the future of physics
Behind the scenes on Adam, a renewed physics solver was powering the real-time cinematics. Gustavo Liévano explains how Carontefx from Nextlimit could change how you animate…
What is the background of Carontefx, how was it developed?
Carontefx is a new development, an application of our physics engine [from Realflow and Xflow] as a plug-in for game engines. We firmly believe that game engines will be the main platform in the development of interactive VR experiences, and this kind of content must use physically based animations to achieve immersion and realism. Carontefx, being an accurate simulation engine, has a lot to offer to VR and AAA video games.
How involved was Carontefx in the making of Adam?
Carontefx is present in almost every shot: from the cables that loom over Adam, to the fracture of his mask and the destruction caused by guards firing. However, the best example of Carontefx are the two characters that make an appearance at the end of the demo. The physics of their clothing and accessories were simulated with our plug-in, and the results, thanks to the art direction and perfectly executed animations, are mesmerising.
What does Carontefx offer, technically?
It’s a comprehensive suite of physics simulation tools: rigid and soft bodies, fractures, explosions, servos and motors, cloth, ropes, wind… Everything you might need to create amazing VFX, secondary motion and cinematics for VR experiences and video games.
How did Carontefx improve on what other software could have done?
Carontefx is a mature engine with many years of development behind it, and we have gained a lot of experience using it as a physics solver for both Realflow and Xflow. Most of the tools we’ve developed for Carontefx are years ahead of what the current real-time physics engines can do; and we’re very close to achieving real-time features by adjusting the quality of the solver. Carontefx is very robust facing massive simulations, malformed meshes and high-quality collisions.
How was Carontefx used for the cloth simulations in Adam?
The simulation of the clothes on the two mysterious characters at the end of the demo are a showcase of our technology: it’s composed of many layers with auto-collision, and different parts with collisions between them; they respond to gravity and wind, and behave accordingly to their material (leather, semi-rigid cables, metal, etc).
What is the goal or ambition for Carontefx?
We want our technology to be essential to produce both Hollywood-quality cinematics, and real-time physics with excellent performance. This can only be achieved by proper integration within a game engine, which is the next step in our technical roadmap. In the near future, we want to provide a tool that will completely change how we animate: simulation will be at the centre of this, and artists won’t have to use any external tool besides their own game engine. Simple pipeline, faster iterations, better results: Carontefx’s goal is to disrupt the physics engine market, not only to shake it. Once you know how to simulate physics, do it in a big way!
What are video games missing that Carontefx can do?
Realism. The human eye is incredibly good at detecting things that look off. VR experiences cannot afford to loose immersion because an explosion looks fake, or the clothing of a character is behaving incorrectly. And besides realism, Carontefx will also offer spectacular performance for real-time features in the short term.