Physics Rigidbody

Abhishek Smith

Abhishek Smith

Building Outscal | Land Jobs in the gaming industry | EA, Epic Games, TCS, | CMU, IIT K

Basic Movement Controls

  • Velocity: Direct control over object speed and direction
  • AddForce: Apply continuous or instant forces
  • MovePosition: Physics-aware position changes
  • GetPointVelocity: Calculate how fast any point on your object is moving (great for large rotating objects like windmills or swinging wrecking balls)
  • GetRelativePointVelocity: Same as above, but in object's local space (useful for checking speed of specific parts like wheel rims or robot arms)

Rotation Controls

  • Angular Velocity: Control spinning speed
  • AddTorque: Apply rotational forces
  • AddRelativeTorque: Rotation force relative to orientation
  • MoveRotation: Physics-based rotation control

Impact & Physics State

  • AddExplosionForce: Create blast effects with radius and upward force
  • AddForceAtPosition: Apply force at specific world position
  • Sleep: Disable physics temporarily for optimization
  • WakeUp: Re-enable physics calculations
  • IsSleeping: Check if physics simulation is disabled

Core Properties & Management

  • Mass: Affect force impact
  • Drag: Air resistance simulation
  • Angular Drag: Rotational resistance
  • UseGravity: Toggle gravity effects
  • IsKinematic: Switch between physics/script control
  • Constraints: Freeze position/rotation on specific axes
  • Center of Mass: Control physics pivot point
  • ResetCenterOfMass: Return to default center of mass

Force Modes

  • Force: Continuous, mass-dependent
  • Impulse: Instant, mass-dependent
  • VelocityChange: Instant, mass-independent
  • Acceleration: Continuous, mass-independent

Pro Tips:

  • Handle ALL physics in FixedUpdate()
  • Use IsKinematic for cutscenes/animations
  • Combine forces for complex movements
  • Adjust drag for fine-tuned control
  • Reset center of mass when physics behave unexpectedly

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