PhysX

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PhysX can refer either to a proprietary realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by AGEIA (formerly known as the NovodeX SDK) or their PPU expansion card designed to accelerate that SDK. Only games that use the PhysX SDK can benefit from the presence of a PhysX card. Games using the PhysX SDK can be accelerated by either a PhysX PPU or a CUDA enabled GeForce GPU.

Middleware physics engines allow game developers to avoid writing their own code to handle the complex physics interactions possible in modern games. Sony has licensed the PhysX SDK for their PlayStation 3 video game console.[1]

The PhysX engine and SDK is freely available for Windows and Linux systems, but hardware acceleration only currently works on Windows.[2]

In February 2008, nVidia bought AGEIA and the PhysX engine and is integrating it into its CUDA framework, which already has multiple drivers for Linux.[3] With Intel's cancellation of Havok FX, PhysX on CUDA is currently the only available solution for effect physics processing on a GPU.[4]

Contents

[edit] PPU

A physics processing unit, or PPU, is a processor specially designed to alleviate calculations from a computer's CPU, specifically calculations involving physics. A similar concept evolved over the last few decades, with the graphics processing unit, or GPU, which accelerates the rendering of 2D and 3D graphics.

[edit] Stats and specifications (1st Generation)

  • 125 million transistors
  • 182 mm² die size
  • Memory: 128 MB GDDR3 RAM on 128-bit interface
  • Interface: PCI
  • Sphere collision tests: 530 million per second (maximum capability)
  • Convex collision tests: 530,000 per second (maximum capability)
  • Peak Instruction Bandwidth: 20 billion per second
  • Power Consumption: 30 W
  • Process Size: 130 nm
  • Price: Between $100-$250 in the USA, £75-£145(inc VAT) in the UK

[edit] Competition

The major competitor to the PhysX SDK is the Havok SDK, which is used in more than 150 games, including major titles like Half-Life 2 and Dead Rising.[5] However, as of Intel's cancellation of Havok FX, Havok doesn't support physics processing on a GPU.

NVIDIA's GeForce 8 Series supports a new GPU-based Newtonian physics acceleration technology named Quantum Effects Technology.[6] NVIDIA provides a SDK Toolkit for what they call CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) technology that offers both a low and high-level API to the GPU. Few technical details are available about the physics side of it, and it is not yet clear whether this is part of any existing physics SDK, or a completely separate engine.[7]

As of February 14th 2008, NVIDIA has bought AGEIA and is integrating PhysX into CUDA. [8][9][10]

ATI/AMD offers a similar SDK for their ATI-based GPUs and that SDK and technology is called CTM (Close to Metal) which provides a thin hardware interface. AMD has also announced the AMD Stream Processor product line which combines a CPU and GPU technology on one chip.

[edit] Board partners

[edit] Title support

The following games feature PhysX hardware support on the PC platform :[11]

  • Auto Assault
  • Bet On Soldier: Blackout Saigon
  • Bet On Soldier: Blood Of Sahara
  • Bourne Conspiracy
  • CellFactor: Revolution (free single-level tech demo game)
  • City Of Villains
  • Dark Physics (tech demo)
  • Desert Diner
  • Empire Above All
  • Fallen Earth
  • Gears Of War
  • Infernal
  • Medal of Honor: Airborne
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
  • Rail Simulator
  • Red Steel
  • RoboBlitz
  • Silverfall
  • Shadowgrounds Survivor
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
  • Stoked Rider: Alaska Alien
  • Switchball
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
  • Two Worlds
  • Unreal Tournament 3
  • Warmonger Operation: Downtown Destruction

Many more titles also use the PhysX API, but not all include support for PhysX hardware.[12][13]

[edit] Software support

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (2005-07-21). "Sony Computer Entertainment Enters Into Strategic Licensing Agreement With AGEIA". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  2. ^ NVIDIA: Page Not Found
  3. ^ PhysX For CUDA, Linux Support A Given?. phoronix.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  4. ^ Shilov, Anton (2007-11-19). GPU Physics Dead for Now, Says AMD’s Developer Relations Chief. Nvidia’s Chief Exec Predicts “Negative Synergies” with Intel’s Acquisition of Havok. Xbit Laboratories. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  5. ^ Games using Havok
  6. ^ NVIDIA Quantum physics processor revealed | NordicHardware
  7. ^ NVIDIA 8800 features page - Quantum Effects Technology
  8. ^ [Phoronix] PhysX For CUDA, Linux Support A Given?
  9. ^ GeForce 8 graphics processors to gain PhysX support - The Tech Report
  10. ^ NVIDIA to Acquire AGEIA Technologies. nvidia.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  11. ^ AGEIA (now part of nVidia)
  12. ^ The Unofficial AGEIA PhysX Links & Info Page
  13. ^ Physx games, list, links, comments. - [H]ard|Forum
  14. ^ The Game Creators (2006-03-22). "The_Game_Creators_Integrate_AGEIA_PhysX_Technology_into_DarkBASIC_Professional". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
  15. ^ NxOgre, Ogre Wiki. Retrieved 2007-09-14
  16. ^ Unreal Technology
  17. ^ Physx owners will get to Warmonger - The INQUIRER
  18. ^ http://www.adrianboeing.com/pal/engines.html#novodex PAL Webpage. Retrieved 2007-11-18
  19. ^ Simulation Overview
  20. ^ DX Studio

[edit] External links