Chunky Orbits cover
Chunky Orbits screenshot
PC Steam
Genre: Simulator

Chunky Orbits

Small bug-fix posted
I was tinkering around with Chunky Orbits and noticed a dumb mistake I left in the last update. Grabbed chunks weren't releasing correctly if the player had rotated using the right stick. Should be working properly now.

Working on a few small additions and tweaks this weekend, too.

Version 1.1 is live - new movement option
I've added a new option for moving around the Chunky Orbits sim. It's very similar to classic first person shooter controls. You can move with the left touchpad or thumbstick, and rotate with the right. Modify your direction by pointing your left hand. Press in on the pad/stick to move faster.

I still like the funky 'accordion' style movement from previous versions, but several users have requested something a little more familiar. You can use either method, they are both available at all times.

Other changes include some small adjustments to the main menu and an update to Unity engine v 5.6. See the ChangeLog for the full list.

Thanks to everyone who's supporting my indie dev efforts by buying my stuff! Please let me know if I broke anything. :csdsmile:

Version 1.0 is released
Chunky Orbits is out of Early Access and released as v1.0!

:chunks::chunks: :csdsmile: :chunks::chunks:

Active development is done for now, though of course I will fix any bugs that might pop up. I'll likely tinker with it and add a few things over time, but my main focus is now on my next project - XenoFarm.

Thanks for all the great feedback and suggestions during Early Access! Great experience for me to go through the process of early release, interacting with players, gathering feedback, and releasing the final product.

Small update with minor fixes
Posted a small update to Chunky Orbits today. Just a few small fixes as I get ready to exit Early Access.

  • Added sound effects when you delete a chunk and when a white dwarf consumes one.
  • Fixed help text on left controller after deleting a chunk.
  • Rebooting with the group of rocks now produces a few more rocks that are moving a little faster.
  • Asteroid belt now has some torque added to each individual chunk.
  • Fixed incorrect particles size on Absorber menu item when scaling up/down.

Chunky Orbits is now Ambidextrous
The beta7 build is now live and lets you use both hands to create, delete, and grab the chunks. Full list of changes:


  • You can now create, delete, and grab chunks with both hands.
  • Option to turn the background music on and off
  • Option to turn the help text on/off
  • Added a particle stars effect to the area around the player. Gives a little more sense of depth and motion.
  • Tweaked the calculations of the gravity sim. It's now even more similar to RL physics. I've stil taken a few liberties for the sake of fun and easy interaction, though.


Just a little more polish and a few more tweaks until Chunky Orbits is out of Early Access and on to full release.

Beta 6 now available - Touch models and better help text
Howdy folks. I posted a new version of Chunky Orbits to go along with some new features in SteamVR. There are now Oculus Touch models for Rift users, along with a slightly different setup for the button mappings.


  • Support for Oculus touch models. If you're using Touch you should now see a proper representation of the controllers. Vive users should see their Vive wands.
  • Refined the help text. Easier to read, more specific info, and proper positons for Touch/Vive. Please let me know if any of these help text objects seem out of position.
  • White Dwarf now behaves like the other chunks - hold trigger to create, release to set it free.
  • Center Stone no longer locks in place. It does have some 'drag' added to the physics sim to keep it from moving freely. White Dwarf has this drag as well. I think it's nice to be able to set up some orbits with these (mostly) stationary objects.
  • New 'cursor' object visible when selecting menu items. Easier to tell exactly where to 'poke' to select items.
  • Absorber chunks are now take on a random color when created.
  • I got rid of the transparent 'currently selected tool' icons. They were reduntant since the same info is on the help text screens. They also cluttered up the view.


I'm happy with the progress I've made and I'm nearly ready for the full release of Chunky Orbits. Just a few more tweaks/refinements and she'll be ready to go.

Touch controller models in SteamVR
The latest SteamVR Beta has added Oculus Touch controller models. So now people with Touch will see the proper controller when using SteamVR. I'll be adding support for this in Chunky Orbits soon. Until then, things will look a little funny if you are on the SteamVR Beta and using Touch.

The default button mappings have also changed in the beta. Menu buttons are now B and Y, and the System button is now the Left Oculus button. These new mappings should make their way to the normal SteamVR client soon. You might temporarily see some incorrect button labels depending on which version of the client you are running.

Haptic feedback added
Valve has added haptic feedback support for Oculus touch in the latest SteamVR beta, so I went ahead and added it to Chunky Orbits. You should feel a little rumble when you choose a menu item or create/delete a chunk. Not tested on Vive's yet. I'd love to hear from any Vive users who give it a try.

Chunky Orbits beta5
New version is now live. Changes include:

  • New chunk: Comet. A small rock with a sparkly trail. Also added Comets to the Chaos reboot mode.
  • You'll see a transparent icon above your right hand to remind you what tool is currently active.
  • Fixed a problem with the menu icons triggering other menu icons when they overlap.
  • A few adjustments to the Chaos mode. More variation in each random reboot.
  • Update to Unity 5.5. Should provide some improvement in physics performance. I did notice some trouble with single-pass rendering, so that is turned off for now. Not a big deal for Chunky Orbits since the scene geometry is fairly simple.

New Chaos Mode
I've posted another update to Chunky Orbits that includes a new reboot option called Chaos. This spawns a collection of random objects in random positions with random velocities. This is a great way to stir things up and discover interesting configurations that you might not think to create yourself.

Full list of changes:

  • New reboot option: Chaos
  • New objects on Reboot are placed in front of the player instead of in the center of the playspace. Look down if you want the new chunks to spawn below you, look up if you want them above.
  • Particle effect when a White Dwarf consumes a chunk
  • Move the pinch and pull direction indicator back to the centerpoint between your hands. Fixed jittery motion of the indicator, too.
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