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[Kleegamefan]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3145117

Havok FX Supports GPU-accelerated Physics
New engine will be out by year's end.

by Jane Pinckard, 10/27/2005

Havok, developer of middleware physics engines, made some interesting announcements today at the Austin Game Developers Conference, including the development of Havok FX, which will support GPU-accelerated physics.

They also announced a number of Xbox 360 titles that will use Havok's HydraCore multi-threaded system. The titles include:
# Amped 3
# Condemned
# NBA Live 06
# The Outfit
# Perfect Dark Zero
# Saint's Row

http://www.havok.com/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=187&Itemid=77

Havok FX will enable dynamic in-game effects that are based upon rigid-body collisions and constraints – including debris, smoke, fog, and ultimately simulated liquids - but on a scale that goes well beyond the magnitude and volume of objects normally simulated in CPU-based game-play physics. By performing simulation, collision detection and rendering directly on the GPU, Havok FX avoids the transfer of large amounts of data between the CPU and GPU, enabling a level of performance never seen before in physics simulation.

What is the difference between Game-Play Physics and Effects Physics?

Game-Play Physics affect how a game is played from moment-to-moment, and is generally computed on a computer’s central processing unit (CPU). Physical changes that you cause in the game or that happen to you or around you– like knocking over a box, and then climbing up on it - change what you may want to do in each instant of game play. As a result, game-play physics share an intimate link with the core of a game’s engine; including the game’s logic or AI, and even with the game’s audio systems. This close relationship continues to grow as physics is used for an ever broadening array of game-play techniques – from detecting objects that move into a game character’s range of vision – to synchronizing sound effects instantly with physical events throughout the game. Both game-play physics and game logic demand instant access and tolerate no detectible latency to preserve the game-play experience. The close proximity between physics, game logic, and memory, defines game play and generally demands that these systems execute together on a game system’s central processing unit (CPU).

Effects Physics is an emerging domain that promises to deliver an increasing array of visually impressive effects that are based on physical principles – but which place far fewer demands on the game’s logic. Physics Effects – a close cousin to visual effects now computed on GPUs – add to the visual complexity of a game and help increase a player’s immersive experience. As visual phenomena, physics effects need to be convincingly real but do not profoundly affect game play. They can merely fill in the player’s view of the game, creating a richer, more convincing environment- but may not affect the choices a player can make from moment-to-moment.

The loose coupling between Effects Physics and the rest of the game opens the door to using the GPU to accelerate computation. Havok FX will target the domain of Effects Physics, and will embrace the momentum and technology behind GPU hardware, as a means of delivering the next level of visual effects in games in a practical and sustainable way.

What are some real-world examples of what Havok FX™ and Havok Complete can achieve?

Most real-world outdoor scenes have large numbers of small, movable objects, such as leaves, litter etc. Objects like these swirl, pile up, and interact with characters which walk through them, or with other objects. Many games have static visual representations of rubble, and gravel. With Havok FX these types of objects could respond to anything at any time.

 

[llTll]

that stupid Amped 3 game on xbox 360 which look like shit use Havok ??


....
:lol

 

[PG2G]

Whats so funny about that? Did you expect Havok to make a game look good?

 

[nubbe]

PDZ has funny physics

 

[Helznicht]

But Saints Row doesnt.

 

[CamHostage]

The PS3's RFX supposedly does physics well in addition to making pixels pretty -- I wonder if it can run as a "physics accelerator"? In a GI interview, they say the chip's so fast and awesome that it'll take the Cell a good deal of its own work just to keep feeding the graphics chip something to chew on.

 

[JRPereira]

Well I have to say, if I can get kickass physics effects and not have to buy a card specifically for it - rock on.


However, I think I'm going to go mainly console for a little while longer.

 

[Kleegamefan]

Whats an RFX??

 

[MightyHedgehog]

The PS3's RFX supposedly does physics well in addition to making pixels pretty -- I wonder if it can run as a "physics accelerator"? In a GI interview, they say the chip's so fast and awesome that it'll take the Cell a good deal of its own work just to keep feeding the graphics chip something to chew on.

Why would you want to use the RSX for physics if any number of Cell's 7 SPEs are sitting right there (probably idle), though? Isn't that the single most talked up utilization of the SPE? X360 looks more clearly designed for this kind of collaboration and given the difference in system architectures, MS very much looks like they have exactly that in mind, at least for mid-to-later generation titles on the system.

 

[Kleegamefan]

Both RSX (G70) and Xenos have the abilty to do GPGPU fuctions like physics acceleration...


I don't think X360 will have the monopoly on this technique.....


Sure, CELL is known to be well suited for Physics, but I believe XeCPU is not too shabby in this regard either....so I don't understand how you can say X360 is specifically set up for GPGPU stuff on Xenos/C1


Furthermore, I believe David Kirk of nVidia stated during E3 that RSX and CELL can assist each other with functions......I.E. Cell can assist RSX in graphics and RSX can assist CELL with general purpose/AI/Physics stuff.....

That is how I understand it, anyway...

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Both RSX (G70) and Xenos have the abilty to do GPGPU fuctions like physics acceleration...

Sure, but X360 looks more clearly designed for that explicit possiblity.

I don't think X360 will have the monopoly on this technique.....

Of course, it won't. I was talking about looking at what seems to be the different strengths between the two systems.

Sure, CELL is known to be well suited for Physics, but I believe XeCPU is not too shabby in this regard either....so I don't understand how you can say X360 is specifically set up for GPGPU stuff on Xenos/C1

I dunno, man. Just a vibe. I figure that with the kind of extremely tight deadline MS has put itself against with the X360 just coming together in time for release...I'd think that anything they do with their system, that is supposedly a pain in the ass to implement, would be very important to their long-term vision of the hardware's usage. Otherwise, the X360 would appear to be more standard, hardware-wise.