Anvil (game engine)
Anvil, known as Scimitar until 2009, is a game engine developed by Ubisoft Montreal for use with two of its most successful franchises, Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia. One of its most innovative features is its use of Autodesk's HumanIK middleware package.[1]
Development[edit | edit source]
According to technical director Claude Langlais, modeling was done in Autodesk 3ds Max for environments and in ZBrush for characters. Autodesk's HumanIK aided in calculating the positions of the player character's hands and feet in the world, such that they conveyed a convincing animation sequence. The engine was improved in Assassin's Creed II to include day and night cycles, enhanced lighting, reflections, AI, and NPC navigation systems.[2]
AnvilNext[edit | edit source]
As the successor to Anvil, the AnvilNext engine boasted several new technological tools for developers, including deferred lighting, ambient occlusion, support for a dynamic weather cycling system, a new camera mode, and improved crowd AI, as well as advancements in animation and visuals. The technology pioneered in the game Assassin's Creed III.[3]
It was rumored that no previous in-game animations from the Assassin's Creed series were carried over to the AnvilNext engine, with the intent of bringing an entirely fresh feeling to Ratonhnhaké:ton. This was proven false, as various animations are still present in Assassin's Creed III and subsequent games built on the AnvilNext engine.[4]
AnvilNext reportedly possesses the ability to render crowds in the thousands, whereas the previous engine was limited to the hundreds. The engine also allows for the implementation of a dynamic game world, enabling the environment to change over time. This means that enemy settlements may appear or disappear relating to events in the game.[3]
AnvilNext has been used for four Assassin's Creed games. In addition to Assassin's Creed III, it was used to develop the HD remake of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and Assassin's Creed: Rogue.
AnvilNext 2.0[edit | edit source]
AnvilNext 2.0 is capable of generating structures in a flexible and automatic manner while following specific design rules and templates, reducing the amount of time and manual effort required for artists and designers to create an intricate urban environment. Specific landmarks, such as Notre-Dame de Paris, were still designed by hand but could be rendered at an almost 1:1 ratio to their real-life counterparts. AnvilNext 2.0 was used for four Assassin's Creed games: Assassin's Creed: Unity, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Assassin's Creed: Origins, and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
Ubisoft Anvil[edit | edit source]
Ubisoft Anvil was introduced in 2020, with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla being the first game developed on the new engine. It was also used for Assassin's Creed: Mirage, while an updated version constitutes the technical foundation for Assassin's Creed: Shadows.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Feature Staff (25 October 2007). Exclusive: Assassin's Creed Q&A - The Scimitar Engine. GamingExcellence. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved on 12 May 2012.
- ↑ Bayer, Thilo (19 May 2009). Assassins Creed 2: Engine detailed. PC Games Hardware. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved on 12 May 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bertz, Matt (28 March 2012). Assassin's Creed III: The Redesigned Anvil Engine. Game Informer. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved on 12 May 2012.
- ↑ Totilo, Stephen (26 March 2012). 50 Things About Assassin's Creed III That You Should Know. Kotaku. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved on 21 May 2013.