[sldev] [ATTN-LL] Physics engine status update?

[Lawson English]

Dirk Moerenhout wrote:
> On 9/20/07, Argent Stonecutter <secret.argent at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> From: "Dirk Moerenhout" <blakar at gmail.com>
>>     
>>> Meshes are solely a way to represent the objects graphically. This is
>>> exactly why sculpted prims have dodgy physics. There's no way to
>>> represent it mathematically so the physical object is not at all alike
>>> the visible object.
>>>       
>> Sculpted prims have dodgy physics because the sim is not using the
>> sculpt texture to calculate their shape yet. Whether the mesh is hard
>> to simulate or not isn't relevant... the mesh isn't actually being
>> used at all by the sim. From comments Qarl has made they are
>> intending to use the actual mesh at some point, but right now all
>> sculpted prims are treated as spheres by the sim.
>>     
>
> You have rather strange logic and I guess you didn't get what I was
> implying. I know it's a sphere so let me put it this way:
> They are using a sphere to represent it because it's too complicated
> to simulate the mesh.
>
> If you truly believe the mesh complexity does not matter then I'd
> really want to know what you consider the reason to opt for a sphere.
>
> As for using the detailed mesh I wouldn't take bets on it if I were
> you. You can use it if you downsample it but that it'll remain a rough
> representation. Best bet is to calculate Bezier curves that match the
> shape best. But still the most important part is: you need a
> mathematical representation, not a triangulated result.
>
>
>   

At this point, you are correct. However, with later versions of Havok, 
especially 4+, things are allegedly more efficient than what SL 
currently uses, and you can use simpler representations of the mesh if 
need be, for speed.

http://www.havok.com/misc/physicsEfficiency-2007.pdf

 The REAL question is: will LL go with Havok 5, which is now out?

http://www.havok.com/content/view/538/53/