GF4, Registry & 8xAA??
- Thread starter SlmDnk
- Start date
Rhink,
The confusion is understandable since more than one sites have reported that it's a 4xMS plus 2xSS combination. AFAIK it's 2+2 like you said. The performance alone of 4xs doesn't speak for a 6 sample scenario and the naming seems pretty obvious too (x=RGMS, y=OGSS ; x/MS horizontal + y/SS vertical).
If I should be wrong I stand corrected.
The confusion is understandable since more than one sites have reported that it's a 4xMS plus 2xSS combination. AFAIK it's 2+2 like you said. The performance alone of 4xs doesn't speak for a 6 sample scenario and the naming seems pretty obvious too (x=RGMS, y=OGSS ; x/MS horizontal + y/SS vertical).
If I should be wrong I stand corrected.
JF_Aidan_Pryde
Regular
Ailuros said:
LOL good one!
Taking the 4xS modes a step further though theres no reason why up to 16 sample AA could be done - the modes that are theoretically possible are 8xS by 2XOGSS with 4XOGMS, 8xS by 4XOGSS with 2XRGMS, or 16xS by 4XOGSS with 4XOGMS.
Somehow I don't think these modes will appear anywhere though.
Somehow I don't think these modes will appear anywhere though.
Well... theoretically 6xAA may not be real 6xAA like you say but it certainly is more smoother than 4xAA mode.
I came to the conclusion that anti-aliasing really starts from 6x mode. 4x is not quite there in terms of how AA should look (IMHO) but, 6x = quality. And I don't accept that crappy Quincux mode as the weapon of choice for AA
Too bad that GeForce Tweaking Utility does not have higher settings than 2x2 9-tap. Certain games run smooth even with that mode. I need more! =)
EDIT: Using GTU I tested OpenGL 2x2 9-tap mode with Serious Sam SE and it looked horrible, worse than 2x2 mode. That must be the reason why NVIDIA allowed 6xAA mode in their drivers for D3D only, 6x in D3D looks sweet though...
I came to the conclusion that anti-aliasing really starts from 6x mode. 4x is not quite there in terms of how AA should look (IMHO) but, 6x = quality. And I don't accept that crappy Quincux mode as the weapon of choice for AA
Too bad that GeForce Tweaking Utility does not have higher settings than 2x2 9-tap. Certain games run smooth even with that mode. I need more! =)
EDIT: Using GTU I tested OpenGL 2x2 9-tap mode with Serious Sam SE and it looked horrible, worse than 2x2 mode. That must be the reason why NVIDIA allowed 6xAA mode in their drivers for D3D only, 6x in D3D looks sweet though...
Stop calling it 6xAA.
4xS renders a scene with the gf4s 2xAA but renders it at twice the vertical resolution then filters it back. It effectively gives a sample pattern like this (roughly):
--*------
------*--
--*------
------*--
This gives the extra detail for horizontal lines but no more for vertical.
Still only 4 samples though.
The 2x2 mode 9tap is completely different. This uses 4xOGMS and then gets the final pixel colour from filtering that with 5 surrounding pixels from the right and below giving 9 in total. (Used to be a similar mode using supersampling on the gf1/2 in the old detonators called 2x2 (special). Its like quincux and has the same blurring as quincux so it looks crap.
2x2 9tap can be used in both d3d and ogl in tweakers I think.
It is quite easy to get decent AA from 4 samples (4xS's horizontal quality in both directions) but a sample pattern like rotated grid needs to be used. The v5 gave this quality and the 8500 should (but doesnt) give this quality.
Theoritcally I would think that there could be a 64xAA in the gf4 as in the old detonators I metioned above there was also 3x3 and 4x4 modes. Huge memory requirments for 16xSSAA though
4xS renders a scene with the gf4s 2xAA but renders it at twice the vertical resolution then filters it back. It effectively gives a sample pattern like this (roughly
):--*------
------*--
--*------
------*--
This gives the extra detail for horizontal lines but no more for vertical.
Still only 4 samples though.
The 2x2 mode 9tap is completely different. This uses 4xOGMS and then gets the final pixel colour from filtering that with 5 surrounding pixels from the right and below giving 9 in total. (Used to be a similar mode using supersampling on the gf1/2 in the old detonators called 2x2 (special). Its like quincux and has the same blurring as quincux so it looks crap
.2x2 9tap can be used in both d3d and ogl in tweakers I think.
It is quite easy to get decent AA from 4 samples (4xS's horizontal quality in both directions) but a sample pattern like rotated grid needs to be used. The v5 gave this quality and the 8500 should (but doesnt) give this quality.
Theoritcally I would think that there could be a 64xAA in the gf4 as in the old detonators I metioned above there was also 3x3 and 4x4 modes. Huge memory requirments for 16xSSAA though
Ante P said:
I have found that there is two unknown modes in the place of Smoothvision 6x and 5x in original R100 too. I discovered them using Rage 3D tweaker. I can't say what those modes are, because I have 32MB AIW Radeon so those modes work only in 512x384 mode. (perhaps runs out of frame buffer memory in higher resolutions? I don't remember did I have triple buffering turned on while trying those...)
at least fill rate in 3DMark synthetic test drops like it would be 5x and 6x modes, but I am not sure.
and one more thing... they were awfully slow...
SlmDnk said:
Damn. It seems that I have to quote myself now
Ante P said:
Yes, but how? What do I actually need to do? rhink wrote that DIY registry editing for extra AA modes is not even possible to do.
DaveBaumann said:
Theoretically. Does that mean that a simple registry "add key, add value" thingy will do the trick? A few years ago there were posts about enabling 8xAA with Voodoo5 with a registry edit. But with Detonators it is not that simple now, right?
Hmmm... I should stop this and just humbly accept the truth : /
A registry hack could be used to get 3dfx tools to show the 6000 FSAA Modes that included 8x, on a 5500. Not that the 8x mode did anything with a 5500.
SlmDnk,
my very little (but easy-to-use!) tool supports 4xS FSAA as well. (http://www.aths.net/files/aTuner.exe)
(There are some restrictions: Not working under WinXP Pro, also not with TFT Displays.)
It contains a very fast accessable profile manager.
my very little (but easy-to-use!) tool supports 4xS FSAA as well. (http://www.aths.net/files/aTuner.exe)
(There are some restrictions: Not working under WinXP Pro, also not with TFT Displays.)
It contains a very fast accessable profile manager.
