Havok (software)
| Havok Physics
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| Basic data
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| developer | Havok |
| Current version | 2013.1 |
| operating system | Windows , Linux , macOS , Android , iOS |
| category | Software development kit , physics engine |
| License | proprietary |
| German speaking | No |
| www.havok.com | |
Havok Physics , better known as Havok , is a physics software development kit for computer games . The manufacturer is the Irish company Havok , which belongs to Microsoft . It is also often referred to as a physics engine , with Havok only providing functions that are integrated into the actual game engine , and thus is not an engine in the actual sense. Havok supports the platforms Windows , macOS , Linux , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation Portable , GameCube , Wii , Wii U , Switch , Xbox , Xbox 360 , Xbox One as well as Android and iOS .
The main features that Havok offers are:
- Character animation with ragdoll effects
- Simulation of vehicle movements
- Simulation of physical effects in the environment, such as B. falling boxes.
use
Since the software development kit was released in 2000, it has been used in over 150 video and computer games. These games are mainly set in the first person shooter genre, as is Half-Life 2 developed by the Valve Corporation . A modified Havok version was used for the source engine on which the game is based . But it is also used in real-time strategy games such as StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty from Blizzard Entertainment , Company of Heroes from Relic Entertainment , Ubisoft's action adventure Assassin's Creed , Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Stronghold 3 . It can also be found in the game Battlefield 3 from Electronic Arts .
Havok can also be used in 3D editors such as Autodesk's 3ds Max or Maya with the help of plug-ins . There is also an Xtra (additional module) for Adobe Directors Shockwave 3D .
Smartphone and tablet games
The Havok engine can also be found in the two games Modern Combat 4 (2012) and Modern Combat Versus (2017) published by Gameloft for smartphones and tablets .
Havok FX
In 2006 Havok developed a new physics tool in close cooperation with Nvidia , which brings all the calculations for the physics engine to the graphics chip. While the Havok engine only uses the main processor for physical animations, the FX version relies on the hardware acceleration of the graphics card. The software only needs a card that can implement OpenGL or DirectX on the Shader Model 3.0. The Havok FX engine should therefore be usable from the GeForce 6 and 7 series from Nvidia and with all Radeon cards from the X1000 series from ATI . Nevertheless, Havok advised a powerful model, since weaker cards are usually already busy with the conventional graphic calculations.
The advantages of the FX engine lie in the use of the architecture of a graphics processor , which is better suited for physics calculations than that of a main processor. In addition, collision queries, rendering and simulation are now taken over by the graphics processor, which means that the main processor can now completely take care of the general game physics and its interaction with the artificial intelligence . This makes the physics calculation up to 13 times faster.
Havok FX was discontinued after Intel bought Havok in September 2007. While Intel could integrate the Havok engine, which is designed for central processors, more into its own products, the company's portfolio currently lacks powerful graphics processors that would be suitable for Havok FX. Hence, a possible future is uncertain.
In June 2008 Havok agreed to work closely with AMD .