Add colliders

Colliders are objects that block movement in a simulation.

  1. Add a collider node to a the top level of simulation graph, if there isn't one already.

  2. Connect the collider node's collider output into the colliders input of the simulate node.

  3. Connect one or more mesh or volume objects to the collider node's geometry input.

    • For volume objects, the method on the collider node must be set to Volume.

You can have any number of geometries connected into a collider node. You can also have any number of collider nodes connected into the simulate node, each with different settings.

Tip:

If you experience problems with MPM granular simulation collisions (such as sand or snow leaking through colliders, or offset collisions), try setting the method on the collider node to Volume. This is more accurate but takes longer to compute. You can also try turning on lag_colliders on the mpm_solver_settings node.

Choose the collision method

The method parameter on the collider node controls whether the collider geometries are treated as a mesh or as a volume.

Note that for volume objects, the method must be Volume. In addition, the volume object must have a level set (voxel_signed_distance).

View collision areas

You can connect the collider_volumes output from the simulate_aero node or out_colliders output from the simulate_mpm node to an output node to display the exact collision areas affecting these simulations. This can help you visualize collider setting changes or collision problems.

Control particles' collision behavior

Particles can bounce or stick when they hit a collider. This is controlled by a combination of factors:

If fast-moving particles fall through a collider, try increasing the substeps on the particle_solver_settings node.