phys¡Eics / the science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force.
BFG Ageia PhysX accelerator cardSo how does that relate to gaming you ask ? Ageia explains this extremely well in one line. Physics is all about how objects in your game move and react. And with that line in mind we immediately see a big difference between a PPU and the GPU. Because the GPU renders that gaming experience of yours while the PPU will not render graphics, yet the step before it. Until Ageia released the PhysX PPU, software physics was utilized in games. Common physics computations are handled by the general purpose CPU, your processor, which is already loaded with the ever increasing demands of today's advanced games including game logic and AI. BTW if you have followed the news lately there is an AI processor in the makings also. In short Physics calculations are responsible for more dynamic eye candy on that screen of yours. The AGEIA PhysX processor is a dedicated accelerator targeted solely to delivering physical gaming environments. Some of the features it's capable of doing are:
* Explosions that cause dust and collateral debris
* Characters with complex, jointed geometries for more life-like motion and interaction
* Spectacular new weapons with incredible effects
* Cloth that drapes and tears the way you would expect it to
* Dense smoke & fog that billow around objects in motion
Comment