Fluid Dynamics on the GPU from andres reinot on Vimeo
Mostly for kicks, Andres has been working on a fluid dynamics demo. This video is of PhysX fluid particles being simulated on the GPU and rendered in the Marmoset Engine (in a Toolbag module actually). A fountain of 20,000 particles is being simulated by one GeForce 8800 GTS and being drawn by another GeForce 8800 GTS runs at 50 fps on a good day, though no actual optimization work has been done. This demo does serve a purpose: it is preparation for our super-cool, super-secret tech plans this summer.
Fluids are not a full feature of Marmoset just yet, but they are quite fun to play with. Even with minimal rendering and tweaking efforts, you start to spot these very familiar behaviors and shapes water typically takes. For example the invisible water tank has a particle emitter inside it and as the tank fills up the water becomes turbulent. This is because volume is being added forcibly inside the tank; the water in effect, starts boiling over. And though not depicted in the video, if the property for compressibility is raised to make the fluid behave a bit more “gassy” and less like a dense liquid, the water surface calms down but starts foaming and frothing over the edge, as it would when boiling, say, pasta!
Also, there is a fountain.