CASE STUDY: PIXOMONDO AND NAIAD

Exotic Matter catches up with Mohsen Mousavi, VFX/DFX supervisor and Head of Technology, at Pixomondo Studios, Berlin, to find out more about how Pixomodo is using Naiad as their primary (commercial) fluid simulation tool.

It immediately became clear that Pixomondo needed a product with a flexible architecture, since the complex effects shots that Pixomondo pushes through their pipeline on a daily basis demands more than just a cheap, off-the-shelf fluid simulation product.

Mohsen explains: “Instead of focusing on being an off the shelf solution for only a couple of scenarios, Naiad provides a broad dynamics platform that offers a great set of building blocks that one can combine to overcome many production concerns and build an advanced and customized setup. Thanks to the flexible Naiad architecture, we have successfully written many modules to bridge the data between our various solvers and frameworks. The Naiad philosophy follows a natural and logical system of components (operators) which resemble those found in tools like Nuke and Thinking Particles.”

Pixomondo Combines The Poweful Naiad Dynamics Server with FluidIT.

Putting Naiad In 3D Studio Max

However, Pixomondo didn’t stop there – they even built their own Naiad graph interface right into 3DS Max by reusing Exotic Matter’s Naiad Studio (open-source) code, allowing them to work with Naiad operators directly inside Max.

Mohsen elaborates: “In-house pipeline developers Christian Deiss and Sebastian Schäfer were able to take the Naiad Studio code and build their own Naiad Studio natively inside 3D Studio MAX, marrying it with our own FluidIT framework. Naiad’s innovative dynamics scene description interface (the Naiad Interface), similar to the RenderMan Interface, allowed us to develop a customized GUI inside our native FX platform.”

The Naiad Graph Integrated Natively Into 3D Studio Max

Pixomondo’s FluidIT

FluidIT is the codename for Pixomondo’s in-house water framework. It combines commercial tools with our in-house solutions. It covers the water pipeline from the simulation all the way to secondary effects, surfacing, shading and compositing.

In Mohsen words: “FluidIT involves a number of different solvers which are designed to work together in the favor of a more advanced framework where Naiad’s solver plays a major role. Using raw data coming out of the simulation, we have designed an efficient, flexible surfacing and shading pipeline which all will be customized in a node based environment capable of talking back and forth to our Max-based Naiad studio. It has been really exciting to have a hand on Naiad and form it to meet our pipeline guidelines!”

Pixomondo’s Max-Based FluidIT Interface

Current And Future Work

Pixomondo is a very busy place right now – a sure sign of it’s success as a VFX powerhowse.  When asked about current and future projects, Mohsen comments smugly, “We will be using Naiad on the current set of major projects.  Unfortunately, due to strict NDAs, we cannot mention which those projects are at this point. However, we would really like to thank Exotic Matter for their great support on an amazing and actively growing product.”

Thank you Pixomondo, and good luck (not that you need it). The pleasure is ours!