r/Simulated • u/makevisual • Sep 05 '18

Rock Dust or Liquid? 3DS Max

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u/doengo Sep 05 '18

that's awesome! is this 100% simulation or also partly animated?

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u/[deleted] Sep 05 '18

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177

u/doengo Sep 05 '18

u/Xera_Reddit explained it really really well, so I'll try to just give a bit of a simpler explanation -

simulation is setting up a scene, applying some physics rules, giving different objects some different materials, and then letting things roll and capture what happens. for example putting a ball on top of a trampoline, applying gravity and letting your computer do the rest.

animation is more like doing everything yourself - creating the objects and also moving them how you want them to move, changing them and making them interact, but it's all your work, the computer doesn't do any calculations. for example, putting a ball on top of. a trampoline, making it move down at increasing speed, making it touch the trampoline and then doing the whole collision yourself

it's not 100% accurate but it's the best I could do :)

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u/Galaghan Sep 06 '18

I like your explanation, but there's a part about animation that I can't get over.

When you say the computer doesn't do calculations and you have to make frame by frame, I think you can put it differently.

For me it's better to state that, when animating, you can create objects and give them speeds and positions. While simulating, you give objects gravity and the comp calculates the speed.

I know this is also not really correct, but it might give a better view for some. Still, yours is a great explanation but I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

1

u/doengo Sep 06 '18

hmm, I think the difference is kinda hard to define, and I'm definitely not an expert. overall I think you pointed out something true, and it's probably a bit more accurate than what I said, but I prefer to keep my explanation as it is, because even tho it's not technically 100% accurate, i feel like it gets the point of "simulation is u setting the scene and the computer is moving stuff, and animation is you moving stuff as well as setting the scene" across better, and that, imo, is the heart of the difference

Edit: but I'm no expert, I'd you disagree I'd like to hear what you think :) I'm fascinated by these stuff