3D Physics (Jolt/Native)

Expert guidance for high-performance 3D physics and ragdolls.

NEVER Do

NEVER scale RigidBody3D

— Scale collision shapes, NEVER the body itself. Non-uniform scaling breaks physics engines logic.

NEVER use

move_and_slide

inside

_process

— Always use

_physics_process

. Frame-rate dependency kills simulation stability.

NEVER simulate ragdolls 24/7

— Only enable physical bones on death or impact. Animate static meshes otherwise to save CPU.

NEVER ignore Jolt

— Godot Jolt plugin is strictly superior to default Godot Physics in 4.x for stability and performance. Use it if possible.

NEVER use ConcaveCollisionShape3D for dynamic bodies

— Concave shapes (Trimesh) are for static ground only. Moving bodies MUST be Convex or Primitive (Box/Capsule).

Available Scripts

ragdoll_manager.gd

Expert manager for transitioning Skeleton3D from animation to physical simulation (death effect). Handles impulse application and cleanup.

raycast_visualizer.gd

Debug tool to visualize hit points and normals of RayCast3D in game.

Core Architecture

1. Layers & Masks (3D)

Same as 2D:

Layer

What object IS.

Mask

What object HITS. 2. Physical Bones (Ragdolls) Godot uses PhysicalBone3D nodes attached to Skeleton3D bones. To setup: Select Skeleton3D. Click "Create Physical Skeleton" in top menu. This generates PhysicalBone3D nodes. 3. Jolt Joints Use Generic6DOFJoint3D for almost everything. It covers hinge, slider, and ball-socket needs with simpler configuration than specific nodes. Ragdoll Implementation

simple_ragdoll.gd

extends Skeleton3D func start_ragdoll ( ) -> void : physical_bones_start_simulation ( ) func stop_ragdoll ( ) -> void : physical_bones_stop_simulation ( ) Reference Master Skill: godot-master