Real-time modeling sets a new standard for military simulation

Objective Interface Systems Inc.’s DMMfx Animator and DMMfx Engine, the first real-time material physics for building military simulations, enable rapid development of visually immersive environments containing objects that accurately model the physical fidelity of movement. DMMfx objects respond in a lifelike manner based on their physical properties without the use of manual, prearranged results.

DMMfx Animator and DMMfx Engine are based on the revolutionary Digital Molecular Matter technology created by Pixelux Entertainment, an industry innovator in video game realism. Applying the laws of physics in real-time means that when a user blows up a brick wall, that wall breaks apart in ways that are true to its physical properties – as opposed to manual, pre-scripted animations. DMMfx computes this real-time simulation of physics utilizing the principles of finite element modeling, the same technology utilized by designers to model the physical properties of everything from jet aircraft to automotive engines.

Defense simulations today are characterized by swapping art. When you shoot a window, a script is run to display an animation showing the window breaking. Even in the case of utilizing a rigid body physics system, there are limited options to show how that object will break. DMMfx empowers the creator of a simulation to dynamically change the window’s fundamental material properties. That window could now be made of bulletproof glass or it could be made of plate glass. And each time it shatters, it breaks in a completely unique way according to its actual physical characteristics as well as the stresses induced on it by the projectile. You merely set the properties of the object and DMMfx does all the work in real-time during the simulation.

The DMMfx tools dramatically increase the realism and freedom of play of simulations while significantly reducing the cost of the artwork assets. By providing more powerful and visually accurate tools, designers can now easily get the results they want – which better prepares our armed forces for the realities of military engagement.