How the GPU Accelerates Effects in Borderlands 2

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By Jon K. Carroll
published

GPUs make things pretty.

Jim Sanders, Director of Visual Effects and Technical Art at Gearbox Software, and Kevin Newkirk, a technical artist from Nvidia, take a look at the usage of GPU-accelerated effects in Borderlands 2. They look at how and why they were implemented, but also take some time to do a comparison between the PC version of the game with GPU-accelerated effects, and the console version, which lacks those effects. They also take a quick peek at how the original visuals for Borderlands were developed and why they decided to give the game the slightly different look and feel.

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Jon K. Carroll
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38 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mayankleoboy1
    Thay are just using PhysX.
    Works great on a Nvidia GPU.
    Works shitty on a AMD GPU.
    Reply
  • echondo
    Yeah it's an amazing technology, but I don't understand how or why people think their game looks great with PhysX on. It's just too much sometimes, it feels as if my screen is filled to the brim with effects and it just looks ugly.

    I'm more interested in CUDA, but this is a nice show off demo and presentation of PhysX, wish they did a more recent game, oh wait, there isn't a recent game to show PhysX on, because it's useless as less than 1% of games have PhysX effects.
    Reply
  • excella1221
    echondoYeah it's an amazing technology, but I don't understand how or why people think their game looks great with PhysX on. It's just too much sometimes, it feels as if my screen is filled to the brim with effects and it just looks ugly.I'm more interested in CUDA, but this is a nice show off demo and presentation of PhysX, wish they did a more recent game, oh wait, there isn't a recent game to show PhysX on, because it's useless as less than 1% of games have PhysX effects.It makes Nvidia fanboys feel better about themselves.
    Reply
  • Cons29
    i for one thinks that physx is good, and maybe the being "too much" is on how they are using it. Physx makes things more realistic, like how the smoke reacts to wind, etc.

    Reply
  • kartu
    mayankleoboy1Works shitty on a AMD GPU.Is artificially crippled by nVidia, when detecting AMD GPU.
    Code itself is from a third party, bought by nVidia.

    That alone is a reason for a sane consumer to wish this proprietary crap died.
    Reply
  • spentshells
    excella1221It makes Nvidia fanboys feel better about themselves.
    After switching to NV 5xx from ATI 5 series I love physx it is great in the games that support it.

    BUT I did play Borderlands 2 and frankly the difference between the two cards to me (full settings both cards 7850/GTX570) I was nearly unable to notice any difference.
    Reply
  • spentshells
    To early I don't know what I am doing.
    Reply
  • spentshells
    gaaa Im going back to bed.
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    mayankleoboy1Thay are just using PhysX.Works great on a Nvidia GPU.Works shitty on a AMD GPU.
    Why support your competitors?
    Reply
  • JJ1217
    Since I got my two 670's I've barely even touched PhysX in batman games and Borderlands. Too much performance hit for such little benefit. That video to me looks like one uses different textures and video settings to make it look much more different than it would with PhysX
    Reply