Learn English vocabulary for game physics engines: rigidbody, collider, trigger, kinematic bodies, raycasting, and cloth simulation.
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A 'rigidbody' component in a game engine means the object:
A rigidbody hands control of an object's movement to the physics engine. The engine applies gravity, handles collision responses, and calculates velocity and acceleration each physics step.
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What is the difference between a 'collider' and a 'trigger' in Unity?
Colliders produce physical responses (solid surfaces). Triggers are 'ghost' volumes — objects pass through them, but an OnTriggerEnter event fires, used for detecting overlaps like pickups or area effects.
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A 'kinematic' rigidbody differs from a 'dynamic' rigidbody in that:
Kinematic rigidbodies are controlled entirely by code or animation (e.g., a moving platform). They ignore gravity and forces but do interact with dynamic bodies, which is ideal for scripted movement that should affect the physics world.
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In game physics, 'raycasting' means:
A raycast fires an invisible line from an origin point along a direction and reports the first hit object, surface normal, and distance. Used for shooting, ground detection, line-of-sight checks, and mouse picking.
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What does 'physics layering' (collision layers/matrices) allow developers to do?
Physics layers let you define which object groups interact. For example, player bullets can collide with enemies but not with other player bullets, and environment objects ignore each other — reducing unnecessary collision checks.