I was reading Maximum PC mag when I saw this article about Ageia's new toy... Its a physics accelartor called Physx. It will come in both pc express and pci versions. It will have 128mb of GDDR3 memory and will be dedictaed to handling in game physics. Here's the example maximum pc gave for the point of making such a card:
Today's fastest CPUs are only capable of crunching the numbers for several hundred bones at a time. Ageia claims that with a physics accelerator, you could possibly perform calculations for up to 50,000 bones simultaneously, making massive LOTR style battles and even more advanced effects like lifelike clothing, tissue, and hair simulation possible.
Prices will range between $100 to $400...
Here's the link to Ageia's physx card http://www.ageia.com/technology.html]
for those of you to lazy to click on the link here's the info:
AGEIA Physics Technologies
Gaming will never be the same with AGEIA's hardware-accelerated physics technologies. Bridging the gap between beautiful static worlds and responsive physical reality, AGEIA physics technologies enable unlimited creative possibilities for game developers. The result will re-ignite the enthusiasm of gamer and game creators alike, and propel the game industry into unexplored new markets. Experience the world of pervasive interactive reality with AGEIA technologies.
AGEIA PhysX chip
PhysX is the world's first Physics Processing Unit (PPU), an entirely new category of processor that promises to revolutionize gaming in the same way that the graphics processing unit (GPU) did in the 1990s. By offloading software physics processing from the CPU and GPU, the PPU completes the triangle of gameplay, graphics and physics, balancing the load of these processing tasks and enabling pervasive interactive reality in tomorrow's games.
PhysX Processor Architecture has been designed to enable radical acceleration of:
* Rigid body dynamics
* Universal collision detection
* Finite element analysis
* Soft body dynamics
* Fluid dynamics
* Hair simulation
* Clothing simulation
NovodeX Physics SDK
The NovodeX Physics SDK is a stable, high-performance solution for game developers to enable physics-based gameplay and effects in PC and console titles. A powerful API for the PhysX PPU, NovodeX enables game developers to inject both software-only and hardware-accelerated features into their games. The NovodeX Physics SDK is also the first and only asynchronous (multithreaded) physics API capable of unleashing the power of multiprocessor gaming systems.
Key features:
* Stable, high-performance solver
* First and only multiprocessing physics API
* PC and console support
* Works alongside other game engines
* Supports vehicles, rag dolls, and character controllers
* Integrates with any renderer
* Full complement of code samples and tutorials
* World-class developer support and custom solutions
What do you guys think about this? I'm skeptical of the real benefits untill i see some benchies, but that might be a while off. But if it does work, and work well, the possibilities are really enticing (and my wallet will be crying even more).
Today's fastest CPUs are only capable of crunching the numbers for several hundred bones at a time. Ageia claims that with a physics accelerator, you could possibly perform calculations for up to 50,000 bones simultaneously, making massive LOTR style battles and even more advanced effects like lifelike clothing, tissue, and hair simulation possible.
Prices will range between $100 to $400...
Here's the link to Ageia's physx card http://www.ageia.com/technology.html]
for those of you to lazy to click on the link here's the info:
AGEIA Physics Technologies
Gaming will never be the same with AGEIA's hardware-accelerated physics technologies. Bridging the gap between beautiful static worlds and responsive physical reality, AGEIA physics technologies enable unlimited creative possibilities for game developers. The result will re-ignite the enthusiasm of gamer and game creators alike, and propel the game industry into unexplored new markets. Experience the world of pervasive interactive reality with AGEIA technologies.
AGEIA PhysX chip
PhysX is the world's first Physics Processing Unit (PPU), an entirely new category of processor that promises to revolutionize gaming in the same way that the graphics processing unit (GPU) did in the 1990s. By offloading software physics processing from the CPU and GPU, the PPU completes the triangle of gameplay, graphics and physics, balancing the load of these processing tasks and enabling pervasive interactive reality in tomorrow's games.
PhysX Processor Architecture has been designed to enable radical acceleration of:
* Rigid body dynamics
* Universal collision detection
* Finite element analysis
* Soft body dynamics
* Fluid dynamics
* Hair simulation
* Clothing simulation
NovodeX Physics SDK
The NovodeX Physics SDK is a stable, high-performance solution for game developers to enable physics-based gameplay and effects in PC and console titles. A powerful API for the PhysX PPU, NovodeX enables game developers to inject both software-only and hardware-accelerated features into their games. The NovodeX Physics SDK is also the first and only asynchronous (multithreaded) physics API capable of unleashing the power of multiprocessor gaming systems.
Key features:
* Stable, high-performance solver
* First and only multiprocessing physics API
* PC and console support
* Works alongside other game engines
* Supports vehicles, rag dolls, and character controllers
* Integrates with any renderer
* Full complement of code samples and tutorials
* World-class developer support and custom solutions
What do you guys think about this? I'm skeptical of the real benefits untill i see some benchies, but that might be a while off. But if it does work, and work well, the possibilities are really enticing (and my wallet will be crying even more).
