilt" is something we added manually, the model doesn't tilt on its own.

[@badmonkey91]

why is it if I delete the lines of code "if not ground_ray.is_colliding(): return" it breaks the whole thing? I want to be able to turn in air

[@TheInfamousLegend27]

i think you could try removing "return" and instead putting "speed_input = 0", so your speed cant increase, but the rotation can still be used. lmk if it works :)

[@cbaptou]

How would I limit the max_speed of the car

[@yourkodi3945]

might of missed it but how did you make the rroad?

[@mrdinoking6626]

Sir I got a problem here , the car doesn't move when I press the appropriate keys (I have done the necessary in input maps in project settings), and I have the exact same script and scene hierarchy as yours . Just the track is different (a simple cube from Godot itself in main scene), what do I do?

[@skaruts]

Make sure the RayCast position is a little bit above the floor. If the starting point of the raycast is inside the ground it won't detect the ground, and the *"if not ground_ray.is_colliding()"* check will always be true and prevent you from moving. I had this issue myself. If this isn't the problem you're having, then I don't know what could be.

[@slimabob]

@@skaruts I was having the same issue and this helped. Thanks!

[@StephenCathcart]

I'm not sure if it's a Godot 4 feature but you can also tick the Hit From Inside checkbox on the RayCast3D to prevent this, had the same issue :).

[@thelumberjack8838]

The car pops up when I import a track from blender, how do I fix this?

[@nanoic2964]

I'm getting a Attempt to call function 'add_exception' in base 'null instance' on a null instance. error.

[@Kidscancode]

A "null instance" is what you get when you `get_node()` an invalid path. It means the thing you're calling `add_exception()` on is invalid.

[@Inferryu]

How do I properly attach your camera? the parent node doesn't inherit the location so if I put the 'car' scene as a target for the camera it doesn't follow the car because technically the node is not moving from where it is.

[@IPunchWithMyFists]

I have the same question. It's driving me mad. Great tutorials by the way!

[@Inferryu]

@@IPunchWithMyFists I solved it by going into the car scene and add it as a child of the scene and then set the car mesh as the target, it works but it still feels wrong.

[@IPunchWithMyFists]

@@Inferryu agreed. I tried that myself. Strange. Thank you for the help regardless!

[@TheInfamousLegend27]

@@IPunchWithMyFists the best way to do it is to add a spatial node as a camera pivot, make the camera a child and in code lerp the movement of the spatial pivot node on the axis so instead of snapping to the car, it smoothly moves to the car's new position. hope this helped a lil :)

[@JayGames-n5t]

How to make the camera please

[@vishalrajrai3866]

Can we make enemy which chaise us in Godot game

[@IceRl1-v8d]

how can i make it with keyboard controls

[@Killer-ve5ms]

how to add the car to the map?

[@IceRl1-v8d]

pls could you do keyboard controls tutorial?

[@Kidscancode]

This has keyboard controls.

[@IceRl1-v8d]

@@Kidscancode thanks man!

[@bangtanscouts7391]

Please give me link of pygame and godot links which you have or made a video of pygame and godot download please!!!

[@Kidscancode]

There are links in the descriptions of each of my videos.

[@biraj8008]

does anyone know how to add skid marks to it while its drifting

[@Kidscancode]

Try this: twitter.com/GamesByPeter/status/1241714582520987648?s=19

[@biraj8008]

@@Kidscancode thanks

[@nurwaneduardo7831]

Can you make Car Arcade Ai Style. Please Please please

[@deutandev1728]

How to make that cartoon-ish style in 3D?

[@Kidscancode]

The written version (linked in the description) has a link to the outline shader I'm using.

[@MicrowaveNoodles]

can it go uphill?

[@Kidscancode]

Sure

[@MicrowaveNoodles]

@@Kidscancode please excuse me for being a bit ignorant, i didnt pay attention to most of the video

[@vitorgabrielgomesrodrigues]

You didn't link the tutorial

[@gregorydunks]

I did the first steps and my car is just bouncing up and down

[@tato6418]

How do you manage the camera here?

[@Kidscancode]

It's a chase camera like this: kidscancode.org/godot_recipes/3d/interpolated_camera/

[@GoticaArcana]

Is better this approch or the other you have done kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZnahH6vfM-Ep5I ? What are the differences between the two?

[@Kidscancode]

There are as many approaches to cars as there are car games. In this example, we have a very simplistic rigid body model, while the other you linked uses kinematic physics.

[@GoticaArcana]

@@Kidscancode For an Arcade racing game is this better?

[@TheInfamousLegend27]

@@GoticaArcana depends what you want to do really. i'd say experiment with this RigidBody example, the Kinematic example and the VehicleBody approach. all offer different things :)

[@vapanait]

I don't get it. You added a reference to CarMesh but there is no CarMesh node.

[@sudome5907]

His voice is very much like 'Jim Browning's (He is a scam baiter, if you live under a rock)

[@centigames]

Gotta try that out, thanks!