Axis-Aligned Bounding Box (AABB) |
The smallest cuboid containing the shape with edges parallel to the (Cartesian) coordinate axes. Computationally generated and typically used to check if two or more objects might be overlapping during the broadphase. |
Center of mass (COM) |
Forces applied to the center of mass push the body in the direction of the force without causing rotation. |
Compound Collider |
A compound collider is a set of Physics Shapes nested under a single Physics Body. The shapes behave as a single body. |
Convex Radius (Bevel Radius) |
To improve the performance and robustness of collision detection Unity Physics allows contacts to be generated within a small tolerance of the surface of a convex shape. This tolerance is referred to as convex radius or bevel radius. |
Convex shape |
A convex shape or volume has the property that a line segment drawn between any two points inside the volume never leaves the volume. Unity Physics exploits this property to accelerate the performance of collision detection and spatial queries. |
Degree of Freedom (DOF) |
A description of how a linear system is free to move. In rigid body dynamics this usually refers to the 6 degrees of freedom a body has when moving in free space. These are 3 linear and 3 angular degrees of freedom. They correspond to the axes you specify when describing a constraint. |
Inertia Tensor |
Describes the mass distribution of a rigid body. In particular it affects how the angular velocity of a body can change. See Moment of inertia. |
Jacobian |
Typically describes a constraint used during constraint solving. See Jacobian. |