Combine my passion for video games and structural engineering?

[StructuralGamer]

I make FEA models of most things structural; bridges, tunnels, larger buildings etc. These models are not meant to be eye candy but strictly for calculational reasons, to find stress concentrations, displacement and so on. I also want to get into game development on the side, and I was wondering if anyone here has an idea of how I could combine these two?

Making video game is not easy, also its not very profitable if you look at the numbers. But still, I would like to try my hands at it and was wondering if there are any clever/profitable ways I could combine the two? I dont have family or girlfriend or anything else so I have a lot of free time after work.

 

[phamENG]

Double posting is frowned upon...

 

[TheTick]

Makers of gaming consoles need FEA engineers, especially for thermal. I'm currently working on a team doing exactly that.

 

[StructuralGamer]

Interesting TheTick, how is the market for FEA engineers in the game industry? Are there any solo projects I could work on in the evening/weekends? I have a few questions if you would be willing to get in touch

 

[StructuralGamer]

And I wont post any more, if that helps

 

[IRstuff]

Frankly, I don't see much of a synergy; FEA, realistically has to do with 3D behavior of materials and structures, but structures in games are only facades, there's usually nothing inside of the textures but empty air. Moreover, the GPU capacity is usually reserved for making things look good, ala LOD, while the CPU is dealing with the gameplay itself; it's unclear that burdening the CPU with FEA will make the game play better, or even behave better in a meaningful way

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[GregLocock]

Somebody beat you to it!

https://www.chroniclogic.com/pontifex.htm

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[MacGyverS2000]

While playing a game (7 Days To Die) recently with a buddy of mine, I mentioned the physics engine is somewhat lacking. For example, if you dig under a lake and up into the bed, the water will "flow" downwards, but only a few meters... dig a hole upwards from a greater depth and the water will magically hang above you. This rolled into a longer discussion about NPC AI, really detailed physics engines such as that in Dwarf fortress, etc.

In the coming years, now that graphics are approaching photo-realism in some cases, I expect to see more concentration put into the physics engines (among other things). If your interest lies in the physics (not just FEA), I imagine a good coder (or at least someone who can translate the physics into pseudo-algorithms) will become more and more valuable. 7 Days is actually being worked on again (after being abandoned in place, then sold, years ago due to money issues), and there's quite a few of us out there who would love to see a game like that paired with the physics of Dwarf Fortress (where water will continually flow into the lowest spot, for example).

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[IRstuff]

dig a hole upwards from a greater depth and the water will magically hang above you.

That sounds more like a boundary condition issue than a physics engine issue. Many game publishers don't write their own physics engines; they buy a package, so that they can concentrate their resources on the game play itself.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[MacGyverS2000]

The programmers were obviously aware that the water should flow in all directions (outwards and down), but to set an artificial limit of "3 blocks" is hamstringing a physics engine to the point where it is no longer usable as such... it could be replaced with a simple boundary condition (which is likely the case in 7 Days). That's more to my point when I mentioned to my buddy the "engine" was lacking, but somewhat of a side conversation in terms of this thread.

Further examples in this game (which make for some interesting options)... one can destroy every 1st-story block of a large building (say, an apartment complex), except one, and the entire building will remain intact. Destroy that last block and the entire thing comes tumbling down. Just a few days ago, my buddy did something similar to a house and wanted me to watch as he knocked the final block out... but due to some odd bug, the entire house stayed up. So at the moment we have a house across from our main base that is floating above its foundation. I could remove all land surrounding a lake out to 4 blocks, and the entire lake would expand only 3 blocks and remain floating in mid-air above the ground.

In Dwarf Fortress, the above would never happen... but it's also a CPU hog, even for an ASCII-based game, so the trade-off is obvious. They have chips designed with physics in mind (similar to chips geared towards graphics), so perhaps the OP should look into coding for one of those and then start playing.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[SuperSalad]

Red Faction: Guerrilla had some pretty good building physics with regard to structural integrity. At least I thought so from the point of view of someone who knows very little about structural integrity. The structures appeared to fall over or be destroyed in a fairly natural way at least.

Andrew H.

http://www.MotoTribology.com

 

[TheTick]

I've recently been privy to some advancements in physics engines. Not allowed to divulge, but I think I can say it's supa-bitchin!

 

[CWB1]

Makers of gaming consoles need FEA engineers, especially for thermal.

Packaging electronics used to be a large enough niche for MEs to dedicate entire careers to it thanks to EE ignorance of thermal and modal analysis. Today its common to see EEs handling that themselves either within their PCB design tools or via a step export/import into something like ANSYS, and the niche has shrunk enough that I'm not sure I'd recommend a ME bother learning it. BTDT and my response to EEs trying to toss that work over the wall is usually to laugh and tell them to handle it themselves.

As for lousy physics in games, the important thing to remember when it comes to software is that its rarely tested to a high standard. Release early to get sales then fix the bugs as they cause harm, thats how the industry works. Ask anyone familiar with both software and engineering and they'll probably point out the irony of the phrase "software engineering."

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I think the balance should be an EE who understands enough to know when it should be thrown over the wall. That's how I work, at least... I know a lot about a lot of things, but I also know where the lines are in my knowledge. If it fast approaches or overtakes a line, it goes over the wall.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[TheTick]

I can play piano, but I am not a pianist.

I can do analyses, but I am not an analyst.