Whatever happened to the surface mesh for PhysX fluids???

[MelvinEng]

Hi all,

I was wondering whatever happened to the surface mesh for PhysX fluids?
Why on earth did Nvidia remove this all-important feature from fluids?
Now those fluid particles just look like...particles. 


Bewildered,
Melvin.

[Zogrim]

I was wondering whatever happened to the surface mesh for PhysX fluids?

Implicit mesh was removed in SDK 2.8.0

Why on earth did Nvidia?

by Ageia

Now those fluid particles just look like...particles.

Until you'll use special technique to render them, like
http://developer.download.nvidia.com/presentations/2010/gdc/Direct3D_Effects.pdf

Thanks !

[MelvinEng]

Hi,

I can see the rationale of decoupling surface rendering from the simulation...it becomes a pure rendering issue.
Then again, why not leave it up to the developer to use the implicit surfaces or not? (seeing that tackling it as a rendering problem presents additional implementation overheads)


Regards,
Melvin.

[Zogrim]

Then again, why not leave it up to the developer to use the implicit surfaces or not

Sorry, I don't know details behind that decision.
However, fluid system is going to be reconsidered in PhysX SDK 3.x, afaik, so they may add implicit meshes (or something more advanced) back

[MelvinEng]

Hmm....hopefullly we'll see a return of implicit meshes or something better in v3 then...

[Zogrim]

or something better in v3

I've heard they finally going to add Heightfield fluids support

[MelvinEng]

Hmmm....this a nice addition...though I'm more in need of their fluid  mesh...
Btw may I know where you got all this info about implicit mesh and heightfield support in v3 from?
I couldn't find any references on the web...


Cheers.

[Zogrim]

Btw may I know where you got all this info about implicit mesh

From SDK release notes. It's included in SDK package.

heightfield support in v3 from?

From some guys in current (NV) PhysX dev. team. I do know some from Ageia times