Interactive 3D-Python, Physic and Animation that renders the 3D ouput into a WEB-GL Canvas in the browser.

Has complex history, as the project was called Glowscript. It's a teamwork of javascript, python and many other libs. Vpython runs among others inside Jupyter notebooks.

• https://vpython.org/
• https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/index.html
• https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/
• https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/primitives.html

Blog:

• https://brucesherwood.net/ Blog von Prof. (?) Bruce Sherwood

Textbook:

• https://matterandinteractions.org/ (non-free)
  • free chapter: https://matterandinteractions.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Chapter1-InteractionsandMotion.pdf
• https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/VPython_Intro.pdf

• Install via pip: pip install vpython
• upgrade via pip: pip install vpython –upgrade

Linux: use sudo pip3 instead of pip

Example overview: https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/

The examples found in the web do not always run out of the box and may need a bit fine-tuning.

Here the updated code for the dual-star program, tested under ubuntu 20.04 using python3.8:

# from https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/program/BinaryStar-VPython/edit
import vpython as vp
#GlowScript 3.0 VPython
vp.scene.caption = """
In GlowScript programs:
To rotate "camera", drag with right button or Ctrl-drag.
To zoom, drag with middle button or Alt/Option depressed, or use scroll wheel.
  On a two-button mouse, middle is left + right.
To pan left/right and up/down, Shift-drag.
Touch screen: pinch/extend to zoom, swipe or two-finger rotate.
"""

vp.scene.forward = vp.vector(0,-.3,-1)

G = 6.7e-11 # Newton gravitational constant

giant = vp.sphere(pos=vp.vector(-1e11,0,0), radius=2e10, color=vp.color.red,
                make_trail=True, trail_type='points', interval=10, retain=500)
giant.mass = 2e30
giant.p = vp.vector(0, 0, -1e4) * giant.mass

dwarf = vp.sphere(pos=vp.vector(1.5e11,0,0), radius=1e10, color=vp.color.yellow,
                make_trail=True, interval=10, retain=500)
dwarf.mass = 1e30
dwarf.p = -giant.p

dt = 1e5
while True:
    vp.rate(200)
    r = dwarf.pos - giant.pos
    F = G * giant.mass * dwarf.mass * r.hat / vp.mag(r)**2
    giant.p = giant.p + F*dt
    dwarf.p = dwarf.p - F*dt
    giant.pos = giant.pos + (giant.p/giant.mass) * dt
    dwarf.pos = dwarf.pos + (dwarf.p/dwarf.mass) * dt

output: https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/program/BinaryStar-VPython