Havok prepares to unveil next generation of middleware at GDC

Physics middleware specialist Havok are set to reveal its latest suite of products at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next month - with the firm launching an animation solution to tie in with its popular physics system.

Havok Complete 3 will include both the latest version of Havok Physics, which introduces a number of innovations that the firm claims will "dramatically reduce game production time", and Havok Animation 3, the company's latest product.

The animation suite is closely integrated with Havok Physics, and gives developers a fully featured set of animation capabilities, such as blending, inverse kinematics and animation compression and decompression, as well as a full tool chain that works with commercial modelling and animation tools.

The entire suite is optimised to work on existing platforms, but according to Havok, it "has been designed to meet the needs of game developers working on next generation game platforms."

The company is planning to hold an event during GDC 2005, which takes place at the Moscone West Convention Centre in San Francisco from March 7 to 11, to premiere the functionality of the suite.