| Launcher: This tool provides a body element with an instantaneous, impulsive boost at the beginning of simulation runs (Run mode). Place up to five launchers anywhere in the simulation window. With the Select tool, you can move and rotate the launcher in 90 degree increments.
To place a body element on a launcher, you must click on the launcher as indicated in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows what the launcher-body system looks like after you place the body element. You cannot attach a thruster or any forces and speeds to bodies loaded onto launchers. |
Fig. 1 | Fig. 2
In the launcher's Properties Box, you can set its direction (in degrees) and its strength (in kg * m/s). The launched body has a velocity equal to the strength divided by the body's mass. The launcher effectively accelerates the body element instantaneously.