Entries tagged with simulation - Channel 9

Inside Xbox: Forza 3 Dyno Session and Interview with Content Manager John Wendl

tina10 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:47:00 GMT

There's no fun in "All work and no play", which is exactly why most of us own Xbox 360's. When the Xbox was released in 2001 in North America there was a lot of skepticism about the console that was competing against the PS2 and Gamecube. And now over eight years later the Xbox 360 is an enormous success with game developers frequently stating it's their favorite console to develop for. Since the Xbox 360 is much more than just a gaming console, I'm teaming up with the Xbox team to bring you a new series called "Inside Xbox". You can also watch shorter versions of the videos you will see here, on Channel 9, on "Xbox Live". Each show will be diving deep into a topic- something you don't get to see anywhere else.

For the series premiere I teamed up with "Turn 10" for a behind-the-scenes look at Dyno Testing for the upcoming Forza 3 Xbox 360 game. We bring in a Ford GT and capture the specs and audio which will eventually end up in the game. I also have a chat with content director John Wendl and talk about the challenges of developing for the 360, we discuss the new engine and simply talk tech: Visible Tire Deformation, Polygons, Game Engines and Rendering.

If you have any further show ideas you would like to see for this series let me know. Some future ideas I have are a look at Project Natal, the technology inside of the Xbox 360 (let's crack one of these babies open, voiding the warranty of course) let's talk to the devs behind Halo ODST and let's connect your Xbox to your Windows Home Server. This isn't a game review show it's a show for those that want way more than that.

Rich Williams: On Computational Ecology and Working at MSR

Charles — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:24:24 GMT

Microsoft Research Cambridge turned 10 years old last week. Happy birthday MSRC! I was lucky enough to have been there and was able to conduct several interviews with some of the many unusually intelligent and passionate folks who think about the future of computing and the role computation plays in every aspect of our lives (from new interactive devices that promise to make the business of home life more interesting and less stressful, tools and methodologies that will help Microsoft quickly respond to industry changes (can you say many core?) to understanding, via accurate modeling, incredibly complex biological and ecological systems).

Here, we meet Rich Williams, a Researcher (Computational Ecology) and programmer writing complex modeling algorithms that professional ecologists can use to understand the behavior and dynamics of the systems they study.

Models (or predictive simulations) help real-world scientists get a grasp on complex dynamical systems like ecological systems. Consider all the variables involved in an emergent system with complex interactions between biological and physical/chemical systems... Without computation, understanding ecological systems is not possible. Tune in. Enjoy.

Brian Beckman: The Physics in Games - Real-Time Simulation Explained

Charles — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 01:53:00 GMT

Ever find yourself wondering about the math behind your favorite simulation game? Did you know that the motion physics of a car are much more complicated than the those of an airplane?

Brian Beckman, physicist, programmer and Channel 9 celebrity (he's been on C9 a few times...), sure does. Besides spending time innovating programming languages and tools, Brian spends time working on the mathematics behind real-time physics simulation. Most recently, he worked on the math behind the tire physics of the popular racing game Forza.

Simulation, by definition, needs to be accurate. Otherwise, well, it's not simulating reality, really, which is of course the idea of simulation. Games like Forza in fact simulate real physics of racing in a predictable and highly mathematically precise manner. That's exactly why Forza is a real-time automobile racing simulation game.

The past, present and future of computer simulation of real-time physical events, or simply computer-based simulations that involve highly accurate representations of things moving/changing in space and time that are precisely affected by multiple variables like wind, rain, gravity, mud, oil, planets, waves, etc are very fascinating topics for gamers(many may not realize this explicitly, but they sure experience it!), mathematicians, programmers and physicists alike. Heck, any body who thinks about the thinking behind things that they experience in a simulated environment should watch/listen to this interview (available in podcast form as well as video).

Towards the end of this conversation, Brian mentions Rigs of Rods and Plasma Pong. Check out the Rigs of Rods simulation demo at 00:58:11!

Our sister site, Channel 10, has a great Forza piece.

Tune in. Learn (alot).