Havok (software)
 | |
| Developer(s) | Havok |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2010.2.0
/ 2010-11-15 |
| Operating system | Unix, Linux, PS3, PS2, PSP, GameCube, Wii, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox, Windows, Android[1] |
| License | Proprietary/Shareware |
| Website | www.havok.com |
Havok Physics is a physics engine developed by Irish company Havok. It is designed primarily for video games, and allows for real-time collision and dynamics of rigid bodies in three dimensions. It provides multiple types of dynamic constraints between rigid bodies (e.g. for ragdoll physics), and has a highly optimized collision detection library. By using dynamical simulation, Havok allows for more realistic virtual worlds in games. The company has also released the product Havok Animation, which provides efficient playback and compression of character animations in games, and features such as inverse kinematics.
On September 14, 2007, Intel announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok Inc.[2] In 2008, Havok was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing the development of physics engines in electronic entertainment.
Platforms
Version 1.0 of the Havok SDK was unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2000. The current release, Havok Version 7.1, released in December 2009, 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; Linux; and on Mac OS X. Licensees are given access to most of the C/C++ source-code, giving them the freedom to customize the engine's features, or port it to different platforms although some libraries are only provided in binary format. In March 2011, Havok showed off a version of the Havok physics engine designed for use with the Sony Xperia Play, or more specifically, Android 2.3.[3]
Usage
Havok in video games
Since the SDK's launch in 2000, it has been used in over 150 video 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.
- The Assassin's Creed Series
- Company of Heroes
- Crackdown
- Crackdown 2
- Demon's Souls
- Destroy All Humans!
- Destroy All Humans! 2
- Diablo III (Havok was initially used but later replaced by a custom engine)[4]
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Fallout 3
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Halo (series) (Except the first Halo)
- Half Life 2
- Heavy Rain
- James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
- Just Cause 2
- Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
- MotorStorm
- Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
- PAIN!
- Painkiller
- Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
- Red Faction: Guerilla
- Sonic Unleashed
- Soul Calibur IV
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts made a modified engine called Ronin that could run Havok in association with Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) and Natural Motion's Euphoria.)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl[5]
- StarCraft II[6]
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
- Wolfenstein
- WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010
Havok in other software
Havok can also be found in
- 3ds Max as a bundled plug-in called reactor.
- a plugin for Maya animation software
- an xtra for Adobe Director's Shockwave
Havok supplies tools (the "Havok Content Tools") for export of assets for use with all Havok products from Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Autodesk Softimage.
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 and an upgrade to version 7 started June, 2010.[7]
Other products
The company was developing a specialized version of Havok Physics called Havok FX that made use of ATI and NVIDIA GPUs for physics simulations,[8] but may have been cancelled.
Havok Behavior is a toolset and runtime SDK for controlling game character animation at a high level using finite state machines. In 2008, Havok released two new games middleware products — Cloth and Destruction. Cloth deals with efficient simulation of character garments and soft body dynamics. Destruction provides tools for creation of destructible and deformable rigid body environments. In 2009, Havok released Havok AI, which provides advanced pathfinding capabilities for games.
See also
References
- ^ Engadget (2011). "Havok physics engine comes to Android 2.3, demoed on Xperia Play". Engadget. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ Intel Corp (2007). "Intel To Acquire Havok". Intel Corp. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ Engadget (2011). "Havok physics engine comes to Android 2.3, demoed on Xperia Play". Engadget. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ "Diablo 3 Physics Engine". diablospot.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Havok engine confirmed PLUS time to was clean out your Wiifrigerator!". gonintendo.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ "StarCraft II FAQ". starcraft2.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ "Release Notes/Second Life Server/1.40". secondlife.com. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ Anton Shilov (2005). "Havok Intros Havok FX Engine to Compute Physics Effects on GPUs". Xbit Laboratories. Retrieved 2008-11-28.