New animation engine for in game characters

Kage

Golden Master
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13,873
I just found this on IGN, about a new way in which characters in games could be controlled.

Basically, instead of all animations being pre-programmed, for instance a dying animation, a fall, etc which could take ages to animate (all games do this in some way), all animations on an in-game character could now have AI based and physics based animations.

There are two videos on there as well.

I found it amazing how for the first time in a game I've played, nothing seemed to pass through the floor, or other objects, etc.

Check it out:

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/702/702423p1.html

NATURAL MOTION:

If you want more information, their official website is here:

http://www.naturalmotion.com/
 
That's pretty awesome, with new physics technologies like in cell factor, new graphics engines like the CryEngine2, and this new type of animation technology, games are becoming more and more scarily realistic. Kinda ruins the point of a game to me though, I play sometimes to escape the real world, some of my funnest times playing a game were in the world of Zelda64, not real physics or graphics or gameplay, pure fun.
 
Yeah, if they focus on making games fun and have great graphics, their set.
Unfortunately though, in some cases, graphics are more important than game play. :-/

Although, this does look incredible.. ;)
 
Yeah,

Does make you think though.

I mean, imagine this for a moment:

The scenes are completley and utterly realistic, car games look fantastic and photo realistic, action games look real, etc, etc,

yet, the physics engines don't match the graphics. Imagine how that would wreck how you play it and the way you percieve a realistic game?

At the moment, the physics almost match the graphic power, yet, I can see that how in the future, they wouldn't be sufficent as they are now.

So yeah, I believe this technology is needed :)

ABOUT CARTOONY GAMES:

Even with this technology, it doesn't mean jokey, cartoony games couldn't be created. These physics engines can be pushed alot, and so unrealistic effects could still be created, but more realistically.

For example, even in a cartoony game, you don't want objects passing through the floor, each other (usually anyway)
 
Yeah physics I believe is whats going to make games truely next gen.

Graphics are one thing, but the physics is whats actually going to be powering the next gen engines.

That CellFactor videos really good :D
Especially the cloth effect at the start, and the blood splatter type effect!

I'm guessing the Xbox 360 and the PS3 have this kind of capability built into them?
 
ya. the ps3 is gonna dedicate one of its processors to physx. and microsoft, im guessing, will have physx built into its software. i dont think they ahve a dedicated processor.

but physx is what nex gen(x360/ps3) is all about. the current gen(ps2/xbox1) were about graphics and partly about sound. but now those things are expected and standard, but physx is not yet. so i htink that its teh new thing. and i hope that game physx will be mastered before the next-next-generation of consoles/gaming comes around(ps4/xbox720?/nintendo 1billion)lol.
 
Yeah, I totally agree with that.

Without physics (physx as its now known :p), games have nothing next gen about them to me.

A.I as well of course! Though I think F.E.A.R has proven that this has already advanced so much.
 
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