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PhysicsCard

This version was saved 17 years, 6 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by PBworks
on September 15, 2006 at 7:34:02 am
 

PHYSICS CARD!!!!

 

 

 

The Physics Card (or PPU, physocs processing unit) was first made by AGIEA in its SDK designed PhysX card. It takes the burden of deciding the movement of individual particles in a game, like water, fog, dirt from the CPU, allowing the game to do amazing things with these effects. It also calculates objects speed relative to its wieght, and its stopping distance, as well as simpler things, like gravity. It is much like a GPU in that respect, but for Physics, not Graphics. Aegia claims that its PhysX card can process physics(moving objects, water, steam, ect) 100 times faster than an average CPU. It can be fitted to any standard PCI slot. In order to program a game with PhysX physics, use Dark Basic Pro

 

However, ATI has built into one of its GPU(graphics processing unit) Radeon X1600, its own PPU. However, this may be cheaper, but it doesn't process as fast as a dedicated PPU. However, this seemes to have failed, as ATI hasn't advistisec a PPU on any of its latest GPUs. And besides, who would pick a Radeon over a Geforce? The Geforce 7950 has 1 Gigabyte of video RAM. Mmmmmm.....

 

Also, Nvidia has annouced that its new Forceware 90 drives will allow the 2nd card in an SLI link to be used as a PPU. However, it will only do visual physics, not the hidden ones, like gravity and inertia. Also, the additional debries generated by explosions will not remain forever.

 

PicsandVideos

 

Examples of what can be done can be found

On Tom's Hardware

here and here

AWESOME!!!

 

Check out comparisons with and without the PPU here

older demo

 

pics of the physic card- AGEIA

wikipedia

And on Newegg

 

Stats and Specs from wikipedia from here

 

* 125 million transistors

* 182 mm² die size

* Memory: 128 MB GDDR3 RAM on 128-bit interface

* Asus and BFG Version have 128 MB GDDR3 RAM each

* Interface: PCI

* Sphere collision tests: 530 million per second (maximum capability)

* Convex collision tests: 530,000 per second (maximum capability)

* Peak Instruction Bandwidth: 20 billion per second

* Price: from $250-$300 (roughly £135-£165)

 

 

Supported Titles

 

Only games designed to do so can benefit from the presence of a PhysX card.

 

 

Available in Spring of 2006

 

* Bet on Soldier: Blood Sport

* Cell Factor

* City of Villains

* Gunship Apocalypse

* Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends

* Stoked Rider: Big Mountain Snowboarding

* Switchball

* Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter---comes standard with card

 

Future Titles

 

* 1944 D-Day Operation Overlord

* Alpha Prime

* Arena Online

* Crazy Machines 2

* Dogtag

* Eye of the Storm

* Fallen Earth

* Forlorn World

* Frozen Systems

* Heavy Rain

* Infernal

* Joint Task Force

* KARMA

* Loki

* Monster Madness

* Rail Simulator

* Robo Blitz

* Sacred II

* Silverfall

* Tank Killer

* Unreal Tournament 2007

* Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

* Warhammer Online

 

 

Few games may use a PPU now, but with Unreal Tournament 2007 coming off the line soon(using the unreal 3 engine in the technicle demos), I would highly recommend getting one eventually. Wait for the price to go down, or for games to start using PPUs more extensivly.

However, the new PS3 will have a NovodeX PPU, not as powerful but still better then a standard CPU.

 

Rendering a scene

PhysX API

 

See what others have to say-

Tom's hardware, also install guide

wikipedia

AEGIA

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