Ball Crush 3D Mode
A chrome ball with its weight on screen drops onto a structure of cubes, heavier every round. Every control in Crush 3D settings, explained. (Pro)
What Ball Crush 3D Does
A chrome ball with its weight written above it drops onto a structure built from small cubes. Every cube is its own solid body resting on the one below it, so nothing about the collapse is scripted: the ball lands, the cubes it hits push their neighbours, and the structure gives way differently every time.
Each round hard-cuts to a fresh structure and a heavier ball. The default run climbs the whole weight ladder, 1 kg, 5 kg, 20 kg, 50 kg, 100 kg, 500 kg, 1 t and 10 t, at 6 seconds a round, so one loop is 48 seconds. A light ball may only knock a few cubes off, and the heavy ones go straight through.
Tip
- Fewer rounds keep the heaviest weights: 3 rounds runs 500 kg, 1 t and 10 t.
- The same seed always builds the same structures, so the export matches the preview.
Plans and Basics
Crush 3D settings is one panel in Engine and needs Pro. Anyone can open Ball Crush 3D, watch it and record it on its default settings. Camera, lighting, background and grade are in the shared 3D sections, which need Pro.
Technical parameters
- Basics shows: Structure, Cube detail (8 to 32 per side), Rounds (1 to 8), Gravity (120 to 3000), Material strength (0.25 to 4) and Drop height (60 to 900).
Rounds, Cubes and Structure
How long the run is, and what the ball lands on. The line under Rounds shows the weight ladder and the loop length, and the line under Cube block shows how many cubes the structure has.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounds (weight ladder) | How many rounds the run has. Fewer rounds keep the heaviest weights. | 1 to 8, default 8 | 4 or 5 rounds suit a Short. |
| Seconds per round | How long each round lasts before the hard cut. | 3 to 12, default 6 | |
| Columns per side | How finely the structure is cut into cubes. More columns means smaller cubes and many more of them. | 8 to 32, default 8 | Every step up adds a lot of cubes. Raise it slowly and check that playback stays smooth. |
| Block width, Block height | The size of the structure. | 140 to 700 and 100 to 700, defaults 260 and 560 | |
| Structure | The shape the cubes are stacked into, such as Plain tower, Pyramid, Cone, Dome or Pagoda, or Random for a new shape every round. | Default Plain tower | Tall, narrow shapes topple. Wide, low ones crater. |
Drop and Debris
How hard the ball hits and how the rubble behaves.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop height | How far above the structure the ball starts. Higher hits harder. | 60 to 900, default 300 | |
| Gravity | How fast everything falls. Lower plays slower and heavier, like a high-speed camera. | 120 to 3000, default 350 | |
| Press force (× gravity), Press duration (sec) | Keeps pushing the ball down after it lands, like a hydraulic press, so it drives through even in slow motion. | Defaults 2.5 and 2 | Set the force to 0 for a pure free fall. |
| Box friction | How well the cubes grip each other. More friction lets the pile hold a steep slope. | 0.25 to 4, default 1 | Basics calls it Material strength. |
| Box bounce | How much the cubes bounce, which sets how far the rubble scatters. | 0.3 to 2.5, default 1 |
Look, Weight Label and Audio
The colours, the number on screen and the sounds.
| Setting | What it does | Range / default | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cube colors | Solid, Gradient (bottom to top) or Rainbow (around the block). | Default Solid, orange | A gradient shows how deep the ball went. |
| Color A, Color B (top) | The cube colours. Color B is the top of a gradient. | Defaults orange and red-orange | |
| Ball color, Ball metalness, Ball roughness | The look of the ball. | Defaults light grey, 1 and 0.3 | |
| Show weight, Label style | The weight of the ball over the scene, in a Big, Neon or Minimal style. | Default on, Big | Keep it on. The number is what makes each round heavier than the last. |
| Override audio | The mode's own sounds for Ball impact, Cube shatter and Box landing, each with its own pick. | On, defaults Clank, Rubble and Cardboard | Turn it off to play your song one note per impact instead. |
Recommended Setups
A good Ball Crush clip makes every round look heavier than the last.
| Goal | Settings to use |
|---|---|
| The full weight ladder | Defaults. 8 rounds, Plain tower. |
| A Short | Rounds 4, Seconds per round 6. |
| A tower that topples | Block width 180, Block height 640. |
| Depth you can read | Cube colors Gradient. |
| Slow motion | Gravity 200, Press force 4. |
Common Problems
What to check when Ball Crush 3D misbehaves.
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The first rounds barely do anything | Light balls only knock off a few cubes. That is the escalation. | Lower Rounds to start on a heavier weight. |
| Playback stutters | Too many cubes. Every cube is a real body. | Lower Columns per side. |
| Rubble flies too far | Box bounce or Drop height is high. | Lower Box bounce or Drop height. |
| The ball stops on top of the structure | The ball is light, or Box friction is high. | Raise Press force, or lower Box friction. |
More from BallEngine
Guides, plans and answers for making your videos.