Thursday, March 22nd 2018

AMD Announces Radeon Rays and Radeon GPU Profiler 1.2 at GDC 2018

AMD announced at GDC widened support for Radeon Rays with Unity Lightmapper. Its open-source, high efficiency, high performance GPU-accelerated ray tracing software helps game developers to achieve higher visual quality and stunningly photorealistic 3D images in real-time. Radeon ProRender now supports real-time GPU acceleration of ray tracing techniques mixed with traditional rasterization-based rendering, to combine the value of ray tracing with the interactivity of rasterization.

For gaming, ray tracing is in its early stages. For professional applications, however, real-time ray tracing is a well-established rendering technique. Today, AMD is announcing ProRender support for real-time GPU acceleration of ray tracing techniques mixed with traditional rasterization based rendering. Now built on Vulkan, ProRender is continuing to enable developers to deliver interactive photorealistic graphics. We are actively engaging with professional developers to make real-time visualization a reality.
To find out more, please read our blog here: gpuopen.com/announcing-real-time-ray-tracing/

For More information on Real Time Ray Tracing, check out the following video:

Announcing Real Time Ray Tracing
AMD also discussed new technologies and partnerships to help developers squeeze more performance from their hardware and optimize for low-level APIs, including:

Introducing Radeon GPU Profiler 1.2: AMD released the next iteration of its ground-breaking low-level optimization developer tool, Radeon GPU Profiler (RGP) 1.2, bringing compatibility with RenderDoc, integrated frame debugging and profiling, barrier reason codes and improved frame overview. With RGP 1.2, developers can also generate RGP profiles from RenderDoc replays, select events in RGP and view them in RenderDoc, or vice versa.

Radeon GPU Profiler is the first PC graphics tool which allows for low level, built-in hardware thread tracing and provides detailed timing and occupancy information on Radeon GPUs. The release of Radeon GPU Profiler 1.2 brings exciting new features including: RenderDoc interop, detailed barrier codes and improved frame overview.

For More information on Radeon GPU profiler, check out the following video:

Support for the new Vulkan 1.1: AMD worked closely with The Khronos Group for the release of Vulkan 1.1 to develop a conformant driver. This major upgrade to the API will delight the existing Vulkan community and continue to broaden the user base. Any AMD APU or Radeon GPU based on the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture is already Vulkan-compliant.

Compressonator 3.0 from AMD which allows designers to compress both 2D textures and 3D meshes in one simple UI. Compressonator supports all common file formats and codecs and can display compressed 3D models in DX12, Vulkan and OpenGL. Compressonator also allows in-depth customization of individual assets or batch compression of multiple assets. Users can visually and analytically compare the original and compressed files at each stage of the process.

Last but most certainly not least, AMD announced the latest development to their ReSX program. A recently announced a special initiative inside the Radeon Software group, Project Radeon eSports Experience focuses on delivering gameplay optimizations to the world's most popular eSports titles.

Adding to previously announced optimizations for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Overwatch and Dota 2, AMD has another set of impressive performance gains with today's Radeon Software release: From the launch of Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition till today, Fortnite has improved frames-per-second (8%), 99th percentile frame times (7%) and click-to-response (13%), delivering an extraordinary eSports experience.
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72 Comments on AMD Announces Radeon Rays and Radeon GPU Profiler 1.2 at GDC 2018

#51
HTC
lexluthermiesterMaybe a little of both? Still, without Mantle we wouldn't have the excellent Vulkan. So it all worked out in the end. And now everyone has ray-tracing which will make game all that much prettier.
Not 100% sure but i bet Mantle also help with DX12 being launched "sooner". After several years of DX11 with little to no improvements, Mantle forced Microsoft to finally finally deliver an improvement over DX11 ... which they then borked by restricting it to Windows 10 only ...

I'm convinced that, should Microsoft had launch DX12 not restricted to Windows 10, DX12's adoption would be higher by now then it currently is ... but that's something to discuss in another topic.
Posted on Reply
#52
Readlight
ImsochoboWolfenstein ?
They all don't work and if something works its 10 fps less than dx11
Posted on Reply
#53
bug
lexluthermiesterMaybe a little of both? Still, without Mantle we wouldn't have the excellent Vulkan. So it all worked out in the end. And now everyone has ray-tracing which will make game all that much prettier.
Even that is debatable. Closer to the metal APIs were already a thing on consoles, I believe they would have make the jump to PC at some point. Judging by the adoption rate of both DX12 and Vulkan, we got them too soon anyway. As a personal opinion, AMD would have been better off investing in other areas (a better Polaris/Vega maybe?) instead, but that's just me.
What's certain is Mantle certainly didn't hurt the adoption of those APIs on the PC.
Posted on Reply
#54
lexluthermiester
ReadlightThey all don't work and if something works its 10 fps less than dx11
That is completely incorrect. If you are only getting 10fps from games running in Vulkan, you need an upgrade. For example the newest Doom runs better in Vulkan.
Posted on Reply
#55
Imsochobo
lexluthermiesterThat is completely incorrect. If you are only getting 10fps from games running in Vulkan, you need an upgrade. For example the newest Doom runs better in Vulkan.
Agreed, my gtx 970 ran 4K in wolfenstein, I haven't seen any other game capable of doing anything like that at anything higher than low IQ settings.
Doom, Wolfenstein games run damn smooth! mighty impressed!
Posted on Reply
#56
Patriot
Vya DomusYou ain't got a clue what you're talking about if you can't even tell that this has nothing to do with mining.

Horrible attempt at trolling the thread.
-.- Let me help you out.
(sarcastically implying that all amd cards are used for mining and no gaming improvements will matter to them)
lexluthermiesterThat is completely incorrect. If you are only getting 10fps from games running in Vulkan, you need an upgrade. For example the newest Doom runs better in Vulkan.
Some games have lower FPS in Vulkan and DX12 than DX11 across the board, newer cards are typically hurt worse or do better.
That said, closer to metal API's put the burden on the game devs rather than having bloaty libraries doing things for them... the implementation matters.
Games ported from DX11 to vulkan are less likely to be performant than games built from the ground up for vulkan.
Posted on Reply
#57
kruk
ReadlightThey all don't work and if something works its 10 fps less than dx11
Replace your CPU, I already said it in another thread. An Athlon X2 is not enough to feed a RX 460.
Posted on Reply
#58
Vya Domus
PatriotSome games have lower FPS in Vulkan and DX12 than DX11 across the board, newer cards are typically hurt worse or do better.
Vulkan and DX12 do not inherently hurt performance on any cards.

I still don't know where you heading with this , it has nothing to do with mining sarcastically or not.
Posted on Reply
#59
T4C Fantasy
CPU & GPU DB Maintainer
UbersonicVulkan is open source (successor to OpenGL), Mantle was proprietory hence why it failed.
Which gpus are vulkan capable? DX10 and up or is there another way to know?
Posted on Reply
#60
Patriot
Vya DomusVulkan and DX12 do not inherently hurt performance on any cards.

I still don't know where you heading with this , it has nothing to do with mining sarcastically or not.
Oh dear, explanation take 3.
DX12 and Vulkan require more work... Ported games can contain the bottlenecks of dx11 and don't gain the potential benefits of the new api's as it is up to the game devs to use them. Less libraries babying them, it is up to them to performance tune... if they don't performance wont get better.

Of course mining has nothing to do with gaming... that's the joke.
Is there a language barrier here or do you not understand what sarcasm is?
Posted on Reply
#61
lexluthermiester
T4C FantasyWhich gpus are vulkan capable? DX10 and up or is there another way to know?
Based on this list; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulkan_(API) scrolling down to the compatibility section, it would seem like a very wide range of GPU's, old and new. How many can actually run it effectively would require testing.
Posted on Reply
#62
Readlight
krukReplace your CPU, I already said it in another thread. An Athlon X2 is not enough to feed a RX 460.
If Rocket League, Halo, and other improved games work on 60 fps i don't need waste 400 euro for new parts to play these expensive games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, Hitman, Doom,..
Posted on Reply
#63
lexluthermiester
ReadlightIf Rocket League, Halo, and other improved games work on 60 fps i don't need waste 400 euro for new parts to play these expensive games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, Hitman, Doom,..
Gonna have agree with Kruk. You need a more capable CPU if you expect better performance from your RX460. You are severely bottlenecking that card with that CPU. And a decent upgrade is not expensive. If your mobo is an AM2+, there are plenty of great and currently inexpensive options that will greatly improve your gaming experience. Phenom X4's are dead cheap and will offer a big boost to performance.
Posted on Reply
#65
londiste
Vayra86,
Warhammer is known to be faster in DX11 for all cards.
Battlefield is (or all Battlefields are) known to run better with DX11 primarily due to microstuffer.
DOOM is truly better with Vulkan over OpenGL but that is due to aging OpenGL and manufacturer-specific optimizations in Vulkan version.
Posted on Reply
#66
bug
londisteVayra86,
Warhammer is known to be faster in DX11 for all cards.
Battlefield is (or all Battlefields are) known to run better with DX11 primarily due to microstuffer.
DOOM is truly better with Vulkan over OpenGL but that is due to aging OpenGL and manufacturer-specific optimizations in Vulkan version.
Neah, it's not that. ID have traditionally preferred to work with OpenGL as it was open and cross-platform. They have above average expertise. And it seems this continues with Vulkan.

The issue was never whether Vulkan in faster than OpenGL. We know it can be and we know there are scenarios where it won't be. The real issue is what will the average developer be able to do with it. And so far the average developer seems to be pretty good at dodging these "closer to the metal" APIs.
Posted on Reply
#67
londiste
There is a good reason for dodging them. Unless you are top of the line engine developer, you really will not be able to get all the benefits out of them. Both developers and API designers have said that "closer to the metal" also puts heavier burden on the game/engine developer while older APIs (especially DX11) do some work for them.

id Software is one of the handful of best engine developers, along with DICE, Unreal, Crytek and couple others.
Posted on Reply
#68
bug
londisteThere is a good reason for dodging them. Unless you are top of the line engine developer, you really will not be able to get all the benefits out of them. Both developers and API designers have said that "closer to the metal" also puts heavier burden on the game/engine developer while older APIs (especially DX11) do some work for them.

id Software is one of the handful of best engine developers, along with DICE, Unreal, Crytek and couple others.
You don't have to be a top of the line developer to reap the benefits. It's just that the setup is more complex and work the the OpenGL driver does for you ends up on your lap with Vulkan. And if you weren't CPU bottlenecked in the first place, the end result won't be much faster (if at all). It's all a matter of return on investment really.

My guess, professional CAD software may be where Vulkan is more suited. That and it's now mandatory on Android, where you are CPU constrained again, but for different reasons (i.e. weaker CPU, not more demanding software).
Posted on Reply
#69
Vayra86
londisteVayra86,
Warhammer is known to be faster in DX11 for all cards.
Battlefield is (or all Battlefields are) known to run better with DX11 primarily due to microstuffer.
DOOM is truly better with Vulkan over OpenGL but that is due to aging OpenGL and manufacturer-specific optimizations in Vulkan version.
True, but that is a far cry from 'don't work at all or produce 10 fps less'. All of these examples provide very playable framerates on the API. And all of the DX12's are DX11 built titles, with years of optimization behind them... its not really fair to say they should suddenly increase performance going to DX12 when essentially every bottleneck was removed from DX11 prior. If anything it shows the pretty great state DX11 is in right now.
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