Getting Started with Soft Bodies

What is a soft body simulation? A soft body simulation is a way to visualize the motion or deformation of a “soft” object. This could be a pillow and cushions, a beach ball, a car crashing and bending, jello, swinging rope, clothing, or anything else that can deform from the original shape. Another way it’s used is to add secondary motion to something. If you have a character walking, you may want to add a soft body simulation to give some physics to the body. This way, the character doesn’t look as stiff, but the muscle, fat, hair, and clothing move as well. While you can use a soft body simulation for clothing, it’s usually better to use a cloth simulation. The reason for this is 1) that is what it is specifically designed for, and 2) the results are usually more accurate and realistic.

For this chapter, we will be learning how a soft body simulation works in Blender, and we will be covering all the settings for...