New demo

[Nick]

Download: swShader.zip (24.5 MB - I promise it's worth it )

swShader is my revolutionary software renderer. Using an optimizing run-time assembler, it offers superiour performance and flexibility at the same time. It even supports DirectX 9 vertex and pixel shaders. For more information and source code please visit the link in my signature.

What brings me to posting this in a hardware technology forum? The new demo presents a Quake 3 model renderer; What is particularly special about it is that it uses the almost unchanged MD3 Animation tutorial code from www.GameTutorials.com. Normally it links to opengl32.lib, but now the OpenGL calls are intercepted and translated to swShader calls. More details can be found in the readme file.

The swShader software renderer is currently being integrated in the Alias25 Game Studio. Please contact Pierre Renaux (prenaux@alias25.org) for further information.

 

[Mendel]

Seemed nice and reasonably fast, especially considering there was texture filtering being done too. (usually very slow on cpu)

 

[991060]

It's an interesting project, I remember it came out a while ago.

 

[Humus]

Nice

 

[Freak'n Big Panda]

So its possible to do VS and PS2.0 with this software shader? And if it is then would it also be possible to run games, or programs like 3dmark03 in real time on a resonably fast porcessor? I think that if it is in deed possible then this software could really help people that buy thoose value systems with intel integrated bullshit.

 

[Nick]

Seemed nice and reasonably fast, especially considering there was texture filtering being done too. (usually very slow on cpu)

Thanks! You can see the MMX filtering code by setting AssemblyListing to True in the .ini file. After running it leaves several .asm files with the run-time generated processing pipelines. You can also disable filtering and such.

 

[Nick]

So its possible to do VS and PS2.0 with this software shader? And if it is then would it also be possible to run games, or programs like 3dmark03 in real time on a resonably fast porcessor?

Yes. I'm planning to wrap it in my own d3d9.dll. Don't expect miracles but it will definitely be hundreds of times faster than the reference rasterizer.

I think that if it is in deed possible then this software could really help people that buy thoose value systems with intel integrated bullshit.

Very coincidentally, I have a laptop with the mentioned graphics card.

 

[rwolf]

What is the performance like?

 

[Nick]

What is the performance like?

Good.

It's close to the best that is possible on the CPU, because it combines hand-optimized assembly code with compiler optimizations like copy propagation, eliminating redundant store operations and jump optimization, all at run-time.

The vertex processing pipeline's performance is very satisfactory but the fillrate is quite low. On the other hand, and kind of optimization is possible on the CPU. For example portal clipping is quite efficient to reduce overdraw to nearly zero.

One other possibility I've been playing with is deferred rendering. I can do a blazing fast first pass where it takes only a single clock cycle per pixel, using SSE instructions...

 

[jimbob0i0]

This is very interesting when you link it into the thoughts and information in the 'Tim's Thoughts' thread you know......

 

[Mendel]

Thanks! You can see the MMX filtering code by setting AssemblyListing to True in the .ini file. After running it leaves several .asm files with the run-time generated processing pipelines. You can also disable filtering and such.

Great, I will certainly look at it. Even if my asm skills aren't the best but damn, I'm gonna look at it a while longer then

And i thought the code to run UT2003 on software was good. (no filtering, really) This seems even better.

(You know, some painful memories on wipeout XL and final reality running somewhat beyond horribly slow on MMX filtering)

 

[darkblu]

(You know, some painful memories on wipeout XL and final reality running somewhat beyond horribly slow on MMX filtering)

on a 150Mhz p2

 

[Panajev2001a]

Download: swShader.zip (24.5 MB - I promise it's worth it )

swShader is my revolutionary software renderer. Using an optimizing run-time assembler, it offers superiour performance and flexibility at the same time. It even supports DirectX 9 vertex and pixel shaders. For more information and source code please visit the link in my signature.

What brings me to posting this in a hardware technology forum? The new demo presents a Quake 3 model renderer; What is particularly special about it is that it uses the almost unchanged MD3 Animation tutorial code from www.GameTutorials.com. Normally it links to opengl32.lib, but now the OpenGL calls are intercepted and translated to swShader calls. More details can be found in the readme file.

The swShader software renderer is currently being integrated in the Alias25 Game Studio. Please contact Pierre Renaux (prenaux@alias25.org) for further information.

I suggest you contact SCEA, SCEE and SCEI

I think that a certain next-generation platform might like the work you are doing

The more middleware options are available next-gen the merrier IMHO

Also I wondr how easy would it be to carry this over to PlayStation 2...uhm...

 

[Reverend]

This is quite interesting, Nick... thanks.

 

[Malo]

the only problem I can see is that I think Humus has the Trademark on the "New demo" subject line....

 

[zsouthboy]

(You know, some painful memories on wipeout XL and final reality running somewhat beyond horribly slow on MMX filtering)

on a 150Mhz p2

The slowest PII(outside of mobile) was 233 mhz

The slowest PI with MMX(again, outside of mobile) was 166

Just thought I'd clear that up, now on to your regularly scheduled posts...

 

[Humus]

the only problem I can see is that I think Humus has the Trademark on the "New demo" subject line....

LOOL
Heh, had to go with the "another demo" subject line this time since there were already two active threads with the title "new demo".

 

[Nick]

I suggest you contact SCEA, SCEE and SCEI

I think that a certain next-generation platform might like the work you are doing

The more middleware options are available next-gen the merrier IMHO

Also I wondr how easy would it be to carry this over to PlayStation 2...uhm...

Well, considering that consoles use modest resolutions and fillrate is my biggest limitation, it's indeed an interesting idea.

Any sponsors?

 

[Mendel]

the only problem I can see is that I think Humus has the Trademark on the "New demo" subject line....

LOOL
Heh, had to go with the "another demo" subject line this time since there were already two active threads with the title "new demo".

Here's more nasty names for next demos:

new another demo
even newer another demo
yet another demo
new yet another demo
another new yet another demo
etc...