Autodesk, known for its 3D design software, has teamed up with Epic Games by joining the Gears of War developer's Integrated Partners Program. As a result, Autodesk's HumanIK animation middleware will be integrated with Epic's Unreal Engine 3 (UE3).
HumanIK, which "allows animators and game designers to alter animations on the fly, letting characters interact dynamically and realistically with their environments," is already widely used, having been been licensed for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, as well as Electronic Arts' DEF JAM: ICON, FIFA Soccer 07 and NBA STREET Homecourt. The company's Kynapse artificial intelligence (AI) middleware had already been integrated with UE3 previously. All these tools will be available to licensees of the Unreal Engine.
"Epic constantly pushes the technology behind Unreal Engine 3, and working with renowned partners like Autodesk is critical to providing our licensees with best in class development tools," said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. "Autodesk is a leader in 3D design software for games, and we are pleased to welcome them to the Integrated Partners Program."
"Autodesk is working to help game designers create the most realistic characters possible," said Michel Kripalani, director of business development, Games Technology Group at Autodesk. "Believable characters have life-like movement and can navigate their environments intelligently. Integrating HumanIK, along with Kynapse, into UE3 makes it much easier for publishers and developers to achieve this level of realism, which is demanded by gamers today."
