Procedural Destruction of Objects for Computer Games PUBLIC VERSION THESIS submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in MEDIA AND KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING by Joris van Gestel born in Zevenhuizen, the Netherlands Computer Graphics and CAD/CAM Group Cannibal Game Studios Department of Mediamatics Molengraaffsingel 12-14 Faculty of EEMCS, Delft University of Technology 2629 JD Delft Delft, the Netherlands The Netherlands www.ewi.tudelft.nl www.cannibalgamestudios.com Author: Joris van Gestel Student id: 1099825 Email:
[email protected] Date: May 10, 2011 © 2011 Cannibal Game Studios. All Rights Reserved i Summary Traditional content creation for computer games is a costly process. In particular, current techniques for authoring destructible behaviour are labour intensive and often limited to a single object basis. We aim to create an intuitive approach which allows designers to visually define destructible behaviour for objects in a reusable manner, which can then be applied in real-time. First we present a short introduction into the way that destruction has been done in games for many years. To better understand the physical processes that are being replicated, we present some information on how destruction works in the real world, and the high level approaches that have developed to simulate these processes. Using criteria gathered from industry professionals, we survey previous research work and determine their usability in a game development context. The approach which suits these criteria best is then selected as the basis for the approach presented in this work. By examining commercial solutions the shortcomings of existing technologies are determined to establish a solution direction.