Havok (software)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Developer(s) | Havok |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 6.0 / 2008-08-27[1] |
| Operating system | Unix, Linux, PS3, PS2, PSP, GameCube, Wii, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox, Windows |
| License | Proprietary, although it could be classified as Registerware for the trial version.[2] |
| Website | http://www.havok.com/ |
Havok Physics is a physics engine developed by Irish company Havok. It is designed for computer and video games by allowing interaction between objects or other characters in real-time and by giving objects physics-based qualities in three dimensions. By using dynamical simulation, Havok allows for more lifelike worlds and animation, such as ragdoll physics or intelligence in massive falling objects. The company has also released a Havok Animation. Havok was purchased by Intel in 2007.
In 2008, Havok was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing the development of physics engines in electronic entertainment.
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[edit] Platform availability
Version 1.0 of the Havok SDK was unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2000. The current release, Havok version 5 released in September 2007, is known to work on Microsoft Windows, Xbox and Xbox 360, Nintendo's GameCube and Wii, Sony's PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, and on Linux. Licensees are given access to the C/C++ source-code, giving them the freedom to customize the engine's features, or port it to different platform.
[edit] Use
Since the SDK's launch in 2000, it has been used in over 150 video and computer games. Those games have primarily been in the first-person shooter genre (the physics engine in Valve Corporation's Source engine uses a heavily modified version of Havok), however it has seen some use in other genres, such as in the Cyan Worlds' adventure game Uru: Ages Beyond Myst; THQ/Relic Entertainment's real-time strategy game, Company of Heroes; racing game MotorStorm; Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl[3]; and Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II and Diablo III[4].
Havok can also be found in Autodesk Media & Entertainment's 3ds max as a bundled plug-in called reactor. A plugin for Autodesk Media & Entertainment's Maya animation software and an xtra for Adobe Director's Shockwave are also available.
Havok is also used in the Second Life virtual world, with all physics handled by its online simulator servers, rather than by the users' client computers. An upgrade to Havok version 4 was released in April 2008.
In August of 2008, Second Life resident Emilin Nakamori constructed a functioning pendulum clock escapement in SL, demonstrating that the Havok 4 simulated physics environment was sufficiently realistic to allow "physical" mechanisms to function by interacting with that environment.[5]
[edit] Havok FX
The company was developing a specialized version of Havok Physics called Havok FX that made use of ATI and NVIDIA GPUs for physics simulations,[6] but may have been canceled.
[edit] Havok Cloth and Destruction
In 2008 Havok released two new games middleware products, Cloth and Destruction. Cloth deals with efficient simulation of character garments and soft bodies. Destruction provides tools for creation of destructable and deformable rigid body environments.
[edit] References
- ^ Havok (2008-08-27). Turbine, Inc. Selects Havok Behavior. Press release. http://www.havok.com/content/view/652/53/. Retrieved on 2008-09-07.
- ^ TryHavok - Intel.com
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Havok engine confirmed PLUS time to clean out your Wiifrigerator!". gonintendo.com. http://gonintendo.com/?p=34360. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ "StarCraft II FAQ". starcraft2.com. http://www.starcraft2.com/faq.xml. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ "Emilin Nakamori's Physical Machines". The Secondlife Newspaper. http://sl-newspaper-fnd.blogspot.com/2008/09/emilin-nakamoris-physical-machines.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
- ^ Anton Shilov (2005). "Havok Intros Havok FX Engine to Compute Physics Effects on GPUs". Xbit Laboratories. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20051028224421.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-28.
