Havok 2 To Launch Next Month

Havok announced that it will release the a major upgrade to its physics middleware SDK at the Game Developers Conference next month. Havok 2 will contain new character and vehicle kits, and the company says it will also contain significant performance improvements (up to 10x, according to the company) on target platforms. Havok 2 will feature an improved character controller, "classic ragdoll effects" for death scenes, localized ragdoll effects for secondary motion and breakable constraints for detachable limbs. The new version will have a modular engine that comes with with source code, so you can extend and customize it. The Havok SDK will include exporters for 3ds max and Maya that can be integrated into your toolchain, and will feature real-time previews of the physics content. Havok 2 will be available for the PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox and PC, and will be optimized for each platform. Pricing was not announced.