Exocortex has released an update to Momentum, its multiphysics simulator for Softimage, featuring some very cool new technologies indeed.

Version 3.0 adds a complete new fracturing engine, written from the ground up by Momentum mastermind Helge Mathee, including collision-based fracturing and user-defined pre-fracturing, all controllable via ICE nodes.

Developer Helge Mathee’s overview of the new tools in Momentum 3.0.

The update also adds a number of new ways of controlling simulations, including time warp controls, the option to copy the motion of an object onto a portion of a simulation – effectively allowing a keyframed animation to drive a critical part of that simulation – and, coolest of all, force sculpting, which enables artists to control the direction and intensity of the forces acting on a simulation literally by sculpting a mesh.

Other new features include 2D and 3D motion blur, UV generation for interior faces created during fracturing, and a long list of tweaks and polishes.

Perhaps reflecting the expanded feature set, the price has also risen. Licences of Momentum 3.0 now cost $499, while an upgrade from version 2 currently costs $149.

Read a full list of new features in Momentum 3.0

Tags: Exocortex, force sculpting, fracturing, Momentum 3.0, multiphysics, plug-in, softimage