Havok Announces Havok Cloth, Havok Destruction

Physics middleware company Havok unveiled two new tools for artists, Havok Cloth and Havok Destruction, at the 2008 Game Developers Conference. Both products will be available mid-2008 and will have out-of-the-box integration with Havok Physics and Havok Animation. Havok Cloth offers developers performance-optimized control over "realistic physically-based [simulations] of cloth and character clothing." Stretching, damping, and other cloth behavioral properties are all easily customized. Havok Destruction features a fully multi-threaded Software Development Kit, optimized for the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360, which helps add realism to "structural mechanics, graphical effects, and game level design." Destruction allows artists to apply shattering, fracture, and deformation effects to large numbers of destructible game objects while reducing production time and cost. "Havok Cloth and Havok Destruction will further increase the standard of realism and immersion in games," said David Coghlan, Vice President of Development for Havok. "Havok Cloth enables scalable clothing that will significantly enhance the visual impact of on-screen characters. Havok Destruction will drive high-adrenaline action scenes with unprecedented levels of physics mayhem."