Half Life 2 DirectX Class Feature usage

[Dave Baumann]

Don't know if this is of interest to anyone, but I just found a list of DirectX class feature usage in HL2 kicking around on my had drive - I forgot I had it from one of the interviews:

• Feature: radiosity-based diffuse bump mapping, Location: techdemo_5 (cave walls, bricks)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - no
• DX8 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements
• DX9 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements, NPCs

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: specular bump mapping, Location: c17_02 (shiny ground)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - no
• DX8 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements, NPCs
• DX9 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements, NPCs

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: detail props (procedurally placed grass, rocks, etc based on material), Location: seafloor grass (get this in the water)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - No
• DX7 - No
• DX8 - Only Near
• DX9 - Out Further

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: dynamic shadows, Location: phystown swinging I-beam/dock with zombie[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - None
• DX7 - Blobby
• DX8 - sharp render-to-texture
• DX9 - soft render-to-texture

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: static props (instanced models), Location: c17_01/dock/seafloor[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - low-lod, non-essential removed, no decals
• DX7 - mod-LOD, some removed, few decals (?)
• DX8 - high-lod
• DX9 - high-lod

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: specularity, Location: groundin c17_02[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - important things
• DX8 - yes + bumped + fresnel
• DX9 - yes + bumped + fresnel

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: dynamic refraction, Location: techdemo_5 (stained glass)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - no
• DX8 - yes (limited usage)
• DX9 - yes

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: 3d skybox, Location: c17_02/seafloor[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - yes
• DX8 - yes
• DX9 - yes

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: water, Location: seafloor/docks (techdemo_6)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - ugly
• DX7 - a little less ugly
• DX8 - pretty nice (with volumetric fog)
• DX9 - damn nice (with volumetric fog)

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: cameras/monitors, Location: gman (techdemo_5)[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - 2d overlay
• DX7 - in scene (if render-targets are supported)
• DX8 - in scene
• DX9 - in scene

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: volumetric effects (any smoke or fog), Location: c17_02[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - no
• DX7 - sparse
• DX8 - yes (per-pixel lit)
• DX9 - yes (per-pixel lit)

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: shader model[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - fixed-function (software T&L)
• DX7 - fixed-function (hardware T&L)
• DX8 - assembly vertex/pixel shaders (vs1.1, ps1.1-ps1.4)
• DX9 - DX9 HLSL vertex/pixel shaders (vs2.0, ps2.0)

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: displacement maps (terrain, cave-walls, etc), Location: seafloor, anything w/terrain[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - low-res
• DX7 - medium-res
• DX8 - mid to hi-res (with diffuse and specular bump mapping)
• DX9 - full res (with bump diffuse and specular bump mapping)

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: texture resolution[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - low (128x128 and 256x256)
• DX7 - med (256x256)
• DX8 - hi (512x512)
• DX9 - hi (512x512)

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

• Feature: texture variety[list:b6f652c5d8]
• DX6 - none
• DX7 - low
• DX8 - full
• DX9 - full

[/list:u:b6f652c5d8]

 

[jb]

Great info Dave.

Any hint on weather or not they can make a X-mas date for shipment?

 

[Rodéric]

Interesting.

 

[NeARAZ]

I've seen nearly the same in some (don't remember which) game mag. That was arranged in a table, and was pretty cool info. The rest was amusing, though: eg. static props and cameras via render-to-texture were presented as SuperTurbo3D features; while HDR, refractions/reflections and other stuff only briefly mentioned

 

[sonix666]

I saw it already in a scan from some kind of PC magazine. They had a nice table with those features, description and screenshots showing of those effects. I think the water reflection and refraction is a pretty cool effect.

 

[micron]

It seems that if someone had a good DX8 card they could get by(?)

 

[vrecan]

the DX8 class render path does look very similar except for HDR effect and the fact that it doesn't do a lot of effects on npc's.

 

[g__day]

Thanks Dave - great list (Maximum PC in the USA had that list on pages 28-34 in their Sept or Oct magazine I believe).

Now all we all need is the game. Who knows when that will happen or what the real delay is caused by.

 

[see colon]

"Who knows when that will happen or what the real delay is caused by."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
theory1)
the delay was caused by nVidia employees stealing the source code so they could leard about the inner workings of directX. they used this knowlage to cheat at 3dmark. they then released the compiled sourse so that they could delay the release of HL2 in hopes they could do shader replacement for the title.

theory2)
valve faked the source code theft because they were running behind and could never meet the release date. they had spent too much of the development cycle playing the DooM3 leak, and needed a sacrificial lamb. they let a bit of the source slip out, and blamed it on eVil hAxX0rZ

theory3)
ati leaked the sourse just like they leaked the DooM3 demo. ati is the only company close enough to valve to have access to the engine, and being the unreputable company that they are, decided to bite the hand that feads them, just like they did with id.

theory4)
nVidia's 50 series drivers have built in "n-Updater" software that is supposed to download driver updates from nVidia. the truth is nUpdater really connects to valve servers and steals small, untracable amounts of the source code. with everyone running the update, the code is stollen, and the nUpdater uploaded the colective code to nVidia, who are using it to "cheat" at the application. the delay is caused by valve needing to create a program called "patch340" the removes nVidia's cheats.

theory5)
3drealms have purchased valve and we are all screwed. the game will never be released, and if it is it will be called duke nukem: half-life forever

theory6)
microsoft has purchased valve. the only press about this is microsoft bragging about how good half-life2 is, and how it will be the "standard" of dx9 benchmarking. the game will be released alongside and exclusivly for the xbox2, and will be delayed 2 years before the pc port gets released, and even then, it will run like poo and not look as good as the xbox2 version. plus, co-op will be missing, as will the crowbar.

theory7)
the American Vapor Comitee has filed a suit against valve for use of the word "Steam". it will delay the launch of HL2 because Steam will be the prefered way to distribute the software. the AVC will eventualy fail, akin to spike lee's inablity to stop spikeTV

i could go on, but...
c:

 

[rwolf]

Theory 8 - Your theories are ridiculous.

 

[Tim Murray]

Theory 8 - Your theories are ridiculous.

is he being facetious? I'm too tired to be able to tell.

 

[bloodbob]

* Feature: radiosity-based diffuse bump mapping, Location: techdemo_5 (cave walls, bricks)
o DX6 - no
o DX7 - no
o DX8 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements
o DX9 - world, viewmodel, static props, dynamic props, displacements, NPCs

Just be my stupidity for the moment exactly wtf do the mean by radiosity based diffuse bump mapping. Are the shaders doing diffuse inter-reflections between the bumps in the bump maps or what? I don't really have a clue what they means by this.

 

[pcchen]

It probably means an off-line computed, radiosity based, lightmap (with a major light vector) combined with a bump map. The bump mapping effect is done by the shader, like an improved detail map.

 

[bloodbob]

It probably means an off-line computed, radiosity based, lightmap (with a major light vector) combined with a bump map. The bump mapping effect is done by the shader, like an improved detail map.

Well thats what I thought but the problem is that it is also applied to monsters and stuff running around and you can't computed that off line. I'm pretty sure there is no lightmap or light vector volex so how are the calculating in real time the contributions of the light reflections on the models?

 

[see colon]

"is he being facetious? I'm too tired to be able to tell."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
actualy, i was being fecesus (as in full of), lol.
c:

-edit- are you guys being facetious? i really thought it was far fetched enough that noone would believe any of it.

 

[bloodbob]

I think the radiosity is just like pcchen said. I guess either the person who put together didn't quite know all the details or there was a slip of the mind because the NPCs and view models ( these are weapons as view from first person ) couldn't be done in real time( with any accuracy atleast ) and can't be done offline for obivous reasons. I wonder if the light maps generated use displacement mapping at all either.

It will be interesting if FX5200 is defualtly placed in the DX9 category.

 

[horvendile]

It will be interesting if FX5200 is defualtly placed in the DX9 category.

At least until quite recently all NV3X cards up to and including FX5600 were to be DX8 by default. IIRC.

 

[Dave Baumann]

the DX8 class render path does look very similar except for HDR effect and the fact that it doesn't do a lot of effects on npc's.

Well, although its only one category the biggest difference is :

• DX8 - assembly vertex/pixel shaders (vs1.1, ps1.1-ps1.4)
• DX9 - DX9 HLSL vertex/pixel shaders (vs2.0, ps2.0)

Considering we are talking a 1000+ shaders, thats where the main difference will be.

 

[Jabbah]

Great info Dave.

Any hint on weather or not they can make a X-mas date for shipment?

from halflife2.net:

Update: Due to miscommunication between parties, we regret to inform you all that the rumoured December 11 release date is in fact speculation; all we know for sure at this point is that the edition of PC Zone claiming to bare a review of Half-Life 2 will hit stands on that same 11th.

Well heres hoping

 

[jb]

Thanks for the info...here to hoping for HL2 before the end of the year!