We are tryinig to set up framework for simulating piping welding scenarios using industrial robot, and Issac Sim seems to be a strong candidate platform for generating manipulators to find the optimal parameters for welding bead shape we target, I heard that PhysicX embedded in the Issac Sim is based on FEM solver, which is also commonly used for the software targetted for welding simulation such as Simufact Welding.
But I wonder whether PhysicX is robust and scalable enough in the use case of the welding scenario. Should we additionally consider outside platform other than solely relying on Issac Sim just in case? and if we do, can the results from the outside be integrated into Issac Sim?
Hello, thank you for posting this interesting question.
Yes, PhysX in Isaac Sim can handle welding simulations to some extent through its Position-Based Dynamics (PBD) for particle systems. This allows you to programmatically control particle behavior, which is crucial for simulating melting metal and bead formation.
If you want to see this in action, open up the Isaac Sim GUI and navigate to Windows > Examples > Physics Examples. Pay special attention to the Deformables and Particles examples – they’ll give you a good idea of what’s possible with PhysX.
NVIDIA’s Warp engine might be the better option as it is designed from the ground up for GPU-accelerated physics simulations, including fluid dynamics and FEM calculations, which are essential for modeling heat transfer and material deformation during welding.
Warp’s Python-first API makes it easier to implement custom behaviors like phase changes and solidification that occur during welding.
You can check out some examples by opening the USDA scenes in isaacsim/extscache/omni.warp-1.5.0/data/scenes. The GitHub repo (GitHub - NVIDIA/warp: A Python framework for high performance GPU simulation and graphics) also has tons of examples showing what’s possible.