How can I make a part orbit around an area?

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#1

To keep things simple, I basically want to make the plate from Slap Battles where it (sometimes) perfectly orbits around the main islands.

When it does a full lap it re-positions itself so it doesn’t eventually go too far out.

In case you’ve never played Slap Battles, here’s a quick video showcasing how the plate moves:

I’ve created this setup with the map (right now it’s just a baseplate) and the plate that spins around it, problem is I have no idea how to make this work.

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image1164×440 74.4 KB

So far I’ve only got 4 lines of code:

local part = script.Parent
local linear = part.LinearVelocity

local originalCFrame = script.Parent.CFrame
#2

I don’t know if you can make something like that using LinearVelocity or AngularVelocity, but I can suggest using CFrames, lerp, and some orbit equations.

You can make the plate orbit around a position in space.
We can calculate the orbit position like this:

x = cx + radius * math.cos(angle)
y = cy + radius * math.sin(angle)
z = cz  -- (for 2D orbit)

We can use CFrame:Lerp() (here, .Position points to the CFrame) for smooth orbits.

local RunService = game:GetService("RunService")
local plate = workspace.Part  -- The part to orbit
local center = Vector3.new(0, 5, 0)  -- the center position where you want the plate to orbit
local radius = 10 -- distance from the center to the plate
local speed = 2  -- radians per second
local angle = 0
local lerpSpeed = 5  -- adjust for smoother/faster transition

RunService.Heartbeat:Connect(function(deltaTime)
	angle = angle + speed * deltaTime

	local targetX = center.X + radius * math.cos(angle)
	local targetY = center.Y
	local targetZ = center.Z + radius * math.sin(angle)
	local targetPosition = Vector3.new(targetX, targetY, targetZ)

	plate.Position = plate.Position:Lerp(targetPosition, lerpSpeed * deltaTime)
end)
#3

this is pretty good, but the reason i was thinking of LinearVelocity was to keep the player on it like the real thing, you essentially can ride it all the way around

1 Like
#4

Just apply an assemblylinearvelocity or something like that to the player when they are on the plate.

#5

After some testing, we can just use the LinearVelocity instance and modify the previous equation a bit to make the Velocity vector tangent to the orbit.

local RunService = game:GetService("RunService")

local plate = workspace.Plate
local center = Vector3.new(0, 5, 0)
local radius = 10
local speed = 2

-- (You already have it, but this is for convinience so you dont have to set everything up)
local attachment = Instance.new("Attachment")
attachment.Parent = plate

local linearVelocity = Instance.new("LinearVelocity")
linearVelocity.Parent = plate
linearVelocity.Attachment0 = attachment
linearVelocity.MaxForce = math.huge  -- infinite force for stable movement
linearVelocity.VelocityConstraintMode = Enum.VelocityConstraintMode.Vector
--

local angle = 0

RunService.Heartbeat:Connect(function(deltaTime)
	angle = angle + speed * deltaTime

	-- compute velocity (tangent to the orbit)
	local velocityX = -radius * speed * math.sin(angle)  -- Derivative of cos(angle)
	local velocityZ = radius * speed * math.cos(angle)  -- Derivative of sin(angle)
	local velocityVector = Vector3.new(velocityX, 0, velocityZ)  -- No vertical movement

	linearVelocity.VectorVelocity = velocityVector
end)