How to create parabola path for addforce()

Question

I used Unity's addforce() to throw a ball into the air. But i want the player to know where his balls are going to. I tried using regular parabola formula to do it but it uses velocity and the addforce uses, well, force. Is there any other way to make a parabola or atleast a way to convert the regular formula to use force instead of velocity? Here's my code

     Vector3 CalcArcPos(float t, float maxDis)
     {
         float x = t * maxDis;
         float y = x * Mathf.Tan(arcRadian) - ((g * x * x) / (2 * arcVel * arcVel * Mathf.Cos(arcRadian) * Mathf.Cos(arcRadian)));
         return new Vector3(x, y, canon.transform.position.z);
     }
     void CalcArc()
     {
         arcHolder.transform.localRotation = Quaternion.Euler(arcHolder.transform.localEulerAngles.x, arcHolder.transform.localEulerAngles.y, -canon.transform.localEulerAngles.x); ;
         Vector3[] poses = new Vector3[arcImgAmt];
         arcRadian = Mathf.Deg2Rad * angle;
         float maxDis = (arcVel *  arcVel * Mathf.Sin(2 * arcRadian)) / g;
         for (int i = 0; i < arcImgAmt; i++)
         {
             float t = (float)i / arcImgAmt;
             poses[i] = CalcArcPos(t, maxDis);
             arcImgs[i].transform.localPosition = poses[i];
         }
     }

Thank you for reading this and answering it

Answer 1

Your question is missing an important detail. AddForce has 4 different modes and the result highly depends on how you use AddForce. I have explained the different force modes over here. Only one of these force modes is an actual force (ForceMode.Force). All the other modes either describe a change in velocity or energy.

Your forumla only works with the initial velocity. How and when you reach it also highly depends on how you use AddForce. If you actually applying a force every frame, it's important to know for how long you apply it. During the acceleration period it would be extremely difficult to tell the exact movement part ahead of time unless you know exactly how long you're going to apply the force. Though this would be the same as if you just calculate the velocity at the moment you stop applying the force.

If you just apply an "impulse" you essentially set the velocity directly to a certain value. This would be your initial velocity. Maybe you already use the wrong force mode for your specific case? We don't know since, as I mentioned, without knowing how you use AddForce this question is too ambiguous.

Answer 2

Answer by lgarczyn · Oct 25, 2019 at 11:12 PM

Unity doesn't actually uses linear integration to calculate paths. AddForce is simply a wrapper over an instant incrementation of the velocity.

To calculate the position after a time t, the best option is to simply iterate X times, incrementing your position by velocity * Time.fixedDeltaTime, and your velocity by force * Time.fixedDeltaTime, X being t / Time.fixedDeltaTime.

Here is my previous answers on the subject: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57996836/how-does-spaceflight-simulator-predict-flight-paths/57998714#57998714 and https://answers.unity.com/questions/1671525/calculate-a-trajectory-in-all-possible-directions.html?childToView=1671641#answer-1671641

Trying to use parabolas will only lead to errors and headaches.

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How to create parabola path for addforce()

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