Procedural Destruction of Objects for Computer Games

Abstract

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. To separate destructible behaviour from particular objects, we introduce the concept of destructible materials: where the material of an object usually defines the way an object looks, a destructible material will determine how it breaks. Destructible materials provide a reusable definition and intuitive way of designing and tweaking destructible behaviour of objects, which can then be applied in real-time. Using a prototype implementation we show the viability of the presented approach and how it extends previous research with reusability, making it more designer friendly and allowing the same destructible behaviour to be easily applied to different objects. While the prototype can only apply this destructible behaviour in real-time for simple cases, it still takes us a step in the right direction.