Tutorial: Multiple softbodies on one mesh

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#1

Everyone who just clicked this thread sees the potential for multiple softbodies on one mesh. (EX: differen’t section of characters bodies can have different softnesses/hardnesses or be unaffected.)

And you’ve been told it’s impossible… natively it is impossible, so you have to trick blender into doing it.

heres how it works:

First you need to make vertex groups for all the parts of the mesh you want to be separate softbodies/hardbodies.

To do this take your mesh into edit mode, select one group of verticies and hit F9 and under ‘Links and Materials’ you’ll see ‘Vertex Groups’, hit ‘Assign’. Move on to the next section you want to be a seperate softbody and do the same, repeat until all sections are seperate vertexgroups.

Now your going to want pull out some lattices in object mode (Space-add-lattice) and contour them to the individual vertex group sections (one lattice ‘reshaped’ over each vertex group, they should be snug fitting for best results)

Now on your mesh (still in the editing buttons F9) add one ‘Lattice Modifier’ for each lattice, put in the correct name of each lattice (remember to capitalize) and then the vertex group each lattice controls (where it says ‘VGroup:’.

Now seeing as each lattice is a seperate object you can add one softbody/hardbody to each lattice (see where this is going?) add your soft/hardbody settings to the lattices individually!

done.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Many thanks to Bjornmose who inadvertantly mentioned Lattices could be set to hard/soft body settings (I didn’t think they could)

Attachments

testL.blend (184 KB)

#2

Interesting approach. I’ll try it. Thanks for posting this. I don’t know why nobody else came in with feedback here.
Are there any limitations, such as, a maximum number of meshes per scene where this effect can be used without complications arising? I ask, because I want softbody on characters, as well as, on objects, like upholstered furniture and mattresses.

(I wonder if Blender devs will find a way to solve the soft body dilemma without this extra work.)

#3

the limit is based upon your computer’s processing power and memory, the above test was done on a 64 bit processor and 512mb memory.

I also wanted to use this on characters, but upon many tests I have found the current softbody effects to be lacking realistic support for such squishy objects as you mentioned instead the softbody and cloth physics are almost identical in blender, and it doesn’t help that deflection objects can transmit trough soft bodies.

so the outcome may be possible but unrealistic in looks.

(is currently working on multiple physics entries, including softbody on softbody interaction physics)

#4

looks at my old post.

wishes this would work in the GE. I tried it, blender didn’t like it.