Tuesday, March 3rd 2015

AMD Releases Mantle Programming Guide and Reference API

AMD announced that it published the complete 450-page programming guide for its Mantle 3D graphics API, and the reference API itself. The two can be accessed from here. In the run up to its GDC 2015 presentation, in a blog post written by the company's top technology exec Raja Koduri, the company said it will talk about the future of Mantle in its GDC presentation. The company intends to develop, maintain and support Mantle and its eco-system, while maintaining that it will participate in the development and support of industry-standard APIs such as DirectX 12 and GLnext (the next major version of OpenGL).
Source: AMD Gaming (blog)
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34 Comments on AMD Releases Mantle Programming Guide and Reference API

#26
HumanSmoke
ThE_MaD_ShOtI think some are reading it wrong. It states that if developers want only "Mantle 1.0" functionality they are suggested to focus on DX12 or GLnext. What I gather from that is if you want more then Mantle 1.0 functionality to not focus on Dx12 or Glnext and stay with Mantle as they are improving it and moving to the future. Atleast this is what I got from it.
The interpretation changes after you added the "only". The actual inference is that AMD will not be releasing a Mantle SDK publicly - what AMD has referred to as Mantle 1.0 in it's developer shorthand.
Mantle’s definition of “open” must widen. It already has, in fact. This vital effort has replaced our intention to release a public Mantle SDK
So while developers are free to apply to utilize source code if they have AMD's sanction, and the documentation of Mantle's evolution is free to peruse, the API will remain proprietary in its present beta form for its present game dev partners (and any others that apply presumably). Since AMD have stated evolution in its present form is dead, it seems most likely serve as an in-house development program for new feature sets - which seems a sensible course of action as it relieves pressure on AMD having to pour resources into it at a rate that makes it appealing in the face of DirectX 12, where AMD's efforts have to match (or exceed) MS and the other IHV's, not to mention AMD's own DX12 optimization team.
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#27
TRWOV
RejZoRHow anyone still treats OGL as a player? They basically don't exist in the PC realm anymore. It's only used for professional tools and mobile devices. The rest is strictly DirectX powered stuff. The last game with OGL was Id's Rage and that was it. Which is a shame, but that's how it is.
Definitively not a primary target but practically all Mac ports use it ( some examples of ported games, www.aspyr.com/games ). That, the odd studio that uses it primarly (Croteam, id, etc) and indies and mobile games of course.
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#29
ThE_MaD_ShOt
Also a side note would be that Dx12 will only be available with Win10. Win 7, 8, and 8.1 users will have to take the free upgrade to Win10 to get dx12.
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#30
HumanSmoke
ThE_MaD_ShOtAlso a side note would be that Dx12 will only be available with Win10. Win 7, 8, and 8.1 users will have to take the free upgrade to Win10 to get dx12.
They have a choice. If they don't want DX12 then its on them.
Do you think that the percentage of Win7, and especially Win8, gaming orientated users that wont take the free upgrade will be especially large?
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#31
ThE_MaD_ShOt
I think win7 is still going to hold ground for a while to come. There still is a large percentage of users not willing to move from Win7. The only reason I moved from Win7 was my Hdd was almost full so I just pulled the ssd from another rig I have that was already running win 8.1 and popped it into my rig and devoted another drive to games and another to programs. The sdd is just for my os and most used programs.

Now Dx12 being exclusively on win 10 might be enough to swing win7 users to Win 10.
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#32
Casecutter
HumanSmokegaming orientated users that wont take the free upgrade will be especially large?
As long as it's not going to lock into being a some subservient subscription user!
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#33
yesyesloud
TheinsanegamerNerm...did you completely forget about wofenstein the new order? that game was entirely openGL as well. And the over 900 games on linux, or mac osx, or any game made for android. Unreal engine 4 can also run completely in openGL. Also, games on playstation 3 and 4 are openGL as well.
so yeah, quite a bit still uses openGL.
EDIT: ps4, according to naughty dog, does not use openGL. It has its own API
It's ogl-based, reportedly very similar to its 'father'. May be handy for ports, as ps4 hardware is slightly cleaner than xone's.
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