What software is there out there we can use to simulate shattering and deformations?

[Nikolaj]

All my life I have been very interested in CGI in features and I have so many questions to ask.
After watching big movies where they use CGI all the time, like Transformers and 2012 I have always been
interested in the demolition part.

I’m fifteen now, and my dream is to work at Pixar. That’s because I love their graphics and especially their story in the movies.
First, I have a question you may answer-

After watching numerous of disaster movies and scenes I have always, after the movie/scene, gone on the Internet and read about the “behind the scenes”-stuff, and I always wonder what software they use. For example in Terminator 3, in the scene where the crane flips up in the air and crashes, what software do they use to simulate all the deformations?

I believe you are starting to wonder what I’m trying to accomplish, but I may start with something like asking for a overview of what software thats not any in-house software, I can use to simulate things like deformations and stuff.
Say I want to destroy a bridge (in CG). I think I can handle the smoke/dust but what I cant is the shattering. What software can I use to make something shatter, or explode in thousands of pieces? Do you have any ideas?

[Ramazan]

for pre breaking:
for maya you can get a plugin called Blastcode.
Houdini has some inbuilt breaking tool (its just some booleans controlled proceduraly).
Of particular note and used in “2012” were two seperate tools for 3ds max: Rayfire and Volume Breaker. Both amazing tools.

for deforming metals etc like a crane, you can use cloth sim with very rigid settings. All the main 3d apps have cloth sims. Also in max you can use particle flow box 2 which works really well.

cheers

paul

[Author]

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