Maya has tools that are used to simulate dynamic motion such as the subtle motion of a flame or the detailed wrinkles of a character's shirt. These effects can be quite complex and are difficult to obtain using manual adjustment of control points, curves, and/or surfaces. Fortunately, Maya uses Dynamics solvers to calculate the various control point positions for you so the resulting object behaves dynamically without excessive manual adjustment and keyframing. To achieve the desired effect, Maya has controls that influence this dynamic behaviour.

LINK:
http://area.autodesk.com/images/tutorials/the%20area/070516_0741/sup_tutorial_157_p1.swf