Sony’s PS3-optimised physics SDK
Sony has pulled the curtain back on its physics effects SDK.
At CEDEC 2009, Sony offered a playable demo of its physics simulation engine, which comes as part of the PS3 SDK, according to a diginfo.tv report.
A video of the physics engine can be found below.
Crucially, the physics engine is optimised for the PlayStation 3’s renowned cell microprocessor.
Hiroshi Matsuike, of SCE’s software platform development department, stated that basing the physics engine of the cell microprocessor meant that calculations could be achieved rapidly.
“[The PS3 Physics Engine] is a library for replicating a variety of physical phenomena, including simulations of rigid and soft objects and fluids, on the PS3,” he said.
The demonstration, which you can see in the video below, simulated the physical properties of a rope by attaching together a string of small solid objects. It then moved on to rag-doll simulation, as well as a mock-up of interlocked gears
Cell was jointly developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM. The PlayStation 3 was the first commercial device to utilise the processor.
