Overview
Basics of universe sandbox 2
What is universe sandbox 2
Universe Sandbox 2 is a simulator that simulates gravity, temperature, and climate. You can create and destroy objects, or open already made simulations. Universe sandbox 2 is a highly improved version of universe sandbox. Unlike the first game, collisions now create heat and craters, and planets have climates that can change. It is still in early access.
Time steps and camera controls
Go to the bottom of the screen on a simulation and click on the timestep bar. Drag it in either direction to make time go by faster or slower. It will automatically slow down when the framerate gets too low. You can type things like 1sec or 30min in the bar to set the time. You can pause the time by clicking the pause button in the corner or pressing the space key.
Camera controls-
D- unselects all objects and goes into spaceship mode, where you use the wasd keys to move
C- lands on the selected body. Press C again to leave landing mode
O- switches between orbit display, path display, and no paths
L- turns planet labels on and off
TAB- hides and shows user interface
F12 (Steam universal)- takes screenshot
F9 (US 2 only)- captures GIF
Space- pauses and unpauses simulation
Creating planets
When you start playing, click the tab on the side, then select new simulation. Click the Add button. You will see the panel shown in the picture above. As an example, select earth. Click still in the placement tab, a grid should appear. Place earth on the grid, then exit the panel. Double click on earth to center it. You can also launch it at a certain speed in any direction.
Picture above: The panel that appears when you select a planet.
Select any other planet to create it.
Adding stars
Create a new simulation, open the objects panel and select the stars tab, select the sun as an example. Place the sun with the still placement option. Select a planet from the tab, click the orbit option, place the planet in orbit around the sun. Select rings from the tab, add the asteroid belt preset around the sun. Now you have a basic solar system! You can make the sun bigger or smaller, if you make it too big, it will explode! You can add different stars like proxima centauri or betelguese!
Picture:The already made solar sytem preset that opens automaticaly when you start the game.
Editing objects
Select a created object to open the info panel. In the basic section, you can edit the radius, mass, and orbital properties of the object. Edit radius or mass by selecting one of the two tabs. You can either type the number or use the up and down arrows that appear to change the properties. You can also the measurement unit by using the dropdown list on the side. Scroll down, and you can use the sliders to adjust the orbit of the object.
Select the materials tab to change the interior of the object. There are more complicted options that are not covered in this guide.
You can select the climate tab to adjust the temperature and other properties. All the tabs work in a similar fashion, so I don’t have to list them. But they include magnetic strength, atmosphere size, orbit length, and velocity of bodies.
You can drag objects and rotate them by clicking the edit button near the add button, and selecting an object, you can them move them with the mouse. Control-click and drag to rotate, and shift-click to move up and down.
Adding small objects
You can add minor objects by clicking on the minor tab. Then select an object and place it. They work in the same way as larger objects, except that some of them don’t have surface textures yet.
Add tab- Details
When you hover over an object in the add tab, you can select full system, this will add all the objects moons when you place it.
You can also search for objects that aren’t shown on the main tab.
You can save user objects by going to the actions tab on the editing panel for an object, and selecting save this object.
Orbits
Go to the add tab and select orbit. Place an object close to any other object. They will start orbiting at a pace and speed relative to the mass of both bodies.
Collisions
You can make objects collide by placing an object, and launching an object at it by using the launch option in the add tab. The smaller object will be absorbed, leaving a molten spot on the bigger object. This spot will turn into a crater. The collision will release fragments into space. These fragments normally colliding with the remaining object. Collisions can also happen if a still object is too close to a larger object.
Rocky bodies: It leaves a molten spot and crater, as mentioned earlier.
Gas giants/Ice giants: It leaves a hot spot, that can spread and heat up the entire atmosphere. But it eventually goes away.
Stars: If a small object collides with a star, it leaves a short lived disturbance in the plasma clouds. But if the object is too large, the star will gain too much mass and explode, leaving behind a nebula.
Tidal forces, explosions, and powers
Tidal forces are one of the new additions to universe sandbox in the latest major update. If an orbiting object gets closer than the objects roche limit, it will be ripped apart by the larger one.
Objects can explode if you click the powers tab (energy bolt) and select the “explode” option. Then select an object and click on it with the explode power. It will blow up and create a shockwave that will heat up nearby objects. Stars can explode naturally after a certain amount of time or if their mass gets too high.
There are other powers which include energy force, material spray, and creating a pulse at the speed of light.
Rings
You can add rings to planets by going to add mode and clicking on the rings tab to the right. Then click on a planet already in the simulation, and select a set of rings, with the planet still selected, and click add rings. Rings are affected by gravity, so if they are disrupted by another object, they will fly apart.
Presets and saving simulations
Presets: Select the open tab in the menu, and try out one of the simulations in the tabs. Click the arrow to see more tabs, Select the last tab to see your own saved simulations.
Saving simulations: Click the save button in the menu to save the current simulation.
Moons
You can add moons in orbit around planets. If the moon is too big, it will be a binary system instead of a moon system. Be careful not to place it too close to the parent planet, or it could be destroyed by tidal forces.
Black holes and other extra features
Binaries: You can put two star around each other to make a binary system. It has to be placed carefully or it will fly apart, or the stars may collide.
Climate: If a planet is too hot, all the water will evaporate. If it is too cold, it will freeze.
Star remains: When a star explodes, it behind a white dwarf, pulsar, or black hole.
Testing: Test out different situations to see what happens. The game comes with lots of preset scenarios and solar systems to use.
