Implementing a physics-based model of crowd movement using the Unreal Development Kit

Crowds of people form in both civilian and military contexts, often in emergency or dangerous situations. Consequently, modelling crowd behaviour and movement has consistently been a subject of research, and such models have been used to study, for example, evacuation scenarios and the effect of crowds on military operations. Recreating realistic crowd behaviour and crowd movement within game engines is of growing interest for both gaming and non-gaming applications. A physically realistic mathematical model of crowd movement that considers the physical pressures the crowd members exert on each other was implemented using computer games technology, specifically the Unreal Engine and the Unreal Development Kit. The model and its implementation were used to simulate two typical evacuation scenarios, orderly and panicked, and the simulations exhibited specific known characteristics of such scenarios. Detailed explanations and examples of the implementation mechanics are provided to facilitate future game technology-based crowd modelling.