Version: 2021.1
Physics
Rigidbody overview

3D Physics for object-oriented projects

This section describes the main components available through Unity’s built-in 3D physics engineA system that simulates aspects of physical systems so that objects can accelerate correctly and be affected by collisions, gravity and other forces. More info
See in Glossary
, which you can use in object-oriented projects. It includes the following:

  • An overview of the main physics-related concepts: RigidbodiesA component that allows a GameObject to be affected by simulated gravity and other forces. More info
    See in Glossary
    , CollidersAn invisible shape that is used to handle physical collisions for an object. A collider doesn’t need to be exactly the same shape as the object’s mesh - a rough approximation is often more efficient and indistinguishable in gameplay. More info
    See in Glossary
    , JointsA physics component allowing a dynamic connection between Rigidbody components, usually allowing some degree of movement such as a hinge. More info
    See in Glossary
    , physics articulations and Character ControllersA simple, capsule-shaped collider component with specialized features for behaving as a character in a game. Unlike true collider components, a Rigidbody is not needed and the momentum effects are not realistic. More info
    See in Glossary
    .
  • Some explanations on specific physics contexts: Continuous collision detectionA collision detection method that calculates and resolves collisions over the entire physics simulation step. This can prevent fast-moving objects from tunnelling through walls during a simulation step. More info
    See in Glossary
    and Multi-scene physics.
  • A description of the Physics Debug Visualization.

In addition, the 3D Physics Reference provides a detailed description of all available components and the Physics HOWTOs section contains a few tips about common physics-related tasks.

Physics
Rigidbody overview