- Digital Molecular Matter
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Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) Developer(s) Pixelux Stable release 1.0 / May 2010 Operating system Unix, Linux, Mac, Windows, Xbox 360, PS3 License Proprietary Website http://www.pixelux.com/ Digital Molecular Matter, better known as simply DMM, is a proprietary middleware physics engine developed by Pixelux. It is designed for computer, video games, and other simulation needs by attempting to simulate physical real-world systems. Unlike traditional realtime simulation engines which tend to be based on rigid body kinematics, the use of FEA allows DMM to simulate a large set of physical properties. Developers can assign physical properties to a given object (or portion of an object) which allow the object to behave as it would in the real world (e.g. ice, gummy bear, etc.) In addition the properties of objects (or even just parts of objects) can be changed at runtime allowing for additional interesting effects.
DMM can be authored or used in Maya or 3ds Max to create simulation-based visual effects.
Contents
Platform availability
DMM is available and optimized for Microsoft's Windows, Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, Apple's Mac OS X, and Linux.
Function
DMM is a physical simulation system which models the material properties of objects allowing them to break and bend in accordance to the stress placed on them. Structures modeled with DMM can break and bend if they are not physically viable. Objects made of glass, steel, stone and jelly are all possible to create and simulate in real-time with DMM. The system accomplishes this by mimicking the effects of stress on real molecular matter. Objects react to stimuli in ways simulating the breaking effects of wood, glass, and semi-permeable substances in real time based on observations of their effects in real-world physics.
Use
DMM has been used in LucasArts's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and was used again for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.[1]
Plugins for Autodesk Media & Entertainment's 3ds Max and Maya animation software are also available. The plugin for Maya is included built in to Maya 2012.[2]
DMM has been integrated with Gamebryo, Trinigy Vision Engine, Irrlicht, OGRE, and other game engines.
Several movies have made use of DMM for generating offline special effects. These include "Avatar", "Sucker Punch", and "Source Code". The Moving Picture Company has integrated DMM into their internal software pipeline known as Kali. [3]
Development
The DMM tools and middleware were developed by Pixelux Entertainment over a 6.5 year period starting in 2004. From 2005 through 2008, Pixelux' DMM technology was exclusive to LucasArts Entertainment[4] as a part of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TFU) project[5]. The FEM system in DMM utilized an algorithm for fracture and deformation developed by University of California, Berkeley professor, James F. O'Brien, as part of his Ph.D. thesis[6]. The O'Brien algorithm was refined, optimized and implemented into the DMM middleware by a team led by Eric Parker, the CTO of Pixelux[7]. The DMM tools pipeline was designed and implemented by a team led by Mitchell Bunnell, the CEO of Pixelux.
An ARM version of DMM was incorporated by Pixelux into their DMM Touch iPhone/iPad product[8].
A version of the DMM Plug-In is included by Autodesk in their release of Maya 2012. The DMM Plug-In runs on all versions of Maya on all platforms in both 32 and 64-bit mode[9].
Technology partners and usage by companies
Notable companies using the technology include:
- Autodesk (software) [10]
- AMD (chip maker) [11]
- NVIDIA (video cards etc.) [12]
- LucasArts (digital art) [13]
- Moving_Picture_Company (VFX House) [14]
- VandoStudio - Terminix Flying Monster and Terminix Beams commercials - Destruction Shots with DMM
Since integrating DMM Technology into their custom "Kali" destruction engine, MPC has produced shots for the movie Sucker Punch. The Kali destruction pipeline and shots performed with it are described in Cinefex Magazine, issue 125. Of note was MPC's desire to use a simulation system that accurately captured the flexing of breaking wood for the Giant Samurai Battle . An interview with the VFX Supervisor, John "DJ" DesJardin on the site Animation World Network titled "Stitching Together Sucker Punch" also discusses the use of DMM in Kali[15]
A tweet by Pixelux Entertainment on April 2nd revealed that DMM was also used by MPC for destruction VFX shots in the movie Source_Code
References
- ^ http://www.nowgamer.com/previews/xbox-360/1006/star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2?o=1#listing
- ^ http://3dg.me/3d-graphics/maya/autodesk-maya-2012-announced-whats-new
- ^ http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/for_attendees/talks/sessions/120
- ^ "Force To Be Reckoned With". 2009-09-01. http://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2008/Volume-31-Issue-9-Sept-2008-/Force-To-Be-Reckoned-With.aspx.
- ^ "The Game Has Changed". 2008-03-01. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/lucas200803.
- ^ "Graphical Modeling and Animation of Fracture". 2000-07-01. http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~job/Papers/obrien-phdthesis.pdf.
- ^ "Real-Time Deformation and Fracture in a Game Environment". 2009-08-01. http://graphics.cs.berkeley.edu/papers/Parker-RTD-2009-08/.
- ^ "DMM Touch on iTunes". 2011-01-17. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dmm-touch/id410411041?mt=8.
- ^ "Autodesk Maya 2012 Software: New Ways to Explore, Refine and Present Creative Concepts". 2011-03-01. http://news.autodesk.com/news/autodesk/20110301005102/en/Autodesk-Maya-2012-Software-Ways-Explore-Refine.
- ^ http://autodeskcatalog.com/mediaentertainment/2009/12/09/digital-molecular-matter-plug-in-2/
- ^ http://www.amd.com/us/press-releases/Pages/amd-ecosystem-2010mar8.aspx
- ^ http://www.nvidia.com/object/ecosystem_profiles_p4.html
- ^ LucasArts And Pixelux Redefine Environmental Realism For Next-Generation Interactive Entertainment
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Stitching Together Sucker Punch". 2011-03-28. http://www.awn.com/articles/3d/stitching-together-sucker-punch/page/1%2C1.
External links
Categories:- Computer physics engines
- Virtual reality
- Video game engines
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