Teaser Trailer for a 3D Physics Engine? Yes and It’s Amazing (video)

It's a wonderful world we live in where really cool math is starting to get the same fanfare as a Hollywood movie. Thiago Costa, a computer graphics expert with some considerable skill, has released a teaser trailer for his new Lagao Multiphysics 1.0 engine. The program handles all sorts of difficult physical simulations including high friction materials, incompressible fluids, elasticity, and plasticity. But all that seems less important than how cool it looks in action. This thing rocks. Check out the teaser trailer for Lagao Multiphysics 1.0 in the video below. Don't miss the fantastic bunny explosions at 0:38.

Computer generated images (CGI) were a bit of an acquired taste when they first arrived on the scene. Now, movies like Avatar have demonstrated that they can be so realistic that they serve to draw in an audience rather than repel them. A good physics engine is at the core of any realistic CGI experience, and Lagao Multiphysics 1.0 looks like it could generate some really amazing experiences. As developers continue to innovate and improve physics simulation programs like this one, we'll have the means to create very life-like digital worlds. One day that may mean we could create a virtual reality that rivals the physical world.

As sweet as Lagao Multiphysics 1.0 looks, what it's to be used for remains a bit of a mystery. According to Costa's blog, the engine is part of Lagoa Technologies, but their website is little more than a place holder at the moment. It works with the Arnold renderer and emPolygonizer, but beyond that Multiphysics 1.0's approach to modeling is equally shrouded. Costa has a background in making beautiful graphics, you may have seen his work in the Assassins Creed video game, or GI Joe: Rise of Cobra movie. So, despite the uncertainties, I assume that whatever use the new physics engine is put towards, it'll be fun to watch.

You can see more of the Lagao Multiphysics 1.0 engine at Thiago Costa's Vimeo page.

[screen capture and video credits: Thiago Costa/Lagoa Technologies]
[source: Thiago Costa blog]