Pixelux Ships Digital Molecular Matter Maya Plugin
Pixelux’s Digital Molecular Matter system, which got alot of press for it’s use in the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game for Xbox360 & PS3, is now available as a Maya Plugin. The DMM system is far more advanced that basic rigid body physics systems.
Unlike rigid body physics systems where everything looks like its made of styrofoam and things break as though they are very brittle, DMM accurately models the stress within objects, allowing deformation and fracture to occur naturally with all the subtle details the eye expects in physically simulated scenes. If you do want rigid fracture, simply change material properties of your objects to reflect harder and tougher materials. The plug-in comes with a sophisticated set of tools as well as a library of materials ranging from jelly to diamond, making material adjustment a snap.
The plugin also comes with their Pixelux Splintering Technology that can automatically retesselate geometry in fractured areas, to give an extra degree of realism with no impact to simulation time. A 30-day trial is available for free from their website, and the full plugin is available for $399.
Pixelux via Movie Quality Simulation–Pixelux Ships DMM Maya Plugin – Software News.
Randall Hand on 
VizWorld.com 