Havok has now made its core middleware development platform, Havok Complete, available for free download. One element of the bundled development kit, Havok Physics, has been used in the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Guitar Hero III, BioShock, Half Life 2: The Orange Box, and Heavenly Sword. It is also being used to develop LucasArts forthcoming Star Wars: Force Unleashed.

Along with the physics engine, Havok Animation is also for "non-commercial use", according to the developer. Additionally, Havok tells us it "has entered into an agreement with Intel, Havok’s parent company, under which approved game developers on the PC platform can execute a commercial distribution license with Havok for free."

When Havok announced that it would be making the tools freely available, it said, "By making Havok Complete for the PC freely downloadable, Havok will further build on its leading position by completely removing the barriers to entry for the large number of independent developers, academic institutions and enthusiasts in the PC space."

What it will also do, of course, is increase aspiring developers' familiarity with Havok's tools and more inclined to use them as they move into professional development and start working on commercial endeavours.

The move is sponsored by Intel, which recently bought Havok. Making the tools freely available fits with Intel's membership of the PC Gaming Alliance and its mandate to "drive worldwide growth of PC gaming."

You can get the package from Havok's website.