Odd collision behaviour with dynamic-dynamic bodies in box2d

sebastiz

I'm actually using Processing (a java extrapolation) to create a box 2d animation. I have stripped the problem down as follows:

I would like the boxes that the mouse creates on the screen to collide with the round bodies as a brick might hit a soft wall so that there is a 'little' bit of wall movement and the bricks bounce off a little. At the moment when I start the programme this happens but as I click to add new boxes they increasingly 'spin' off the round bodies widly. I don't know why this is. I have changed the restitution and friction etc on the boxes and the round bodies but to no avail.... Interestingly if I change the code so that there is only one round body I don't get this problem making me think the joint between round bodies might be the issue but I am not sure what to change- I'm using a DistanceJoint but maybe I should use another type of joint? My code as MCVE- my apologies for the length but this really is the minimal version

// A bridge is formed by connected a series of particles with joints
    import shiffman.box2d.*;
    import org.jbox2d.common.*;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.joints.*;
    import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.*;
    import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.Shape;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.*;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.contacts.*;
    import org.jbox2d.particle.ParticleGroupDef;
    import org.jbox2d.particle.ParticleSystem;
    import org.jbox2d.particle.ParticleType;
    import org.jbox2d.particle.ParticleDef;

    import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.CircleShape;
    import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.PolygonShape;
    import org.jbox2d.common.Vec2;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.Body;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyDef;
    import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyType;
    // A reference to our box2d world
    Box2DProcessing box2d;
    ParticleSystem particleSystem;
    ParticleDef pd=new ParticleDef();
    Bridge bridge;
    int PARTICLES = 10; // the amount of particles in your bridge
     ParticleDef pdef=new ParticleDef();
    // A list for all of our rectangles
    ArrayList<Box> boxes;


    void setup() {

      size(1040,1060);
      smooth();

      // Initialize box2d physics and create the world
      box2d = new Box2DProcessing(this);
      box2d.createWorld();
      // Make the bridge total length,number of points,x start position
      bridge = new Bridge(width,PARTICLES,200);
      // Create ArrayLists  
      boxes = new ArrayList<Box>();


    }
    void draw() {
       background(255);

      // We must always step through time!
      box2d.step();

      // When the mouse is clicked, add a new Box object
      if (mousePressed) {
        Box p = new Box(mouseX,mouseY);
        boxes.add(p);
      }



      // Display all the boxes
      for (Box b: boxes) {
        b.display();
      }

      // Boxes that leave the screen, we delete them (note they have to be deleted from both the box2d world and our list
      for (int i = boxes.size()-1; i >= 0; i--) {
        Box b = boxes.get(i);
        if (b.done()) {
          boxes.remove(i);
        }
      }

     bridge.display();

     fill(0);
           float move_1=300;
        for (int i=0; i<10; i++){
                bridge.particles.get(i).body.setTransform(box2d.coordPixelsToWorld(move_1+10,i*5+70), 0);
        }

    }



// A rectangular box
class Box  {

  // We need to keep track of a Body and a width and height
  Body body;
  float w;
  float h;

  // Constructor
  Box(float x, float y) {
    w = random(4,16);
    h = random(4,16);
    // Add the box to the box2d world
    makeBody(new Vec2(x,y),w,h);
  }

  // This function removes the particle from the box2d world
  void killBody() {
    box2d.destroyBody(body);
  }

  // Is the particle ready for deletion?
  boolean done() {
    // Let's find the screen position of the particle
    Vec2 pos = box2d.getBodyPixelCoord(body);
    // Is it off the bottom of the screen?
    if (pos.y > height+w*h) {
      killBody();
      return true;
    }
    return false;
  }

  // Drawing the box
  void display() {
    // We look at each body and get its screen position
    Vec2 pos = box2d.getBodyPixelCoord(body);
    // Get its angle of rotation
    float a = body.getAngle();

    rectMode(CENTER);
    pushMatrix();
    translate(pos.x,pos.y);
    rotate(-a);
    fill(175);
    stroke(0);
    rect(0,0,w,h);
    popMatrix();
  }

  // This function adds the rectangle to the box2d world
  void makeBody(Vec2 center, float w_, float h_) {

    // Define a polygon (this is what we use for a rectangle)
    PolygonShape sd = new PolygonShape();
    float box2dW = box2d.scalarPixelsToWorld(w_/2);
    float box2dH = box2d.scalarPixelsToWorld(h_/2);
    sd.setAsBox(box2dW, box2dH);

    // Define a fixture
    FixtureDef fd = new FixtureDef();
    fd.shape = sd;
    // Parameters that affect physics
    fd.density = 1;
    fd.friction = 300;
    fd.restitution = 0.0;

    // Define the body and make it from the shape
    BodyDef bd = new BodyDef();
    bd.type = BodyType.DYNAMIC;
    bd.position.set(box2d.coordPixelsToWorld(center));

    body = box2d.createBody(bd);
    body.createFixture(fd);
    // Give it some initial random velocity
   body.setLinearVelocity(new Vec2(random(-5, 5), random(2, 5)));

  }

}

// The Nature of Code
// <http://www.shiffman.net/teaching/nature>;
// Spring 2011
// Box2DProcessing example

// Series of Particles connected with distance joints

class Bridge {

  // Bridge properties
  float totalLength;  // How long
  int numPoints;      // How many points in a line
  int NewCurvepoints; // How many points in a curve for the top of the stomach
  // Our chain is a list of particles
  ArrayList<Particle> particles;

  // Chain constructor
  Bridge(float l, int n,int start) {

    totalLength = l;
    numPoints = n;
    NewCurvepoints=n;
    particles = new ArrayList();
    float len = totalLength / numPoints;

    // Add particles to the chain    
    for(int i=0; i < PARTICLES; i++) {
      // Make a new particle
      Particle p = null;     
      //x,y,radius,fixed
            p = new Particle(start,i*len,7,3);

      particles.add(p);
      if (i > 0) {
         DistanceJointDef djd = new DistanceJointDef();
         Particle previous = particles.get(i-1);
         djd.bodyA = previous.body;
         djd.bodyB = p.body;
         djd.length = box2d.scalarPixelsToWorld(len/40);
         line(djd.bodyA.getPosition().x,djd.bodyA.getPosition().y,djd.bodyB.getPosition().x,djd.bodyB.getPosition().y);
         djd.frequencyHz = 0;
         djd.dampingRatio = 0;
         DistanceJoint dj = (DistanceJoint) box2d.world.createJoint(djd);
      }
    }

     }

 // // Draw the bridge
  void display() { for(int i=0; i < particles.size()-1; i++) {
    Vec2 pos1 = box2d.getBodyPixelCoord(particles.get(i).body);
    Vec2 pos2 = box2d.getBodyPixelCoord(particles.get(i+1).body);
    stroke(0);
    strokeWeight(2);
    line(pos1.x,pos1.y,pos2.x,pos2.y);
  }
    for (Particle p: particles) {
      p.display();
    }
  }

}

class Particle {

  // We need to keep track of a Body and a radius
  Body body;
  float r;

  color col;

  Particle(float x, float y, float r_, int fixed) {
    r = r_;    
    // Define a body
    BodyDef bd = new BodyDef();
    bd.fixedRotation=true;
    if (fixed==1) bd.type = BodyType.STATIC;
    else if (fixed==2) bd.type = BodyType.KINEMATIC;
    else if (fixed==3) bd.type = BodyType.DYNAMIC;

    // Set its position
    bd.position = box2d.coordPixelsToWorld(x,y);
    body = box2d.world.createBody(bd);

    // Make the body's shape a circle
    CircleShape cs = new CircleShape();
    cs.m_radius = box2d.scalarPixelsToWorld(r);

    FixtureDef fd = new FixtureDef();
    fd.shape = cs;
    // Parameters that affect physics
    fd.density = 0;
    fd.friction = 0;
    fd.restitution = -90;
    body.createFixture(fd);
    col = color(175);
    //determine how it moves
  }


  // 
  void display() {
    // We look at each body and get its screen position
    Vec2 pos = box2d.getBodyPixelCoord(body);
    // Get its angle of rotation
    float a = body.getAngle();
    pushMatrix();
    translate(pos.x,pos.y);
    rotate(a);
    fill(col);
    stroke(0);
    strokeWeight(1);
    ellipse(0,0,r*2,r*2);
    // Let's add a line so we can see the rotation
    line(0,0,r,0);
    popMatrix();
  }
}