Just a quick note to say that the pre-print for our paper on particle physics for real-time applications is now available. Visit the project page for all the downloads, or check out the submission video below:

The paper contains most of the practical knowledge and insight about Position-Based Dynamics that I gained while developing Flex. In addition, it introduces a few new features such as implicit friction and smoke simulation.

As noted in the paper, unified solvers are common in offline VFX, but are relatively rare in games. In fact, it was my experience at Rocksteady working on Batman: Arkham Asylum that helped inspire this work. The Batman universe has all these great characters with unique special powers, and I think a tool like this would have found many applications (e.g.: a Clayface boss fight). Particle based methods have their limitations, and traditional rigid-body physics engines will still be important, but I think frameworks like this can be a great addition to the toolbox.