PPU Physics support

[Longaxe]

I posted this in the general forum put it will probably get lost in all the spam

If spring ever integrates a 3d party physics engine as has been suggested before. Why not just use the NovodeX Physics SDK??? It├óÔé¼Ôäós from the makers of that PPU and it has multiprocessor support. It appears to be free and a lot of big games like unreal 3 are using it and it will support the Ageia PPU.

http://www.ageia.com/novodex.html

[Dave]

If my proposition to make TAspring portable works out, I'd have a big problem with this: NovodeX only works on windows and macos, making a port to linux (my original objective) impossible.

Furthermore, the source code is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License. NovodeX must imperatively be released under the terms of a compatible license to be usable with GPL code, which I doubt it is.

Then again, I have no actual voice in the project, so this is just the 2 cents of a linux user who'd really like to be able to play TAspring :)

[Gabba]

If my proposition to make TAspring portable works out, I'd have a big problem with this: NovodeX only works on windows and macos, making a port to linux (my original objective) impossible.

Furthermore, the source code is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License. NovodeX must imperatively be released under the terms of a compatible license to be usable with GPL code, which I doubt it is.

Then again, I have no actual voice in the project, so this is just the 2 cents of a linux user who'd really like to be able to play TAspring :)

Is there an open-source physics engine we could use?
And - curiosity - are you the Dave from BfW??

[Dwarden]

Havok - not free, you can get eval copy, not opensource
http://www.havok.com

Meqon - SDK is now available timelited for free, not opensource
http://www.meqon.com/index.php

Newton Game Dynamics - free, SDK available http://www.newtondynamics.com/downloads.html

Novodex - SDK seems to be free but definitely not opensource
http://www.ageia.com/technology.html
about Novodex and theirs PPU is known it will be supported by e.g. Unreal Engine 3 and some other upcoming titles ... but it's clearly comercial PE

Tokamak - free, SDK available
http://www.tokamakphysics.com/demos.htm

TrueAxis - free for non comercial use, SDK available
http://www.trueaxis.com/downloads.html

Open Dynamic Engine - opensource
http://ode.org/

...

[SJ]

Im not sure that any 3party physic engine would be that usefull in spring, or rather it might be usefull but how much cpu would it take with 1000 units moving around, projectiles, terrain deforming ?

[zwzsg]

Indeed, spring current physic is good enough. I once saw a cons jump because of an explosion under it. RTS don't need ragdoll and gravity guns. And I'm amazed that Spring suffer no slow down even on massive base assault, with units filling a far zoomed screen.