Activate physics

In this chapter, we’ll show how to add the workpieces and surrounding elements — such as the conveyor belt, any boxes, or the floor — to the physics simulation.

Activating physics on the first workpiece

In the first step, we add the long workpiece to the physics simulation by setting its rigid body behavior to Dynamic. As we can see, it immediately falls straight down — because the rest of the environment hasn’t been made part of the physics simulation yet.

Activating physics on the environment

Next, we add the environment — the conveyor belt, boxes, and floor — to the physics simulation. Since these objects are fixed in space, we define them as Static rigid bodies. By holding down the ALT key, we can lift the dynamic workpiece. As we can see, it now rests properly on the conveyor belt or the floor.

Next

In the next chapter, we will kinematize actuators such as the conveyor and the cylinder, and add the sensors to the physics simulation.