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How to Create Rigid Body Initial Velocity 

Create Rigid Body Initial Velocity(Blender Version: 2.83.4):

To initiate motion of a Rigid Body in other than Gravity direction, we need to impart some initial velocity to it. Blender do not have any direct option to initiate motion. There are many add-ons to initiate motion of a rigid body but it is always better to know the procedure since Add-ons may not be free forever like blender or they may not support future versions of Blender if they don’t update and so on.

 

Let’s Do it, with the following steps:

Modeling and applying Rigid Body Physics:

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Creating Rigid Bodies:

  • Open Blender, Select the Default Cube and Move up 1 unit, So the base of the cube is in-plane with   the Global coordinate system.

  • Now, Create a plane at Global Coordinate system and Scale it 10 times as shown. This is the floor on which the rigid bodies will slide.

  • Now duplicate the first cube and move it in Y- direction 10m. Then adjust the plane by moving in Y-direction, this is to see that both rigid bodies rests on the plane. With this modeling of the system is over.

Rigid-1.png
Rigid-2.png

Now, Let’s see how to create Rigid Bodies:

  • Select the “Plane” and click on the “Physics Properties” menu. Under “Rigid Body”, select Type as “Passive”. Now the plane is fixed in space.

  • Now, select the Cube and click on the “Physics Properties” menu. Under “Rigid Body”, select Type as “Active”. Now the Cube is free to move in space. Repeat this step for the other Cube also.

Rigid-3.png

  • Now, If we run the animation all the objects must be in in stationary. If want to see wheatear rigid body is working or not, select the plane, go to rigid body property menu and under Rigid body select Type as Active. Now if we run the animation all parts should move together in downward direction.

 

Now, Let’s see how to Impart Initial Velocity to a Cube:

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Step-1: At the First key frame, Select the body(CUBE-1) to which initial velocity is to be given, Press “I” and key frame “Location”. Go to Rigid body properties menu under Settings Check the “Animated check box” in and Key frame it by keeping Cursor on it and pressing “I” or click on the “dot” next to it.

Rigid Vel Step-1.png

Step-2: Go to "Fourth Key Frame", move the object(Cube-1) some distance in the direction of motion(here Y- direction), press “I” and key frame “Location”. Go to Rigid body properties menu under Settings Check the “Animated check box” and Key frame it by keeping Cursor on it and pressing “I” or click on the “dot” next to it.

Rigid Vel Step-2.png

  • That’s it. now, if you play the animation, you can see that the object moves in the direction specified with some initial velocity and then hits the other cube.

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  • To impart initial velocity in this technique there should be two key frames minimum between initial and final positions.

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  • To decrease velocity of cube-1, just move Keyframe-4 away from Keyframe-1.

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  • To increase the velocity of Cube-1 with in keyframes 1 to 4, move cube-1 to a large distance (increase location in Y-direction) at keyframe-4.

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"You can also checkout the following video for step-by-step explanation demo with Blender"

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