PhysX
PhysX is an open-source realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Nvidia as a part of Nvidia GameWorks software suite.
| Original author(s) | NovodeX AG (ETH Zurich) |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Nvidia Corporation (2008-present) Ageia (2004-2008) NovodeX AG (2001-2004) |
| Stable release | Blast 5.0.0; PhysX SDK 5.1.3; Flow 2.0.2
/ February 23, 2023 |
| Repository | https://github.com/NVIDIA-Omniverse/PhysX (5.x) https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/PhysX (4.x) |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, iOS, Android |
| Type | Physics simulation |
| License | BSD-3 |
| Website | Nvidia PhysX developer site Documentation |
Initially, video games supporting PhysX were meant to be accelerated by PhysX PPU (expansion cards designed by Ageia). However, after Ageia's acquisition by Nvidia, dedicated PhysX cards have been discontinued in favor of the API being run on CUDA-enabled GeForce GPUs. In both cases, hardware acceleration allowed for the offloading of physics calculations from the CPU, allowing it to perform other tasks instead.
PhysX and other middleware physics engines are used in many video games today because they free game developers from having to write their own code that implements classical mechanics (Newtonian physics) to do, for example, soft body dynamics.