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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/Shareware |
| Website | http://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.
On September 14, 2007, Intel announced[2] it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok Inc.
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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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. Licenses 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.
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 Diablo III PAIN! and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 [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.
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,[5] but may have been canceled.
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.
See also
References
- ^ Havok (2008-08-27). "Turbine, Inc. Selects Havok Behavior". Press release. http://www.havok.com/content/view/652/53/. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Intel Corp (2007). "Intel To Acquire Havok". Intel Corp. http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20070914corp.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Havok engine confirmed PLUS time to was clean out your Wiifrigerator!". gonintendo.com. http://gonintendo.com/?p=34360. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ "StarCraft II FAQ". starcraft2.com. http://www.starcraft2.com/faq.xml. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ 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 2008-11-28.
External links
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