The new FEM Attach Constraint DOP node allows you to attach an FEM object to another FEM object or to a static object that is stationary or animated. For example, you can use this constraint to attach muscles to bones or create skin wrinkling when paired with the FEM Slide Constraint DOP.

The FEM Attach Constraint DOP glues the points of a source object to relative locations on a target surface. In addition to a direct attachment, you can also use the constraint’s rest distance to create some relative movement in the source object before the constraint begins to restrict its motion. The FEM Attach Constraint DOP is more flexible than the FEM Fuse Constraint DOP, as that constraint requires a point-to-point correspondence.

The new FEM Validate SOP node allows you to inspect the quality of simulation geometry, even the primitives on the interior of a tetrahedral mesh, before sending it to an FEM simulation. FEM runs faster and gives much better results when the simulated primitives it’s working with are good quality. The FEM Validate SOP lets you visualize the qualities of the primitives in a simulation mesh using color gradations between red (poor quality) and green (good quality).

Previously, you could only inspect the quality of simulation geometry by using the FEM Solver DOP node to generate quality attributes. The FEM Validate SOP lets you look at the same kind of quality criteria that the FEM Solver DOP generates, but without having to run a solver. The FEM Validate SOP will speed up your simulation geometry inspection process considerably.

The new FEM Slide Constraint DOP allows you to slide an FEM object along the surface of another FEM object or along the surface of a static object that is stationary or animated. For example, you can use this constraint to create skin-sliding effects over bones, muscles, or fascia, or set up sticky sliding between muscles.

The FEM Slide Constraint DOP forces a source object and a target object to remain in contact while allowing for relative tangential movement between the objects. Essentially, the source object behaves like it is magnetic and the target object behaves like it is a slippery surface. In addition to the sliding behavior, you can also use the constraint’s damping controls to create a friction-like effect.

• Accurate constraint evaluation at large time-steps.

• Improved simulation performance.