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Last Updated:
05
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06
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2008
APEX Developer FAQs
- What is NVIDIA APEX?
- NVIDIA APEX is a new development platform which provides game designers and developers with a streamlined method for implementing best-in-class game physics.
- What Game Engines is NVIDIA APEX designed for, or is it platform-independent?
- NVIDIA APEX will be distributed at no additional charge with Epic Games Unreal Engine 3.0 in early 2008. This first release is for use exclusively with UE3, though there are plans to support other environments in the future.
- Does this mean that all future UE3 games will automatically get a boost from an NVIDIA GPU or with the PhysX processor?
- All future games built on the NVIDIA APEX platform will have the ability to scale to GPU hardware acceleration (as well as across multiple core processors) without extensive engineering effort. As with any game development effort, it is ultimately up to the developer as to how much physics scale is appropriate to the game they are building and to what extent this will translate to use of the PhysX processor.
- What is the next engine to use NVIDIA APEX?
- Currently NVIDIA APEX is for use exclusively with Unreal Engine 3.0. While bringing the technology to new game engines is planned, nothing has been announced yet and NVIDIA’s focus with NVIDIA APEX is on Unreal Engine 3.0.
- When will the next engine use APEX?
- Currently NVIDIA APEX is for use exclusively with Unreal Engine 3.0. While bringing the technology to new game engines is planned, nothing has been announced yet and NVIDIA’s focus with NVIDIA APEX is on Unreal Engine 3.0.
- What are APEX Modules and how do they work?
- Modules are pre-built, working examples of NVIDIA APEX physics simulations. They have been built in such a way as to make integration with new games as seamless as possible for the developer. Modules can encompass small slices of game elements (such as particle emitters) or larger elements such as destructibility. These Modules have been designed with ease of customization in mind, allowing developers to use proven code while having the option to make it unique for their title.
- What’s the Difference between NVIDIA APEX and NVIDIA PhysX?
- NVIDIA PhysX is the physics engine that NVIDIA distributes, NVIDIA APEX is a development platform which makes the use of PhysX easier and more powerful. NVIDIA APEX is basically a new and more efficient way to take advantage of the NVIDIA PhysX engine.
- Does NVIDIA APEX require a NVIDIA GPU (or PhysX Processor (PPU))?
- No. NVIDIA APEX actually scales to multiple different environments, both with hardware acceleration and without. NVIDIA APEX is tuned for multi-core setups; single-core setups; and for current and future iterations of the NVIDIA GeForce GPU.
- What is the Pipeline Offload Component of NVIDIA APEX?
- Pipeline Offload = Game Engine Optimization for PhysX.
- Physics generates a tremendous amount of data for the game engine. Most engines are not designed to for this and can quickly overwhelm the CPU, thus leaving the GPU to wait for other processors to complete their tasks.
- The Pipeline offload component of NVIDIA APEX is the set of engine modifications which optimize the code executing in the game engine to allow for the best performance in a PhysX-enabled environment. Simply put, this ensures that the Game Engine itself can make the best possible use of all the systems computational resources such as multi-core CPUs and an NVIDIA GPU – if present.
- What is Scaling Level of Detail?
- One of the most valuable aspects of NVIDIA APEX is the integrated scaling - a first for physics middleware. This allows for a physically simulated event to be scaled to meet the processing capabilities of the platform without creating multiple unique events or lowerimpact events designed for min-spec configurations. Simply put: a single physical event (like glass shattering or a pipe bursting) can be scaled up or down in terms of detail without additional engineering work.
- The scaling is automatically controlled by the NVIDIA APEX system, using interpolation between performance data points acquired from different systems, through built-in benchmarking. The precise behavior can be tuned by the game developer, and optionally overridden by the player via UI sliders for direct control over the game play experience.
- Does Scalable Level Of Detail work with multi-core and console processors, or is it just for scaling to different GPU configurations?
- NVIDIA APEX’s scaling LOD (level of detail) system is designed to scale to single core, multi-core and GPU environments. Future plans for Console scaling are also in development.
- When will NVIDIA APEX be released and how can I get it?
- NVIDIA APEX will be distributed at no additional charge with Unreal Engine 3.0 in early 2008. As further APEX Modules are developed, or when other game engines are supported, there will be further releases.
- Does NVIDIA offer support for NVIDIA APEX?
- Yes, NVIDIA offers a comprehensive fee-based support model which adapts to fit your studio’s needs and budget. For more information, contact NVIDIA APEX Developer Support.
- Is NVIDIA APEX compatible with Xbox 360 or Playstation 3?
- NVIDIA APEX is compatible with PCs and Xbox 360 currently. Playstation 3 developers can license the PhysX engine directly from Sony. At present, the scaling level of detail (LOD) in NVIDIA APEX is restricted to PC. Game consoles represent a fixed target environment and, as such, applications for them do not need to support scaling.
- Is NVIDIA APEX Linux or Mac compatible?
- NVIDIA APEX is currently available for the Windows/Unreal Engine 3.0 development environment with future operating systems in development.
PhysX and APEX Links at Developer.NVIDIA.Com:
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