Introduction

The rigid body simulation can be used to simulate the motion of solid objects. It affects the position and orientation of objects and does not deform them.

Unlike the other simulations in Blender, the rigid body simulation works closer with the animation system. This means that rigid bodies can be used like regular objects and be part of parent-child relationships, animation constraints and drivers.

Creating a Rigid Body

Reference

Mode:

All Modes

Panel:

Properties ‣ Physics ‣ Rigid Body

Menu:

Object ‣ Rigid Body

Only mesh objects can be part of a rigid body simulation. To create rigid bodies, either click on the Rigid Body button in the Physics tab of the Properties or use Add Active/Add Passive in the Object ‣ Rigid Body menu.

There are two types of rigid bodies: active and passive. Active bodies are dynamically simulated, while passive bodies remain static. Both types can be driven by the animation system when using the Animated option.

During the simulation, the rigid body system will override the position and orientation of dynamic rigid body objects. Note however, that the location and rotation of the objects are not changed, so the rigid body simulation acts similar to a constraint. To apply the rigid body transformations you can use the Apply Object Transform operator.

The scale of the rigid body object also influences the simulation, but is always controlled by the animation system.

Rigid body physics on the object can be removed with the Rigid Body button in the Physics tab in the Properties or in the Object ‣ Rigid Body menu.

Working with Rigid Bodies

Several object operators exist for working with rigid bodies, these operators can be found in the Rigid Body object menu. These operators include functions to add/remove rigid bodies, modify their properties, and add Rigid Body Constraints.