Havok (software)

Last updated
Havok Technology Suites
Developer(s) Havok (Microsoft)
Stable release
2024.1 [1] / 15 July 2024;5 months ago (2024-07-15)
License Proprietary
Website www.havok.com

Havok is a middleware software suite developed by the Irish company Havok. Havok provides physics engine, navigation, and cloth simulation components that can be integrated into video game engines.

Contents

In 2007, Intel acquired Havok Inc. [2] In 2008, Havok was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing the development of physics engines in electronic entertainment. In 2015, Microsoft acquired Havok. [3]

Products

The Havok middleware suite consists of the following modules:

Supported platforms

Version 1.0 of the Havok SDK was unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2000. The Havok SDK is multi-platform by nature and is always updated to run on the majority of the latest platforms. Licensees are given access to most of the C/C++ source-code, giving them the freedom to customize the engine's features, or port it to different platforms although some libraries are only provided in binary format. In March 2011, Havok showed off a version of the Havok physics engine designed for use with the Sony Xperia Play, or more specifically, Android 2.3. [11] During Microsoft's //BUILD/ 2012 conference, Havok unveiled a full technology suite for Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8 and later Windows 10. [12]

As of February 2023, Havok supports 18 targets across 10 platforms. [13] These platforms include: Windows, Linux, Xbox Series S/X, Playstation 5, iOS, Nintendo Switch and Android.

Prebuilt engines

Unity

In 2019, Unity and Havok signed a partnership to build a complete physics solution for DOTS-based projects in Unity. [14] This was completed and released as production ready in December 2022. [15]

Unreal Engine

Havok maintains integrations [16] for all of their products to Epic's Unreal Engine. Havok Physics can be used to replace the inbuilt physics engine (Chaos Physics) at an engine level, while Havok Navigation is a stand alone plugin, and Havok Cloth is a separate tool that works alongside the engine.

Babylon.js

In April 2023, Babylon.js 6.0 was released with a physics implementation by Havok. [17] This implementation was released as a WASM plugin and involved an overhaul of the Babylon.js Physics API.

Usage

Video games

The first game to use Havok Physics was London Racer [18] by Davilex Games. In 2023, Havok products were used in twelve [19] of the top twenty best selling video games in the United States. [20]

Other software

Havok can also be found in:

Havok supplies tools (the "Havok Content Tools") for export of assets for use with all Havok products from Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and (formerly) Autodesk Softimage. Havok was also used in the virtual world Second Life , with all physics handled by its online simulator servers, rather than by the users' client computers. An upgrade to Havok version 4 was released in April 2008 and an upgrade to version 7 started in June 2010. [22] Second Life resident Emilin Nakamori constructed a weight-driven, pendulum-regulated mechanical clock functioning entirely by Havok Physics in March 2019. [23]

Related Research Articles

A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term "software engine" used more widely in the software industry.

Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and must be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios, and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. 3ds Max features shaders, dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.

Softimage, Co. was a Canadian 3D animation software company located in Montreal, Quebec. A subsidiary of Microsoft in the 1990s, it was sold to Avid Technology, who would eventually sell the name and assets of Softimage's 3D-animation business to Autodesk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physics engine</span> Software for approximate simulation of physical systems

A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film (CGI). Their main uses are in video games, in which case the simulations are in real-time. The term is sometimes used more generally to describe any software system for simulating physical phenomena, such as high-performance scientific simulation.

A physics processing unit (PPU) is a dedicated microprocessor designed to handle the calculations of physics, especially in the physics engine of video games. It is an example of hardware acceleration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PhysX</span> Realtime physics engine software

PhysX is an open-source realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Nvidia as part of the Nvidia GameWorks software suite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autodesk Softimage</span> Discontinued 3D graphics software

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unity (game engine)</span> Cross-platform video game and simulation engine

Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a Mac OS X game engine. The engine has since been gradually extended to support a variety of desktop, mobile, console, augmented reality, and virtual reality platforms. It is particularly popular for iOS and Android mobile game development, is considered easy to use for beginner developers, and is popular for indie game development.

Trinigy was a German software development company.

iClone is a real-time 3D animation and rendering software program. Real-time playback is enabled by using a 3D videogame engine for instant on-screen rendering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vision (game engine)</span> Multi-platform 3D game engine

Havok Vision Game Engine is a discontinued, cross-platform, 3D game engine originally authored by Trinigy and later acquired by Havok. It was first released in 2003, and saw its final release in 2014. As of its eighth version, available target platforms were Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Wii U, iOS, Android, Sony's PlayStation Vita, and most major browsers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Away3D</span>

Away3D is an open-source platform for developing interactive 3D graphics for video games and applications, in Adobe Flash or HTML5. The platform consists of a 3D world editor, a 3D graphics engine, a 3D physics engine and a compressed 3D model file format (AWD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marmalade (software)</span>

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Fork Particle is a computer graphics visual effects modeling and software development kit (SDK) developed and sold by Fork Particle, Inc. Fork Particle uses its real time particle system technology to simulate visual effects or particle effects such as CGI explosions, fire, rain, smoke, dust, etc. Fork Particle is used in video games and visual simulation software such as a flight simulator. It has been licensed to game developers for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Autodesk Gameware is a discontinued middleware software suite developed by Autodesk. The suite contained tools that enable designers to create game lighting, character animation, low level path finding, high-level AI and advanced user interfaces. On July 12, 2017, Autodesk removed Scaleform, Beast, HumanIK, and Navigation from their online store, and announced the ending of support for the products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaleform GFx</span> Discontinued game development middleware package

Scaleform GFx is a discontinued game development middleware package, a vector graphics rendering engine used to display Adobe Flash-based user interfaces and HUDs for video games. In March 2011, Autodesk acquired Scaleform Corporation and Scaleform GFx became part of the Autodesk Gameware line of middleware. On July 12, 2018, Autodesk discontinued Scaleform GFx, and it is no longer available for purchase.

References

  1. ↑ "Havok 2024.1 released". havok.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  2. ↑ Intel Corporation (2007-09-14). "Intel To Acquire Havok" (Press release). Santa Clara.
  3. ↑ "Havok to join Microsoft - The Official Microsoft Blog". 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  4. ↑ "Havok Physics". Havok.
  5. ↑ Shilov, Anton (2005). "Havok Intros Havok FX Engine to Compute Physics Effects on GPUs". Xbit Laboratories. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  6. ↑ "Havok Physics Playstation 4 Demo". havokchannel. 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  7. ↑ "Havok Navigation". Havok.
  8. ↑ "We've renamed Havok AI to Havok Navigation". 2024-04-01.
  9. ↑ "Havok Cloth". Havok.
  10. ↑ "Havok Announces Acquisition of Trinigy". 2011-08-08. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  11. ↑ Engadget (2011). "Havok physics engine comes to Android 2.3, demoed on Xperia Play". Engadget. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  12. ↑ Business Wire (2012-10-30). "Havok to Showcase Full Technology Suite for Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 at Microsoft's Build 2012" (Press release). Redmond: CNBC.{{cite press release}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  13. ↑ "Havok 2023.2 is now available". 2024-02-13.
  14. ↑ "Announcing Unity and Havok Physics for DOTS | Unity at GDC 2019 Keynote". 2019-04-08.
  15. ↑ "Havok Physics for Unity is now supported for production". 2022-12-19.
  16. ↑ "Havok for Unreal Engine 5.4 is out!". 2024-05-08.
  17. ↑ "Announcing Babylon.js 6.0". 2023-04-20.
  18. ↑ "The History of Havok: an infographic". 2014-12-16.
  19. ↑ "Havok- powered games".
  20. ↑ "Best-selling video games in the United States in 2023, by dollar sales". 2024-01-29.
  21. ↑ "VPhysics". Valve Developer Community. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  22. ↑ "Release Notes/Second Life Server/1.40". secondlife.com. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  23. ↑ "Watch: A Second Life Clock That Runs Entirely on Virtual World Physics".
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