Simulation: choose the right tool
DanceXR uses particle simulation for cloth, bone-driven movement and soft bodies. Choose the tool by what the model already contains and what you want to move; their controls and anchoring requirements differ.
| Goal | Tool | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Run a PMX model’s authored physics rig | PMX Physics | Keep the authored bone, rigid-body and joint setup, then tune its simulation. |
| Add movement to a mapped bone chain | Hair, Dangling or Skirt Physics | Select the relevant bones and inspect their connections. |
| Turn an existing garment mesh into simulated cloth | Mesh to Cloth | Select the mesh and choose the region that remains anchored. |
| Create a separate procedural cloth surface | Cloth Simulation | Choose shape, resolution, materials and anchors. |
| Deform a volume around control bones | Softbody Physics or Boobs Physics | Check particle layout and the supported body region. |
| Simulate flowing particles | Fluid simulation | Start small and tune cohesion, viscosity and collision. |
Particle dynamics
Particle-based tools use constraints to keep particles connected. Compliance sets how readily a constraint yields: higher compliance gives a softer connection. Drag, inertia and particle properties influence movement, while anchors determine where the simulated structure is supported.
Bone-chain tools expose swing and twist compliance; skirts also use lateral connections. These are different from a legacy spring-and-damping setup, so do not copy numeric spring values directly into compliance controls. Use the detailed tool’s reference for its units and ranges.
Wind and collision
Global wind and per-group wind influence affect participating simulations. Turbulence adds variation; a wind field supplies localized forces. If the effect is too strong, reduce the individual group’s wind influence before changing the whole scene.
Check Body Colliders when cloth passes through the actor. A misplaced or oversized collider can look like a cloth-stiffness problem. Review collider geometry and anchors before increasing simulation strength.
Soft bodies
Volume constraints help preserve shape; distance constraints affect softness. Use visualization in the owning softbody tool to inspect particle depth, layers and locked edges. Select appropriate control bones and test a small movement before tuning the entire region.
A practical tuning order
- Confirm the selected bones or mesh and the supported/anchored area.
- Run a restrained motion with wind disabled and inspect collisions.
- Adjust compliance and drag one control at a time.
- Add wind or interaction after the basic shape behaves correctly.
- Review System Physics if several tools behave poorly together; reset physics after a large pose or setup change.
A stable solver does not guarantee a correct setup. Incorrect anchors, collisions or very dense meshes can still cause poor results or excessive cost.
