Physics Gun
From GMod Wiki
 Tool |  Back |
 Type: | Construction tool |
 Primary fire: | Grab an object. |
 Secondary fire: | Freeze an object in place. |
 Notes: | Has more functions detailed below. |
Brief
The Physics Gun is an advanced version of the standard Gravity Gun, exclusive to Garry's Mod. It performs a similar function to the gravity gun, manipulating physical objects, but allows greater control in doing so. A full list of the features of the Physics Gun include:
Instructions
- Pressing and holding the left mouse button on something allows you to move the heaviest of objects around. As long as you hold the left mouse button the object will follow you around everywhere you go, with the exception of through other objects that haven't had collisions removed between them and the held object (done with the No Collide -tool).
- While holding the left mouse button on an object, if you hold E and move your mouse around the object gets rotated around the point you're holding it. Holding shift as well makes the object snap along multiples of 45° angles (this can be adjusted with gm_snapdegrees console variable) relative to the world. This is useful for aligning props perfectly.
- While holding the left mouse button on an object, if you press the right mouse button the object gets frozen in place. Left clicking on the object when it's frozen unfreezes it again.
- Pressing the reload button on a frozen object unfreezes the object and any others welded to it as well.
- If you have a mousewheel, rolling it forward and backwards brings the object closer or farther away from you. You alternatively can hold E and press W and S to move the prop forwards and backwards.
Useful hints
When you create or move an object with the physics gun, once you release the object, if it is not metastable, the object will fall and/or tip over until it is. To "lock" an object where you have set it, use the right mouse button to freeze the object in place. To release the object, or unfreeze it, touch the object once with the physics gun.
Note that if you have welded several items together, you must unfreeze all of them that were frozen to unfreeze the new object. For example, if you had a crate frozen several feet off the ground, a ladder on the ground, and a chair frozen to the crate, and you weld the three of them together, you must touch the chair and the crate with the left mouse button on the physics gun in order to release the new "welded" structure and allow it to be moved. You can touch any of the non-frozen items, and it will not have any effect. Additionally, for larger constructions, you can simply press the reload key while aiming at a frozen prop and it will unfreeze said prop and any other props welded (or otherwise constrained) to it at once. This allows for quicker unfreezing and takes away the need to click each prop individually, which can be a chore at times.
For an object to be metastable, it means the object will stay where it is unless something moves it. To be metastable means the object will no longer move. It may be leaning against something, stuck or welded to something, or lying on the ground.
When you move or create an object with the physics gun, once you let go of the left mouse button, if the object is not metastable, i.e. is not capable of remaining in the exact position and height it is located, the object will reposition itself to become metastable.
First, if the object is above ground, it will fall until it reaches the ground. Next, if the object cannot stand in the position it has landed, it will tip over until it does. Once it lands into a position it can no longer move, it is now metastable.
An object may be placed in a non-metastable position and kept there by using the freeze button on the physics gun.
If you freeze an object, or freeze several objects and weld them together, you must unfreeze all frozen objects to allow the new object to move. You do this by touching them again with the physics gun, by using the left button on the physics gun on the object. You do not have to move the object to touch it, simply having the beam brush-pass the object is adequate.
