Open-source physics engine
Screenshots
Used by thousands of developers and implemented into hundreds of games, PhysX is the new gaming standard. In the past, developers scripted character animations, environmental movements and much more, but with PhysX comes a dramatic change. Now, each game experience is unique, and every interaction is fascinating.
How it works
Nvidia Physx allows games to precisely determine the physical behaviour of objects while they interact with the world. This means that the game computes what’s going to occur when it’s happening. It leads to drastically more natural movements, where characters can twist and bend in every direction, where trees can bend in different ways and where the wind interacts with the body.
All Nvidia users will have to install Nvidia PhysX onto their system, as PhysX has become a new norm for developers. It has a powerful physics engine, much like Unreal Engine 4.
Requirements
To run PhysX, you need a reasonably powerful graphics card with multiple different processing cores. The software is compatible with many Nvidia GPUs, with the lowest running at a minimum of 256MB of dedicated graphics memory.
The program also runs on most Windows OS, including but not limited to Windows 10, 8.1, 8, Vista, 7 and XP. Games that run PhysX will require much more processing power. Therefore, you can expect issues such as FPS drops if your graphics card isn’t up to scratch.
What to expect
Some of the changes you can expect in your gaming experience include cloth that tears naturally, complex characters, explosions that create debris and incredible weapon effects.
The software is entirely safe to download and use and is available for free. The file is under 30 MB in size, so it should be quick to download.
Gaming evolution
Gaming has truly evolved over the years. The divide between the ‘graphics’ of real-life and gaming is becoming thinner every year. Developers have taken leaps and bounds into creating much more realistic and engaging games. The introduction of PhysX has done well to show us just how much we can accomplish. The potential, however, feels almost limitless.