Okay, after looking at the “Mouse” example from the Box2D library, it seems like that could be fairly close to what I was hoping to do.
But I don’t want the box I’m dragging to have motion on it’s own after the mouse is released. I’d even prefer not to have it rotate. I want it to behave like it’s a domino on a table, you push it around, you let go, it sits where you left it. If it’s used to push other dominoes, they just slide and stop the moment they are not pushed anymore.
The idea of a “spring” that lets you fling the box around the screen and watch it bounce and spin and send other objects flying in a realistic manner is impressive, but what if you just want to simulate objects on a table, moved around gently with precision? Is that spring mouse joint basically the right way to get the mouse to move a box?
I noticed that the friction setting seems only to apply to the object coming into contact with other objects or “boundaries.” Is there a way to introduce a friction as though a box was on a table so that it’s momentum could be controlled that way?
*** Never mind
If it’s not too much trouble, and I feel bad asking for this much help, could someone add Box2D to my example at the top of this post? With the big box controlled by the mouse to push the smaller box around without either box rotating, and assuming that the view is essentially like a top view of two dominoes on a table, so not having gravity pull them on their own, and neither box having any noticeable momentum after being moved.
Or if anyone knows of a similar example I could look at.