GenL has released new 1.04ff version of Hybrid PhysX mod – now it works with 257.21 GeForce drivers and newer.

Description:

This mod will enable hardware PhysX support for NVIDIA GPU, when non-NVIDIA GPU is used as a primary display device.

• intended only for WDDM 1.1 OS (Windows 7) and NT5 WDM OS (Windows XP/2003).
• only for multi-vendor multi-GPU configurations.

1.04ff – 29/06/2010:

• removed support for fixing GeForce driver binaries as current 256 series don’t need this (dropped support of all older 19x series drivers)
• added support for fixing a new limitation in PhysX System Software, introduced in 9.10.0223 (aka 9.10.0528/9.10.0529)
• added extra optional command line files (nvsvc and PhysX related)
• removed most of gfx/sfx stuff (the mod is now tiny and no more requires 96dpi mode)

You can download Hybrid PhysX mod 1.04ff from our server (0.5 mb)

Q: Why do we need both v1.03 and v1.04ff, which should I use?
A: If you are not going to use anything older than 257.21 – forget about v1.03 and use v1.04ff. The mod v1.03 is intended for old 19x series and 9.10.0222 (+older) PhysX SS.

If you update any component from the [old] 19x.xx and/or 9.10.0222 (+older) to [newer] 256 series and/or 9.10.0223 (+newer) – you should apply the mod v1.04ff afterwards. The mod v1.04ff will not help with 19x series GeForce driver.

For FAQ and installation instructions please refer to Hybrid PhysX thread at NGOHQ

Update: 1.04ff mod works with 258.69 Beta; 258.96 Beta/WHQL drivers and 9.10.0224 System Software

Hybrid PhysX mod 1.03 is available for download here

Users at NGOHQ Hybrid PhysX Mod 1.03 discussion have discovered awesome fact – with recent 257.15 GeForce/ION drivers combo ATI + NV PhysX setups are working without need to apply any modifications !

Quoting GenL, Hybrid PhysX mod creator

I’m seriously amazed… seems like you are right! I just didn’t test it yesterday because i saw a user report saying otherwise on another site, but now i’ve tested it by myself on Windows XP and Windows 7 x64 – it really works “out of the box” with 257.15.

In Windows XP i’ve just extended the fake desktop, and on Windows 7 i created one non-extended – that’s all i needed to get GPU-PhysX working. And even more surprising – timebomb issue is gone too, at least for its normal time interval (~30 seconds in FluidMark).

Originally, Hybrid PhysX configurations were officially blocked by Nvidia in Q4 2009.

Update: video from TweakPC, showing Hybrid system working with 257.15 drivers. In addition – tests by Geeks3D

What’s this – accidental mistake or permanent change, ticket to the bright future for Hybrid PhysX systems ?

Update #2: unfortunately, this was just a bug.

Yes, this is a bug in the latest build of PhysX that was packaged with the driver. We’ll be fixing this issue ASAP – the WHQL driver launching in early June won’t have this issue. – NVIDIA.

Shame on you, Nvidia. Anyway, we still have Hybrid PhysX mod.

Update #3: official statement from Nvidia

The fact remains that the investment to do a full QA cycle on this AMD/NVIDIA hybrid GPU configuration is beyond what NVIDIA can support at this time. The cost of maintaining AMD/NVIDIA hybrid configurations is larger than the development expense for PhysX, and I do expect that there are games and configurations where this type of system just won’t work.

Use comments to this post to provide your feedback.

KitGuru website has brought us news that Manju Hedge, former CUDA and PhysX Solutions Vice President (previously – CEO and co-founder of Ageia) has left NVIDIA to join AMD.

Our own sources at NVIDIA are indicating  – this information is truthful.

However, according to our data, Manju departure won’t affect PhysX (he hasn’t been working on PhysX for over a year) or CUDA development process in NVIDIA, and his new roll in AMD won’t be connected to game physics related projects (instead, Manju is going to be involved in ISV recruitment).

Update: Pursuant to latest press-release, Manju Hedge will lead AMD Fusion Experience Program.

Update #2: from X-bit Labs article

In particular, [Manju Hedge] will manage the developer relations teams that help independent software developers (ISVs) to implement program code optimized for heterogeneous multi-core microprocessors.

We want to thanks Manju Hedge for awesome work on PhysX front and wish him best of luck with this new assignment !

GenL has finally updated Hybrid PhysX mod to version 1.03 – this release supports 197.xx GPU drivers and lastest 09.10.0222 PhysX System Software.

UPDATE: New Hybrid PhysX Mod 1.04ff available.  For 257.21 and newer GeForce drivers.

DESCRIPTION:
This mod will enable hardware PhysX support for NVIDIA GPU, when non-NVIDIA GPU is used as a primary display device.
- intended only for WDDM 1.1 OS (Windows 7) and NT5 WDM OS (Windows XP/2003).
- only for multi-vendor multi-GPU configurations.

VERSION HISTORY:

1.03 – 21/04/2010:
- added support for fixing a timebomb, introduced in 196.75 and 197.xx drivers (gravity reverse + overall slowdown after a few seconds of PhysX processing)
- mod will now attempt to patch PhysX System Software files (helps to eliminate desktop extension requirement on Windows 7)
- mod will now disable “nvsvc” service autostart (helps to fix problems with fake displays)
- improved patching process (no more need to reboot in Safe Mode or terminate any process)
- improved patching logic (mod will no more try to patch non-existent files)
- improved accuracy of some patterns to avoid unnecessary patching

You can download Hybrid PhysX Mod 1.03 from our server (2.2 mb) *

Q: Is there a virus/trojan/malware inside? My security software thinks so.
A: Your security software can make mistakes and thus is unreliable, just like any other security software. There are no such thing here.

Update #2: 257.21 WHQL GeForce Driver and 9.10.0223 PhysX System Software are not working with 1.03 mod.

No need to use Hybrid PhysX mod with BETA 257.15 GeForce Driver.

Update: situation regarding Trojan alert. Aqusations by HardOCP. Responce from NGOHQ.

For installation guide and FAQ please refer to NGOHQ or our previous collection of links.

Use commentaries to this article or thread at NGOHQ forums to report errors/positive results.

* PhysXinfo is not responcible for any harm this file can cause to your system. Use it for your own risk.

Recent news coming from NGOHQ website with statement “performance on non-Cuda cards got dropped even further (from 20 fps to 5 fps [Mirror's Edge]) in the recent PhysX software” have forced us to perform more detailed testing procedures, to discover how actually valid such claims are.

Update: From NGOHQ:

After deeper investigation, this issue has identified as a rare overflow bug. Looks like Nvidia PhysX System Software 9.10.0222 doesn’t cripple performance, but I’ll run more tests just to be sure

In following article we are comparing both GPU and CPU performance of PhysX effects, using most recent PhysX System Software 9.10.0222 (blamed for “ruining game experience”), previous 9.10.0129 version and several games – Mirror’s Edge 1.01 and Cryostasis Tech Demo.

System: C2Q 9400 @2.66 GHz CPU, GTX 275 GPU, 4GB RAM, Windows 7 Professional x64

MIRROR’S EDGE.

Standart “Flight Fly By” sequence was used (can be activated by “- FlybyFlight” parameter), in-game setting; 1680×1050, all high, 4xAA. Framerate measured by FRAPS 3.0.1.

Read the rest of this entry »

Decent article called “AMD and NVIDIA butt heads over physics” emerges on Atomic MPC website yesterday.

Richard Huddy, AMD’s Worldwide Developer Relations Manager, Ashu Rege, Nvidia’s Senior Director of Content and Technology, and Nadeem Mohammad, Nvidia’s Director of Product Management and PhysX, are speaking out against physics engines support strategies of their rival companies. During discussion, Bullet physics SDK is opposed to PhysX SDK.

Apart from slight pro-AMD tone and some factial mistakes in engines descriptions, it’s interesting read. Conclusion we are complitely agreed with:

Whether or not Bullet takes off remains to be seen, but the next few years will certainly be an interesting challenge for both companies.

However, as we’ve already took a view at AMD and PhysX relationship history, future of that AMD-promoted GPU Bullet and it’s implementation in games (not Bullet SDK itself) isn’t looking so bright and clear for us.

Recent PhysX drivers 9.10.0222 and 197.xx NV GPU drivers are mostly incompatible with 1.02 GenL Mod for Hybrid PhysX systems (witch hunt, another round) – using this drivers set will results in Metro 2033 crashes, abnormal FluidMark behaviour and performance problems in other PhysX games.

However, user Containforum, known for his Hybrid PhysX installation guide and Catalyst 10.2 extended display fix, has come out with a solution – he created a “patch”, that resolves  performance problems (at least for FluidMark) and allows you to use Hybrid PhysX without necessity to extend display.

Update: You can download containforum’s fix 1.02 here (25 mb). GenL mod must be applied firstly.

Update #2: comment from GenL

Result can’t be called a “patch” anyway. This package contains several unmodified (unpatched) files from PhysX SS v9.09.1112 and v9.10.0129. While this can’t be a proper solution for newer versions of PhysX SS, i’m surprised it worked for people

Update #3: Extended display fix only.

UPDATE: Hybrid PhysX mod 1.03 released – with timebomb fix and lastest drivers support.

It’s recommended to use it with 196.34 drivers and latest PhysX System Software.

Please use this post or comment at youtube to report if this fix is working with other GPU PhysX games, or any problems you will encounter.

Apart from Supersonic Rocket Sled demo all of you are probably familar already, for GF100 launch Nvidia has prepared another technical PhysX demo, called Raging Rapids Ride, with boat riding down a montain river – maybe not so impressive in graphics aspect, but with intensive and complex real-time fluid simulation.

It using PhysX SDK based objects with custom hybrid water simulation, utilizing both heightfield fluid solver and particle simulation.  Boat behaviour is a little choppy, escpecially when it collides with waterside surface, but water simulation looks very impressive.

Update: You can download Raging Rapids Ride demo here

Grid based shallow water flowing pass a terrain with high slope is automatically turned into particle waterfall, and than – back to heightfield water (thus, two different fluid solvers are used simultaneously).

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, NDA for new GTX480/470 GPUs from Nvidia is lifting now all over the world, and we are ready to spoil some details about PhysX computing capabilities of new GPUs.

Not bad, huh ? GTX 480 promises 2.5x performance gain over GTX 285 in PhysX calculations. To reinforce this statement, some benchmarking results vere revealed.

First one – for Raging Rapid Ride techno-demo, featuring complex water simulation (you can read our overview here).

Read the rest of this entry »

In recent interview to Xbit Labs, Ashutosh Rege, the worldwide director of developer technology at Nvidia, denies accusations of bribing game developers for implementation of GPU PhysX, stated by AMD.

Such claims were given by Richard Huddy, AMD’s senior manager of developer relations, in his interview to THINQ.co.uk website:

“What I’ve seen with physics, or PhysX rather, is that Nvidia create a marketing deal with a title, and then as part of that marketing deal, they have the right to go in and implement PhysX in the game.”

Following responce from Nvidia Ashutosh Rege

“There could be no deal under which we would cash somebody in for using PhysX“

“What we do when we add GPU PhysX engagement with the developer is that in no shape or form we do anything harmful for the rest of the platforms, those that do not support GPU PhysX. It is just an additive value to our GeForce customers and eventually it boosts game experience on the PC”

Source: Xbitlabs.com

Update: additional commentaries from Nadeem Mohammed, Director of PhysX Product Management:

Once PhysX is selected and the developer plans to have a PC version, we will work closely with them to provide whatever engineering and technical assistance to make the PC version as good as it can be – and hopefully that includes pushing the edge on special PhysX effects which may require GPU acceleration for best performance.

We will “invest” our time, energy, expertise and technology to make good games into great PC titles – if that’s what AMD is talking about then sure they are right!

Source: PCGamesHardware.com