Nvidia new PhysX FleX features (Cereal Simulation)

[ahhming]

PhysX FleX is a particle based simulation technique for real-time visual effects. Traditionally, visual effects are made using a combination of elements created using specialized solvers for rigid bodies, fluids, clothing, etc. Because FLEX uses a unified particle representation for all object types, it enables new effects where different simulated substances can interact with each other seamlessly. So far we showed examples for rigid body stacking, particle piles, soft bodies and fluids. In the video below we'll be showing some of the new advancements within PhysX FleX.
 

 
 
 
Cereal Simulation
 

 
The simulation shows two way coupling of cereal represented by rigid bodies with particle based fluid simulation. The milk is represented by up to 100.000 particles, surface tension and viscous forces are modeled and because the cereal pieces have a lower density than milk they naturally rise to the surface due to buoyancy. The milk surface is rendered in real time using ellipsoid splatting and a sub-surface scattering approximation.
 
Source:
https://developer.nvidia.com/content/new-flex-features

[StingBull]

Toast Simulator developer's next game, Cereal Simulator, is now possible. Thanks Nvidia.

 

 

That's not at all how real cereal works.

[Faceman]

I understand the smoke over the car as a useful tool, I just don't see where milk on top of a bunny has any real-world applications.

[UnknownEngineer]

I guess you could say that simulation was.... pretty cerreal...

 

I can't do any better than that.

[UnknownEngineer]

I understand the smoke over the car as a useful tool, I just don't see where milk on top of a bunny has any real-world applications.

Maybe you need to start thinking outside the SFW box.... 

[Godlygamer23]

It's not new. They've showed this off before.

[Recon97]

And most of the fucking games don't even support physX. It's just because of stupid AMD!

[Godlygamer23]

And most of the fucking games don't even support physX. It's just because of stupid AMD!

Or maybe NVIDIA should've kept PhysX the way it was(with the Ageia card still usable) but still adding functionality to their cards. Or, allow AMD to integrate it into their cards.

[RH00D]

And most of the fucking games don't even support physX. It's just because of stupid AMD!

Not sure if you're trolling or just really stupid...

[Techhog]

It's funny because the milk/cereal physics don't look even remotely realistic.

[Guest]

Stop being so naive, this has actual application.  There is a scene in a game, don't remember which one, where someone pushes stuff off the table, including a carton of milk.  The milk, along with everything else, proceeds to shatter and explode everywhere.  The scene was extremely realistic, and actually made me feel his anger and become scared that I was going to get hurt, only the milk ruined it for me.  The milk, when it exploded from the carton, just plopped on the floor, with no real animaiton.  This ruined the whole expierence for me, ruining that game and every other game I have played with a liquid in it, forcing me to never again play a game with any sort of liquid in it.  Now that this is out, I can play games with liquids in it again!

[EChondo]

I don't know, maybe if it was Special K cereal then I'd care, but Fruit Loops!? Bleh.

 

On a serious note, cool more features being added to a closed off feature set.

[KeltonDSMer]

I think that is pretty cool. I've just finished the Witcher and started the second...these games could use some better beer drinking animations That demo shows me that someone could make some cereally realistic looking foam with this technique.

[bigboy678]

Yes, this was shown before but some of the simulations (not all) look better than the last time NVIDIA showed this off. It would be nice if NVIDIA open sourced this but they are a business and have probably spent a decent amount of money developing it so i wouldnt count on it (remember they answer to the shareholders first not the customer) What AMD could and should do is develop their own physics engine and push it into some game engines. Nothing is stopping them from doing this. and considering they are in both the current consoles it would be easier for them theoretically to do it than NVIDIA

 

At the same time i dont think were going to see better physics in most games anytime soon considering how consoles can barely handle 1080P without even having to worry about calculating semi realistic physics 

[Trik'Stari]

 

soon.....

[martinrox1568]

I understand the smoke over the car as a useful tool, I just don't see where milk on top of a bunny has any real-world applications.

lol that's air over the car not smoke

[Faceman]

lol that's air over the car not smoke

Right, they use air to blow over the car, but don't they add in smoke to make it more visible?

[zacRupnow]

Or maybe NVIDIA should've kept PhysX the way it was(with the Ageia card still usable) but still adding functionality to their cards. Or, allow AMD to integrate it into their cards.

And in reverse Mantle and Freesync.

[Godlygamer23]

And in reverse Mantle and Freesync.

Mantle is at least somewhat open to other companies.

[martinrox1568]

Right, they use air to blow over the car, but don't they add in smoke to make it more visible?

To my understanding it is only air. I couldn't find anything online, but when I was on a plane this summer, a similar phenomenon occurred to the wings where the air was visibly going over them, and it looked exactly like videos of a wind tunnel I've seen. Also, adding smoke might affect the properties of the air, in some way or another, and the result would be making a car really slippery in smoke or whatever they may or not use, but have drag in pure air

[Faceman]

To my understanding it is only air. I couldn't find anything online, but when I was on a plane this summer, a similar phenomenon occurred to the wings where the air was visibly going over them, and it looked exactly like videos of a wind tunnel I've seen. Also, adding smoke might affect the properties of the air, in some way or another, and the result would be making a car really slippery in smoke or whatever they may or not use, but have drag in pure air

Well, thats precisely why digitizing that would eliminate variables like that.  I have no idea how any of that works, I just assumed they added something to make the air more visible, if you know that its just pure air, I'm not going to contest it.

[Khvarrioiren]

And most of the fucking games don't even support physX. It's just because of stupid AMD!

 

I gave the "Most idiotic post of 2014" award already, but you'll get an honorable mention. Well done.

[MonkeyFace]

PhysX always looks cool in demos, but I never pay attention to it in-game. 

[Deletive]

I don't think physX is really ever used to it's full potential in games.

With that being said, this is mainly directed at Computer simulations and stuff, and indirectly at games.

[sgloux3470]

Until Nvidia stops trying to lockdown all their technology to their hardware, PhysX will never be used for anything of note unless Nvidia develops the game themselves.

 

Most devs are just going to do what Valve does: pre-render the physics and then replay it in the game world. (See the episode 2 commentary for their explanation of this.)  Works perfectly fine for scenery and cutscenes, which is really the only time complicated physics effects are necessary anyway.