SimpleRay - Raycasting made easy

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Introduction

SimpleRay is a raycasting module to make raycasting easier. It has more features such as custom filters, max ray instances etc.

For more information, visit the GitHub repository or documentation.

Features

  • Normal raycasting features
  • Multiple instances in result
  • Dynamic filters
  • Ignore parts with CanCollide off
  • Ignore parts which have their transparency between a range of numbers
  • Create a custom instance filter to fit your needs
  • Easily visualize rays

Why use SimpleRay ?

Raycasting is sometimes tedious, but SimpleRay makes this process easier!

Here’s an example of normal raycasting

local raycastParams = RaycastParams.new()
raycastParams.FilterType = Enum.RaycastFilterType.Blacklist
raycastParams.FilterDescendantsInstances = {
    workspace.Part2
}

local startPoint = Vector3.new(0, 0, 0)
local endPoint = Vector3.new(0, 10, 0)

local raycastResult = workspace:Raycast(startPoint, (endPoint-startPoint).Unit * 100, raycastParams)

if raycastResult then
    ...
end

But why use that when you can use SimpleRay ? It only requires one expression!

local SimpleRay = require(game.ReplicatedStorage.SimpleRay)

local startPoint = Vector3.new(0, 0, 0)
local endPoint = Vector.new(0, 10, 0)
local maxRayInstances = 2

local result = SimpleRay.new({
    Origin = startPoint,
    Direction = (endPoint-startPoint).Unit * 100,
    Params = {
        IgnoreWater = true,
        Blacklist = {
            workspace.Part2
        }
    },
    MaxParts = maxRayInstances,
    IgnoreCollideOffParts = true,
    IgnoreTransparency = NumberRange.new(0.1, 1),
    CustomFilter = function(inst: Instance)
        return inst.Name ~= "Debug"
    end,
    Visualize = true
}):GetResult()

if result then
    print(result)
end

--[[
    Example Output:
    {
        Distance = 50,
        Position = Vector3.new(12, 0, 37),
        Normal = Vector3.new(0, 1, 0),
        Instances = {
            {
                ["Instance"] = workspace.Part,
                ["Material"] = Enum.Material.Plastic,
                ["Normal"] = Vector3.new(0, 0, 1),
                ["Position"] = Vector3.new(-2, 5, -17)
            },
            {
                Instance = workspace.Baseplate,
                Material = Enum.Material.Plastic,
                Normal = Vector3.new(0, 1, 0),
                Position = Vector3.new(12, 0, 37)
            }
        }
    }
]]

All the options are stored in one dictionary, and the result can hold multiple Instances.
On top of that, the options can have dynamic custom filters!

Installation

Method 1: Model File (Roblox Studio)

Download the rbxm model file attached to the latest release from the GitHub releases page.
Insert the model somewhere in your game like ReplicatedStorage

Method 2: Filesystem

If you are using Rojo or any similar plugin, you can copy the src file into your codebase and rename it to SimpleRay.

Links

GitHub Repository
Documentation
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