[SOLVED by upgrading to GS8] Freeze of ODE Engine

Posted By: Commander_Z

[SOLVED by upgrading to GS8] Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/22/10 22:59

Hi,

i'am evaluating GS7 and was testing the physics engine today.
I tried the sample from the A7 guide. But after arbitrary time (seconds to minutes) the physic engine freezes (not the game engine).
Here is the code:

Code:

///////////////////////////////
#define PRAGMA_PATH "%EXE_DIR%\templates\images";
#define PRAGMA_PATH "%EXE_DIR%\templates\models";
#define PRAGMA_PATH "%EXE_DIR%\templates\sounds";

#include <acknex.h>
#include <default.c>
#include "mtlFX.c"

///////////////////////////////
VECTOR ball_speed;
ENTITY *ball;

function main()
{
	video_mode = 9;
	level_load("test11.WMB");
	wait(2);
	
	ball = ent_create("ball.mdl", vector(-128, 0, 16), NULL);
	ph_setgravity(vector(0,0, -386));
	phent_settype(ball, PH_RIGID, PH_SPHERE);
	phent_setmass(ball, 3, PH_SPHERE);
	phent_setfriction(ball, 80);
	phent_setdamping(ball, 40, 40);
	phent_setelasticity(ball, 50, 20);
	
	camera.z = 200;
	camera.tilt = -20;
	camera.pan = 0;
	while(1) {
		ball_speed.x = 130 * (key_d - key_a) * time_step;
		ball_speed.y = 130 * (key_w - key_s) * time_step;
		ball_speed.z = 0;
		phent_addtorqueglobal(ball, ball_speed);
		camera.x = ball.x - 300;
		camera.y = ball.y;
		wait(1);
	}	
}

The level consists of a big plate and a few blocks as ramps for the rolling and jumping ball.
I have tried to use a bigger nexus (100 MB) and i have tried to set fps_max to 30 also. But neither did help.

Would appreciate any help. I have tried this with Windows 7 + ATI Mobile 5870 (Asus G73 notebook, i7 720M, 8 GB) and Vista with ATI 5950 (desktop, Intel E6600, 4 GB).

Posted By: TheShooter

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 00:42

Did you use PhysX? PhysX is only working right on NVIDIA Cards, not on ATI Cards. I know this problem, then I have the ATI HD 5970.... You must optimize the Physx engine, so that it work with a ATI Card..... But this can only the Pr0 programmers... I don't know whether you are one....
And sorry for my English

I hope it helps you ^^

EDIT: I see that you dont use the physX engine.... but if you use A8 you will get ptobably errors with the A7 physics engine....

good luck

Posted By: Superku

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 01:12

"PhysX is only working right on NVIDIA Cards, not on ATI Cards"

Ehm... where did you get this information? It works the same on both cards, the only difference is, that some nVidia cards can accelerate the physics calculations (AFAIK).

Posted By: Sajeth

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 09:34

People should propably just refrain from posting if they dont have the slightest idea what they are talking about - and not just make up facts from some vague ideas they got somewhere.
No offense, but misinformation is nothing but trouble.

Posted By: WretchedSid

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 11:27

Originally Posted By: TheShooter

MFW

Posted By: Commander_Z

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 13:40

None of your answers is a real help

I know PhysX of Nvidia. It is also working with ATI and other hardware, but the computing is done with software not hardware accelerated as with Nividia hardware.
As i can see ODE (Open Dynamics Engine) was used do develop the Nvidia engine. ODE has stopped working a few years ago and the last update of their DLL was 2007. But i don't know how to update my GS7 to use the new version.

But with GS7.5 (SYBEX-Edition) i had to much problems (Models need texture to be displayed in engine, Vertex Apply on Bones had a lot of bugs, a lot of crashes of the engine etc.) so i upgraded to GS8 Extra directly from the developer of the engine. Now it seems that i do not get this freezes

And the cause is: GS8 uses Nvidia PhysX as physics engine.

Now i am curious wheter i will get "new" problems or the GS8 is more or less bug free.

But anyway thanks a lot.

Posted By: TheShooter

Re: Freeze of ODE Engine - 10/23/10 14:06

I know that PhysX runs on an ATI card. But the accelerator which accelerates the physical calculations does not go on an ATI. So it can come to falls, however, must not be.

Sorry for my english