DirectX10.1 in H2 '07

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This article (http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/02/28/vista_launch_in_october/) at Tom's gives the first estimated date I've seen for the successor to DX10. Apparently the suggestions of a faster, less dramatic update schedule were on the mark.

The only information I've seen that may relate to 10.2 (etc.) comes from an Extremetech article from '04 (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1629331,00.asp) which I think is saying that the scheduler will work with batches (DX10), contexts (DX10.1), and premptively schedule contexts (DX10.2), and that the virtual memory manager will pre-load data (DX10), offer dynamic loading and unloading of data (DX10.1), and more a more granular version (DX10.2).

Am I interpreting this correctly, and is the information still relevant? Has Microsoft said anything more about post-DX10 features?
 
There is no DirectX 10. The new Vista graphics API is called Direct3D 10 and is part of DirectX (no more version number since last December SDK). Future versions of Direct3D are currently called Direct3D 10+N and should be rolled out together with new hardware with new feature set. Currently it looks like that this future version will go the same way as Direct3D 10. You will need a Direct3D 10+N card to use it. A Direct3D 10+N-1 card will not work with a newer API.
 
Demirug said:
There is no DirectX 10. The new Vista graphics API is called Direct3D 10 and is part of DirectX (no more version number since last December SDK). Future versions of Direct3D are currently called Direct3D 10+N and should be rolled out together with new hardware with new feature set. Currently it looks like that this future version will go the same way as Direct3D 10. You will need a Direct3D 10+N card to use it. A Direct3D 10+N-1 card will not work with a newer API.
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+N versions with higher requirements or merely compatibility fixes? I'm slightly confused here.

***edit: from extremetech's article

The DirectX team will also seek to improve overall consistency of the hardware-accelerated features GPUs present to the API. Some examples Blythe gave included better definitions of features like trilinear filtering and antialiasing modes.
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In what manner exactly?
 
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I seem to remember that in this PDC presentation one of the questions raised by a THG person was about D3D10 point releases. If I also remember correctly, Sam Glassenberg takes the question and explains the logic behind the future point releases.

The general idea was that D3D10.0 locks IHV's down in terms of feature innovation, thus the solution to it will be to have more regular point releases that "activate"/allow the newer features that IHV's are working on...

I think is saying that the scheduler will work with batches (DX10), contexts (DX10.1), and premptively schedule contexts (DX10.2), and that the virtual memory manager will pre-load data (DX10), offer dynamic loading and unloading of data (DX10.1), and more a more granular version (DX10.2).
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I've not read the article, but given it's age it might be incorrect to think of this as D3D's job. It's the DXGI foundation that handles this via WDDM. WDDM is planned in two flavours - basic and advanced. I think it's only basic that comes with Vista RTM - advanced comes later (at a guess, as part of D3D10.1). The difference being that context switching is done on the CPU for basic and in hardware for advanced.

Has Microsoft said anything more about post-DX10 features?
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DXGI is the only long-term thing I've heard mentioned. They're setting that up to last well beyond Vista's lifetime. I'd also hazard a guess that this is why we have WDDM and not VDDM. Regarding features for D3D, I've not heard of anything but speculation.

+N versions with higher requirements or merely compatibility fixes? I'm slightly confused here.
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You need new hardware for D3D10.0, we all know that. When D3D10.1 comes round it'll introduce some new features (probably nothing major due to being a point release) that the latest-n-greatest cards have. It's currently looking like D3D10.1 will appear about a year after D3D10.0 - so it's whatever features are cooked up by ATI/NV in that time frame at a guess. D3D10.1 hardware will work with D3D10.0, but it won't work with D3D10.2 (whenever that appears)...

Ailuros said:
The DirectX team will also seek to improve overall consistency of the hardware-accelerated features GPUs present to the API. Some examples Blythe gave included better definitions of features like trilinear filtering and antialiasing modes.
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In what manner exactly?
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The D3D10 specification is much more rigid than D3D9's - it goes into a lot of detail regarding the accuracies and representations of various features. Another good example is the very detailed specification of what subset of IEEE754 is used for FP representation and manipulation.

hth
Jack
 
I don’t believe in a Direct3D 10.1. I have just rechecked the PDC slides. The two next versions are called Direct3D 10+1 and Direct3D 10+2.
 
JHoxley said:
The general idea was that D3D10.0 locks IHV's down in terms of feature innovation, thus the solution to it will be to have more regular point releases that "activate"/allow the newer features that IHV's are working on...
Click to expand...

That sounds awfully PS1.1/1.4-ish to me. :cry:
 
Demirug said:
I don’t believe in a Direct3D 10.1. I have just rechecked the PDC slides. The two next versions are called Direct3D 10+1 and Direct3D 10+2.
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Don't expect me to be able to understand the difference between a "point" (.) and a "plus" (+).
 
Rumors say that MS wont use the Directx-Direct3d name anymore but something completely different in the final version.
I guess we will have to wait and see...
 
Demirug said:
I don’t believe in a Direct3D 10.1. I have just rechecked the PDC slides. The two next versions are called Direct3D 10+1 and Direct3D 10+2.
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If I'm thinking of the same slide, that was in reference to DXGI. DXGI has a planned lifetime that'd take it through D3D11 and D3D12 (or 10+1,10+2) and probably onto Blackcomb (Longhorn+1)...

If you watch the video for the PDC slides that I linked to above, I'm pretty sure that the 10.x idea is mentioned. I don't think it's on any of the slides.

That sounds awfully PS1.1/1.4-ish to me.
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Yup, could well be. But it'd hopefully be a lot easier to manage. ps_1_4 was for the ATI hardware only to start with, NV weren't forced to support it. Later on we had the ps_2_a/ps_2_b stuff which was IHV specific. In the case of D3D10.1, 10.2, 10.3 - if it introduced (for example) ps_4_1 or gs_4_2 then both IHV's would be forced to support those same extensions if they wanted to bring a 10.x board to the market...

Don't expect me to be able to understand the difference between a "point" (.) and a "plus" (+).
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Well there is potentially a big difference. A "point release" would be a refinement of the current API, it'd be able to tweak things but not introduce any major changes simply because it is still a "10" API. Whereas the "+1" type release seems to indicate a whole new API, say D3D11 or D3D12 (etc..) which could introduce entirely new concepts and new pipeline stages (programmable OM please!)...

Rumors say that MS wont use the Directx-Direct3d name anymore but something completely different in the final version.
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I thought that one got cleared up? We had WGF for a while, and then they renamed it to D3D10 - last official word I heard was that D3D10 was the final name as it would appear in Windows Vista. What have you heard?

That's my take on things... I've been lucky enough to have access to extra material, but for the most part I'm still making assumptions/guesstimates and reading-between-the-lines on what we'll actually end up seeing ;)

Cheers,
Jack
 
JHoxley said:
If I'm thinking of the same slide, that was in reference to DXGI. DXGI has a planned lifetime that'd take it through D3D11 and D3D12 (or 10+1,10+2) and probably onto Blackcomb (Longhorn+1)...

If you watch the video for the PDC slides that I linked to above, I'm pretty sure that the 10.x idea is mentioned. I don't think it's on any of the slides.

Cheers,
Jack
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I was at PDC last year and I was in this session. But as it is already some time ago I have checked my DVDs again. There were three statements about future Direct3D versions.

- New versions much faster than in the past.
- New version should be out before hardware is out.
- New versions will be called 11, 12 and so on.

The THG person asked about minimum requirements for the hardware like video memory.
 
Demirug said:
I was at PDC last year and I was in this session. But as it is already some time ago I have checked my DVDs again. There were three statements about future Direct3D versions.

- New versions much faster than in the past.
- New version should be out before hardware is out.
- New versions will be called 11, 12 and so on.

The THG person asked about minimum requirements for the hardware like video memory.
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Ah, okay - I guess if you were there then you win :LOL: I've only been able to watch the videos and download the slides :cry:

Vienna you mean.
Oh how Microsoft likes to change names!
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Hehe, wanna make a bet on how many more changes it goes through before the (expected) 2009-2012 launch?

Cheers,
Jack
 
JHoxley said:
Ah, okay - I guess if you were there then you win :LOL: I've only been able to watch the videos and download the slides :cry:

Cheers,
Jack
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I was lucky. The magazine I am write for get an invitation from Microsoft to send one person over. The editor-in-chief decides that I should fly.
 
Is there a list what is currently required for d3d10.

texture formats/filtering
blending formats
displaying formats
AA/AF requirements
z-buffer precisions

...and so on
 
I have heard 4-5 names that MS is considering for the name of D3D10 along with the Direct3d which according to some isnt appropriate since they want to emphasize the change between prev DirectX versions and the new one.
( Dont ask for the names, im sure that the ones that are officially testing Vista have heard the rumors too. )
 
Demirug said:
There is no DirectX 10. The new Vista graphics API is called Direct3D 10 and is part of DirectX (no more version number since last December SDK). Future versions of Direct3D are currently called Direct3D 10+N and should be rolled out together with new hardware with new feature set. Currently it looks like that this future version will go the same way as Direct3D 10. You will need a Direct3D 10+N card to use it. A Direct3D 10+N-1 card will not work with a newer API.
Click to expand...

Are you trying to say, that for example when Vista comes with D3D10, our DX9 cards wouldn't work with it at all? :?:
 
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