FEM library for realtime app

Question

Do you know any library for Finite Element Method, that i can use for realtime application ? I think about getFEM++, but I don't test it yet.
I want to use FEM to simulate behaviour of elasto-plastic body in realtime. My further plan is to merge it with Bullet.

Answer 1

You should try to specify the kind of problems you are trying to solve in order to select the best library for you.

• How many dimensions for your problem?
• Do you plan on doing collision detection?
• How many vertices will compose your objects?
• Do you plan on using parallelism to achieve real-time computations?
• Do you plan on doing spectral analysis for a dynamical system or just study local deformations with a quasistatic system?
• etc.

Concerning the available libraries, I have mostly used homemade ones, but here are some that you might be able to use:

• [GetFEM++] : C++ library, documentation and tutorials available. It seems you already know this one.
• [LifeV] : I know some people who use this for fluid dynamics, but it works for structure dynamics too. It is developed by several major research institutions.
• [OFELI] : another C++ library but it may lack tutorials.

Moreover, are you sure that what you need is not already present in the Bullet library? Soft body dynamics is already a part of Bullet... (Video here)