Don't miss this amazing 1,5-hour Pixar session on how to approach complex deformations.
Simulating dynamic deformation has been one of the keys to Pixar's visual storytelling since Boo's shirt in Monsters, Inc. (2001). Recently, the team has shared a talk on how they approach this task.
The team made several improvements to their core simulator Fizt to boost its speed, robustness, and generality. Starting with Coco (2017), Pixar relied on improved collision detection and response of the cloth solve. When working on Cars 3 (2017), they also started experimenting with 3D solids, and then with Onward (2020), they studied the concept of deformable clothing.
The 3D solids, for example, are based on a powerful new formulation which they showcased a couple of years ago at SIGGRAPH. "Under this formulation, the construction and eigendecomposition of the force gradient, long considered the most onerous part of the implementation, becomes fast and simple," wrote the team.
The best thing is that the team has also shared an in-depth session on their current best practices for accelerating system assembly and solver performance. Pixar discussed strategies for using different techniques and explained how they deal with challenging scenarios.
You can also find their paper on the topic here. Don't forget to join our new Telegram channel, our Discord, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.