On Edge of Tomorrow we were tasked with various types of simulations, from hero vehicle destruction, to aliens emerging from the ground, to creating libraries of destruction elements to be used for background war action. In exploring frameworks that could simulate a variety of material properties within a single method, we chose to integrate a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) solution. This would have to be scalable and efficient enough to suit our needs and overcome common challenges with integrating FEA in a fast paced production. We chose a modular, non-linear approach to integration, making FEA a building block living in a common platform and giving the artists maximum accessibility and control. Brief OverviewAt its core FEA is a method of dividing a complex problem into finer elements called tetrahedrons. The original model is converted into a tetrahedral representation fit for FEA simulation, which we call a "tet" cage. The size and number of tetrahedrons define the resolution of the simulation. After the "tet" cage is simulated, it is then used to chop the modeled geometry at a rest frame that then gets dynamically bound to the simulated tetrahedrons at rendertime. The 1-1 correlation between the tetrahedrons and chopped pieces allow us to derive useful information, such as strain and impact data, which can be used to drive other solvers and post processing methods. CheckpointsFEA places strict requirements on models to be used for tetrahedralization and clipping. Models must be closed, not selfintersecting and have area. For this we created a set of checkpoint modules shared across departments. Our goal was to create a checks/balances system that could easily be placed at various levels to check the integrity of the model against the requirements of FEA. As an additional checkpoint, we opted to chop our high resolution mesh by the tet cage as a first step prior to simulating, ensuring the artist a viable result. Modeling Proxy DataA relationship exists between the resolution of the tet cage and resulting physics of the sim. We built several technologies to derive our tet cages with this in mind. We could derive lightweight tet cages by automatically grouping larger objects that had attached smaller objects into a single cage. For vehicles this produced physical results with low computational overhead. To further control tet subdivision, we would generate impact data from lowlevel solvers that would easily allow us to control tet resolution in contact areas only. For representing tet cages that could replicate physical stress accurately, we supplied the proxy data with additional support structures that were not present in the model. For instance, the model of the Dropship in Edge of Tomorrow met all the requirements for FEA but since it wasn't designed for structural integrity, the sim would break down. Supplying additional lightweight tet cages to mimic support structures helped distribute the strain forces and stabilized the simulation. Multiple SolversTo achieve our desired goal of flexibility, our implem...
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