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NVIDIA announces Adaptive Physics EXtensions (APEX) platform for PhysX developers

by Parm Mann on 25 March 2009, 15:01

Tags: NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

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Despite the fact that big-name studios such as Electronic arts have shown their willingness to adopt NVIDIA's PhysX technology, we're still not seeing the major influx of PhysX-enabled titles that many were expecting.

However, in an effort to increase the number of developers opting to to work with PhysX, NVIDIA has today announced its APEX (Adaptive Physics EXtensions) development platform, an addition to its PhysX SDK that it claims will provide developers with "a set of easy-to-use tools that streamline the process of implementing scalable physics across multiple platforms."

For gamers, it sounds like more PhysX jiggery-pokery, but it could finally pave the way for widespread PhysX adoption. According to NVIDIA, APEX will make it easy for game developers to add physics effects to their cross-platform titles easier than ever before.

APEX will be made available free of charge to licensed NVIDIA PhysX developers, and it'll come equipped with support for pre-built examples of physics simulations - dubbed modules. Designed to easily integrate into games, developers will be able to take these modules - such as destruction, clothing and vegetation - and easily customise them to suit their title.

Featuring integrated scaling, one of its key objectives is to ensure that all titles built upon the APEX platform will be able to scale GPU hardware acceleration to meet the capabilities of multiple platforms - including PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

Sounds a promising development for PhysX implementation, and game developers can read more at NVIDIA's official APEX website.

Official press release: NEW NVIDIA APEX TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATES PHYSICS CREATION PIPELINE FOR CONTENT DEVELOPERS



HEXUS Forums :: 4 Comments

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Widespread adoption doesn't fit with only working on 50% of the hardware out there.
Indeed, someone like MS really needs to get behind putting the framework out there, to begin to get a compelling user base, just think if the xbox mk 3 had it too….
TheAnimus
Indeed, someone like MS really needs to get behind putting the framework out there, to begin to get a compelling user base, just think if the xbox mk 3 had it too….

then every pc game on the planet could be a **** console port?
EA, port everything!

It does help to have a common API for every platform, reduces the required knowledge of the devs, if you have a look at how much computer game devs get paid as well, it shows you how squezed the industry is. In the “good old days” you could just design your map with 8 colours, and often reuse the same ladder again and again. Now adays game developement seams more about the art, story etc than the code/platform (that said, if its for the console market, it has to be demanding no more than like 90 IQ points <RTS snob mode>).

This is a good thing, who cares if the games got some really gnarly code in it, you just want it to look good, and not spend tonnes of money re-inventing the wheel, this is why my favourate game of all time, half-life did so well, they had money to spend on the story, levels, and graphics by using the vast majority of the code from Quake.