Digital Molecular Matter

Digital Molecular Matter, better known as simply DMM, is a proprietary middleware physics engine developed by Pixelux for generating realistic destruction and deformation effects. The offline version can support high-resolution simulations for use in movie special effects. The real-time version 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 finite element analysis (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 (ice, gummy bear, etc.). In addition, the properties of objects or parts of objects can be changed at runtime, allowing for additional interesting effects.

Digital Molecular Matter (DMM)
Developer(s)Pixelux
Stable release
1.0 / May 2010
Operating systemUnix, Linux, Mac, Windows, Xbox 360, PS3
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.pixelux.com

DMM can be authored or used in Maya or 3ds Max to create simulation-based visual effects.

Academy Award

In 2015 three of the key architects behind DMM, James F. O'Brien, Eric Parker, and Ben Cole, were recognized for their work on DMM with an Academy Award.[1] The citation for the award reads:

To Ben Cole for the design of the Kali Destruction System, to Eric Parker for the development of the Digital Molecular Matter toolkit, and to James O’Brien for his influential research on the finite element methods that served as a foundation for these tools.

The combined innovations in Kali and DMM provide artists with an intuitive, art-directable system for the creation of scalable and realistic fracture and deformation simulations. These tools established finite element methods as a new reference point for believable on-screen destruction.

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 running a finite element simulation that computes how the materials would actually behave.

Use

DMM has been used in LucasArts's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and was used again for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.[2]

Plugins for Autodesk Media & Entertainment's 3ds Max and Maya animation software are also available. The plugin is built into Maya 2012.[3]

DMM has been integrated with Gamebryo, Trinigy Vision Engine, Irrlicht, OGRE and other game engines.

MPC Moving Picture Company has integrated DMM into their internal software pipeline known as Kali.[4]

Movies Using DMM

Several movies have made use of DMM for generating offline special effects. These include:

Television Shows, Shorts, and Commercials using DMM

Development

The DMM tools and middleware were developed for film and game effects by Pixelux Entertainment over a 6.5 year period starting in 2004. From 2005 through 2008, Pixelux's real-time version of DMM technology was exclusive to LucasArts Entertainment[33] as a part of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TFU) project.[34] 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.[35] O'Brien then worked with a development team led by Pixelux CTO, Eric Parker, to develop code suitable for visual effects work and real-time applications.[36] 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.[37]

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.[38]

Technical Citations

The following technical papers describe the algorithms that DMM is based on and some of the technical details of its implementation:

Technology partners and usage by companies

Notable companies using the technology include:

References
  1. http://www.oscars.org/news/21-scientific-and-technical-achievements-be-honored-academy-awardsr
  2. http://www.nowgamer.com/previews/xbox-360/1006/star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2?o=1#listing
  3. http://3dg.me/3d-graphics/maya/autodesk-maya-2012-announced-whats-new
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-06-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~job/Prof._James_F._OBrien/Miscellaneous.html
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjfd-BiaRHE
  7. Cinefex Magazine, issue 125, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue125.html Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Stitching Together Sucker Punch". 2011-03-28. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04.
  9. Cinefex Magazine, issue 126, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue126.html Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjiOddVzyo0
  11. Cinefex Magazine, issue 126, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue126.html Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
  12. http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=2196
  13. Cinefex Magazine, issue 127, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue127.html Archived 2012-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  14. http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=2061
  15. Cinefex Magazine, issue 129, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue129.html Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  16. http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=2491
  17. http://www.fxguide.com/featured/prometheus-rebuilding-hallowed-vfx-space/
  18. Cinefex Magazine, issue 130, page 60, http://www.cinefex.com/backissues/issue130.html Archived 2012-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
  19. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter – Bridge destruction sequence by Luis Alberto Cayo
  20. Bond’s boldest adventure yet: Skyfall
  22. No small feat: making Jack the Giant Slayer
  23. Inside Die Hard – the 4 biggest effects shots
  24. The Art of VFX
  27. "An appetite for destruction – leading VFX studios share their techniques for creating epic destruction" 3D World, Issue 184. Online Summary
  28. Live. Die. Repeat the effects
  30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjfd-BiaRHE
  31. http://vimeo.com/37538747
  32. http://vimeo.com/37538439
  33. "Force To Be Reckoned With". 2009-09-01.
  34. "The Game Has Changed". 2008-03-01.
  35. "Graphical Modeling and Animation of Fracture" (PDF). 2000-07-01.
  36. "Real-Time Deformation and Fracture in a Game Environment". 2009-08-01.
  37. "DMM Touch on iTunes". 2011-01-17.
  38. "Autodesk Maya 2012 Software: New Ways to Explore, Refine and Present Creative Concepts". 2011-03-01. Archived from the original on 2011-04-12.
  39. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2010-05-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. https://www.amd.com/us/press-releases/Pages/amd-ecosystem-2010mar8.aspx
  41. http://www.nvidia.com/object/ecosystem_profiles_p4.html
  42. LucasArts And Pixelux Redefine Environmental Realism For Next-Generation Interactive Entertainment
  43. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-04-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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