Meet a PhD graduate: How computer characters die
- Thomas Jakobsen
- Senior Software Engineer with Havok
- Education: M.Sc. from DTU and PhD from DTU Mathematics
- Spare-time recreation: Japanese, magic and not least wife and two children; running and some fitness training when time allows for it.
- Age: 39
Thomas Jakobsen has just started in a new position with the Irish company Havok which is owned by Intel. Havok specializes in interactive physical simulation used for computer games and movies. Both the large computer game manufacturers and the film industry in Hollywood apply Havok's technologies when computer generated actions scenes are to look realistic. Thomas Jakobsen’s PhD project lead the way from DTU to IO Interactive where he took part in developing HITMAN, and after that to his current position where his job is to improve and further develop key elements in the next generation computer games and future mega productions in the line of Matrix, Harry Potter and the James Bond movies.
”When people die in action movies and in games like HITMAN, and they do so often, calculations are made to find out how it should look when they fall down. In reality it is a classical discipline within engineering to calculate what will happen when things collapse, however the simulations are usually made for bridges or building. It is often a time-consuming calculation process. My job is to continue working on such calculations for use in computer graphics where the requirements are huge in terms of the speed of calculations in order to make the game work. On the other hand, the precision requirements are not as decisive as when it comes to real structures”.
Why did you choose mathematics at DTU?
I have always been interested in math – ever since elementary school. I remember in 5th grade when we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up and I answered “scientist”. I have no idea though where that came from. It definitely was sparked by pressure from my parents who do not have academic backgrounds.
Actually I started studying math at the University of Copenhagen, but at some point I started missing the practical aspect and consequently changed to DTU. I have realized that even though I really like theoretical mathematics, sooner or later it has to align with reality if I am to stay interested. I came to DTU and immediately sensed that this was the right match.
What was to subject of your PhD project?
The title of my project was "Higher-Order Cryptanalysis of Block Ciphers "; a project in the field of cryptography where you code communication so that other cannot listen in. My supervisor was Professor Tom Høholdt, and during my studies I worked a great deal with Professor Lars Knudsen and we wrote several articles together. Working as a PhD may feel lonely when, as in my case, there is not group working within the field and when in reality it is only you who know in detail what you are working on. But if you really have the urge to do research, the PhD study is a unique chance to get to the core of a topic.
Is what you work with now a natural extension of the work you did during your PhD study?
No, not at all. For me there is obviously a red line in all the topics I have worked with, but for others my PhD project in cryptography seem like something which is very distant from graphic simulations. I have however always had a great interest in 3D graphics and computer graphics, and the common denominator in my work is that there are huge amounts of math involved and fast computer calculations are required. When IO Interactive set up here in Denmark and I was offered to join, I could not stay away.
Has your PhD degree had direct influence on your work?
Yes, very much! When I joined IO Interactive nobody knew how interactive physical simulation could be engineered in as much detail as we wanted. The necessary calculations had to be invented first, so a large part of my work was very research oriented. In the beginning I had the idea that if we could make one character die once, we would really have accomplished something. However the algorithm that I developed ran so well that it was possible to have many characters fall down at the same time. The exact same algorithm is now used in different versions everywhere in the gaming industry. When I first came to IOI though, it was extremely important for me that I had a PhD degree and thus the experience in research methodology.