Havok (software)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Havok Physics | |
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| Developed by | Havok |
| Latest release | 5.5 / 2008-02-19[1] |
| OS | Unix, Linux, PS3, PS2, PSP, GameCube, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox, Windows |
| License | Proprietary, free of charge[2] |
| Website | http://www.havok.com/ |
Havok Physics, better known as simply Havok, is a physics software developed by Irish company Havok. It is designed for computer and video games by allowing interaction between objects or other characters in real-time. By using dynamical simulation, Havok allows for more lifelike worlds and animation, such as ragdoll physics. The company has also released a Havok Animation. Havok was purchased by Intel in 2007.
In 2008 Havok was honoured 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. It has since evolved into a number of products, mainly Havok version 5 released in September 2007. The source code for the engine is distributed after licensing, and is currently 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. The engine itself is written in C/C++, and remains fairly portable to any system with a compatible C or C++ compiler.
[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, Bethesda Softworks' Action-RPG game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Saints Row, Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl,[3] and Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II.[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.
[edit] Havok FX
The company was developing a specialized kit called Havok FX that made use of the GPUs in ATI and NVIDIA videocards for physics simulations.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Havok (2008-02-19). "Havok 5.5 Puts New Power in Hands of Developers". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
- ^ TryHavok - Intel.com
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Havok engine confirmed PLUS time to clean out your Wiifrigerator!. gonintendo.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ StarCraft II FAQ. starcraft2.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
- ^ Shilov, Anton (2005-10-28). Havok Intros Havok FX Engine to Compute Physics Effects on GPUs. Graphics Processors Are Good for Physics Effects – Havok. Xbit Laboratories.
