14 DAY TRIAL // AMD wowed us some months ago when it revealed the TressFX technology, which could simulate natural-looking hair. Now, NVIDIA has revealed a technology of its own, the Turf Effects.
As the newest addition to the NVIDIA GameWorks technology suite, it promises to offer a whole new level of realism.
Turf Effects is exactly what it sounds like: a means to render the ground in virtual reality, along with everything expected to lie or grow on it.
Grass has always been the hardest to show in games. Usually game makers have to settle for really detailed textures which, nonetheless, are basically the equivalent of fancy wallpaper (or, well, groundpaper). Although from spot to spot the game world will include an individually rendered shrub or bush.
Turf Effects can make real grass come to life on screen, to the point where even the blades can sway in the wind individually. They also crumple underfoot and cast their own shadows.
Tracking stealthy game characters by watching the grass and shadows? Well, it's doable now. Making game-world animals that graze on the plains and leave their mark afterwards? You can do that too.
Well, if you're a game developer. If you're a gamer, hold on tight because the next generation of games will be an awesome experience.
