NVIDIA has made a splash by releasing its renowned PhysX Flow engine as fully open source. This move marks a watershed moment for simulation in film production and postproduction workflows. The transition to an open source model is not merely a licensing change; it gives artists, technical directors, VFX supervisors, riggers, shadower enthusiasts, modellers, and even game developers an unprecedented opportunity to dive into the very code that powers next-generation fluid simulations.

The Technical Anatomy of PhysX Flow

The core of PhysX Flow is asystem tailored for high-performance fluid simulations, optimized to run on modern NVIDIA GPUs. Built to support real-time graphics and powered by advanced algorithms specifically designed for grid- or particle-based fluid dynamics (numerical methods enabling accurate simulation of complex fluid behavior), the engine lends itself well to heavy-duty tasks in both feature films and video games. NVIDIA’s choice to open source this robust engine was driven by the need to foster innovation and collaboration in the digital production arena. With its modular architecture, PhysX Flow allows VFX artists and simulation engineers to integrate or adapt the software into bespoke pipelines, ensuring that the engine can be finely tuned for tasks ranging from intricate water simulations for blockbuster visual effects to large-scale interactive simulations in the gaming world.

The open source release means that professionals now have full access to the underlying algorithms that manage the simulation of thousands of fluid particles in real time. The engine’s capacity to handle high-resolution scenarios with minimal performance overhead is achieved through rigorous optimization on NVIDIA GPU hardware, making it an attractive tool for those who demand both speed and precision. For those who were previously confined to proprietary black boxes, this release opens a window into how simulation stability and performance meet cutting-edge technological sophistication. While many may joke that “if you can’t solve it, at least make it open source,” NVIDIA’s decision ensures that even the quirkiest error can be debugged by a global community of experts, not just an in-house team.

The code is now available for scrutiny on NVIDIA’s GitHub repository, and while the engine itself comes free of charge (thus making price discussions moot), the true cost is measured in the time and effort required to master it. For many studios and freelancers alike, the potential return on investment is high—provided that all new modifications are rigorously validated in the context of actual project requirements. In other words, while it’s tempting to get swept away in the waves of open source enthusiasm, as always, Fact Check: any innovation should be checked before being used in current projects.

The post PhysX Goes Open: Fluid Dynamics Unleashed first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

On March 16, from 11:00 to 15:00, Design for Film – Art and Costume Department meets VFX will take place at Kino 2, HFF München. The event brings together professionals and students to discuss the practical and creative intersections between digital and analog film production. Moderated by Waleska Leifeld, the panel includes Prof. Jürgen Schopper (HFF, VFX) and industry experts from Art and Costume Departments in film and series production.

Symposium at HFF München: Where Art Meets VFX

The symposium examines fundamental questions about interdisciplinary collaboration: Who communicates with whom—producers with VFX studios, location scouts with VFX supervisors? Who oversees the overall design? What role does a VFX supervisor’s independence play? At what stage is the decision made between digital and practical effects, and how does budget planning factor into this? The discussion also covers the integration of digital costume and art departments, the crucial on-set interactions between VFX supervisors and costume teams, and the evolving educational landscape for these fields.

Insights from VFX studies at HFF München, Production Design at ZHdK (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste), and Costume Design programs will provide context on how education aligns with industry demands. The symposium concludes with a networking session at Minna Thiel from 15:00 to 16:30.

And if you want to join, write a mail to info@v-sk.de

The post 16.03.25: DESIGN FOR FILM: Bridging Art, Costume & VFX @ HFF Munich first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Watch the video in Fullscreen, please. Even you in the back with the smartphone. Yes, you! For all you young whippersnappers out there: Watch this, it’s history that’s still in effect today (Effect. Hehe.), and for all of us who are getting nostalgic: Did you remember to take your Ibuprofen today?

More of him? Go here: https://standupmaths.com/

The post YouTube on 35 mm first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

As promised on page 92 of the current DP: And here are the files directly from the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro 12K for download: 5GB zip archive (via Dropbox). If you want to know what the settings were, you can see this in the metadata of the files. Have fun watching – the material is neon lights and night-time kiosks (also with good unhealthy neon light).

And if you haven’t had anything to do with Braw yet: There‘ s a free player, directly from BlackMagic – download it here. (Pro tip: Reboot Windows. Helps. Really now.) If you don’t want to register, you don’t have to – just click on “Download Only” in the input mask at the bottom left. If you want to do it all in Premiere, you can get a Braw plugin – for example the Braw Studio (as a trial version) from Autokroma, which also includes a BRAW Player & Windows Explorer Thumbnails Installer.

The post Night falls with the Ursa Mini Pro 12K! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In a few hours Blackmagic Design will present us with new information about the Live Production and camera product range. You can watch the live stream held by CEO Grant Petty here (via YouTube), on the Blackmagic Design website or on the Facebook page. We will summarise all the new features here afterwards.

Further information: To the Blackmagic Design website

The post Blackmagic Design: New announcements in the livestream first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.