APEX PhysX clothing Maya to UDK Tutorial

• August 14, 2011
• Written by Mark
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YouTube user monkeYB07 has posted a really nice and in-depth video tutorial, showing how to use Apex Clothing with Maya and then import the character or object into the UDK. Check it out below. For another great example showing of Apex PhysX clothing check out the APEX Clothing on the hero character from EPIC’s Samaritan demo we posted about a few months ago. Another good video is the Physically simulated clothing by CCP using NVIDIA APEX.

2011 Unreal Engine 3 Features Trailer is Cool but lacks Physics

• April 18, 2011
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Epic Games has released a cool video showing off the new features in the Unreal Engine 3. Most of the features we have already seen in the Samaritan tech demo and also shows some cool new features such as the editor and mobile development features for Android and iOS along with some pretty looking test levels we have not seen before. Unfortunately just like with the Samaritan demo, physics is not a main showcase even though the video claims to be bringing “next gen” features into focus. They do briefly show off the Apex Clothing features that we saw in the APEX Clothing on the hero character from EPIC’s Samaritan demo but not much else in the way of physics or PhysX like destruction. This is strange and disappointing as the Unreal Engine 3 now has full Apex support and we have been seeing some cool stuff being done with it like completely destructible levels which are no doubt one of the “next gen” features of games we are eagerly awaiting for. You can check out the video below.

Official NVIDIA Mafia II Benchmark video featuring NVIDIA PhysX comparison

• September 10, 2010
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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.

Taking a Look at Mafia II and its PhysX Use

• August 27, 2010
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Techgage.com has put together a nice article taking a look at the PhysX use in the recently released Mafia II. Mafia II makes extensive use of Apex PhysX and is now the new showcase for PhysX. In the article Techgage goes over the different PhysX features that have been implemented into the game and how they effect game play and bring a more realistic experience to the game. Read the rest of the article here.

From Techgage.com:

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.

Read the rest of the article here.