Pixelux Announces Digital Molecular Matter Products

Pixelux Entertainment announced DMM Plug-In and DMM Engine, two software products based on the company's Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology. The technology is designed to enable virtual environments and materials to behave like their real-world counterparts. According to Pixelux, DMM simulates the internal stresses of materials, mimicking the "nuances of movement" expected from physics simulations so that glass shatters, wood splinters, and metal dents uniquely depending on user interaction. The DMM Plug-in runs under the 3D animation program Maya, allowing users to create objects within Maya and then utilize the tools in the DMM Plug-in to apply DMM's features. In addition, objects made using Maya can be exported directly to any DMM-enhanced videogame. The DMM Engine is designed to fit into existing game engines with an application programming interface (API). Once integrated, DMM can be added to a variety of 3-D environments, from entertainment to military simulation. Artists and designers using the DMM engine have control over physical aspects of their content, deciding how soft or rigid they want something to be, as well as dictating how easily an object can fracture. LucasArts’ Star Wars®: The Force Unleashed marks the first video game to market incorporating the DMM Engine. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the title, which shipped to stores this week, feature Pixelux’s DMM Technology. “DMM lays the groundwork for a fundamentally different experience in videogames and digital entertainment,” said Pixelux COO Vik Sohal. "The DMM Engine and DMM Plug-in allow an artist or designer to make any world they wish, and have that world appear and behave exactly how they want it to. It delivers unpredictability and realism while simultaneously reducing production costs, resulting in a degree of kinetic fidelity never before seen in real-time simulations." Pixelux plans to announce additional partnerships and products using its DMM technology in the near future.