TweakTown’s review clears everything up and goes pretty in-depth detailing the new physics tests and they have also uploaded a video to YouTube you can see below showing one of the tests which looks pretty cool. The first Physics test tests CPU performance by simulating rigid body physics. The second test or the “Combined Test” does CPU based rigid body physics along with normal GPU workloads. Be sure to read the entire review here.
The Physics testing (not PhysX) is handled by Bullet this time instead of the Ageia/NVIDIA API. This is a welcomed surprise to AMD fans as it removes the seeming advantage that NV had in the past. The first test is all CPU based with the CPU handling rigid body testing physics at a fixed frame rate. The second test throws the GPU to handle volumetric lighting, and Direct Compute Physics.
Nvidia has uploaded a nice PhysX comparison video from the Mafia II demo benchmark showing what the game looks like with PhysX enabled and disabled. Check it out below.
From the NVIDIA YouTube channel:
Mafia II by 2K Games is the epic saga in which you can experience immersive, realistic environments, courtesy of NVIDIA PhysX technology. Explosions are more dramatic, debris is persistent within the game, and clothing moves naturally and reacts to environmental effects. Check out how your game experience is greatly improved with PhysX and how NVIDIA GeForce owners have the best platform for experiencing this Mobster mayhem on the PC.
The Mafia II developers are said to have taken full advantage of NVIDIA’s Apex platform, which enables the ability to implement various PhysX modules, such as Destruction, Clothing and Turbulence, into a game rather seamlessly. I saw Apex in action this past January during CES, and I was left rather impressed (so impressed, that I really wanted to take the demo PC home with me).
In the game, there is no such thing as a “Low” PhysX setting, but rather just “Medium” and “High”. High is merely Medium, but with its particle count amped way up (from 3,000 to 10,000). Here’s a verbatim list of PhysX features:
Physically simulated clothing for main character and additional characters
Custom wind simulation that creates a more dynamic movement of clothing as the characters walk around and interact with the environment.
Force fields form explosions and interact with clothing, making those explosive moments even more immersive
Up to 3,000 unique particles on screen at any given time.
Particle effects including dynamic collision, mass and kinetic simulation, and force fields from explosions that move and displace particles along its path.
Destruction particle debris from cement, wood, glass, dirt, and more
Weapon impact that creates dynamic smoke and kinetic persistent particles
Garbage moves and exists in the world of Empire Bay and reacts to effects like force fields and character interactions
Tire burnout while driving produces dynamic smoke and particles including fluid movement simulation and particle velocity and trajectory
Character clothing on all character models is rendered entirely on the GPU when using a dedicated PhysX card which can be anything from a GT 240 to a GTX 480.
Zogrim has also put together a really nice PhysX performance tweaking guide for the demo showing how you can turn off certain PhysX effects to increase performance. Check it out here.
As you may notice, when APEX is set to “High” – a lot of dynamic particles (impact debris, chunks from explosions, smoke) are added, and simulated clothing for characters as well. Detailed effects description is available here.
Unfortunately, this one is not even close our usual detailed comparison videos, so – our apologies.
Full scale APEX Effects comparison is planned only after Mafia II release
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