Microsoft DirectX 11 Details Emerge

[malware]

Microsoft has released a handful of details about DirectX 11, the latest version of the company's API.

• Full support (including all DX11 hardware features) on Windows Vista as well as future versions of Windows
• Compatibility with DirectX 10 and 10.1 hardware, as well as support for new DirectX 11 hardware
• New compute shader technology that lays the groundwork for the GPU to be used for more than just 3D graphics, so that developers can take advantage of the graphics card as a parallel processor
• Multi-threaded resource handling that will allow games to better take advantage of multi-core machines
• Support for tessellation, which blurs the line between super high quality pre-rendered scenes and scenes rendered in real-time, allowing game developers to refine models to be smoother and more attractive when seen up close

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Silverel]

models to be smoother and more attractive when seen up close[/list]
Source: Shacknews

Mmm... more attractive models... and up close too! DX11 = pr0n

 

[kuroikenshi]

Mmm... more attractive models... and up close too! DX11 = pr0n

More Leisure Suit Larry games?

 

[Megasty]

I have the feeling the DX11 is just another version of DX10/10.1. Atleast we won't have to go out & buy into new cards just because of it. Maybe our quads can finally be supported.

 

[iLLz]

Got to admit tho, that there are some nice features added there. Hopefully the new Computer Shader Technology will have little to no overhead. Multi-threaded resource handling is good as well. Not too bad...

 

[bassmasta]

how long has tessellation been used in consoles? I know the 360 has it, and I think the ps2 had it. it's about time. should have been in dx10

 

[a111087]

tessellation has been since HD2xxx series if I'm right
good thing we will not have to throw away our dx10 cards

 

[francis511]

It sounds fantastic, but then again dx10 SOUNDED fantastic....

 

[Kreij]

I think that as the API for DirectX progresses, we as end users are not going to see stellar differences in our gaming experience. What is being developed is an API that will make it easier for developers to give us the eye candy that they are now, and the newer stuff, easier and with less effort than before. This should help to reduce at least a portion of the development costs and hopefully not push games past their current price point.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Octavean]

Well at least Microsoft isn’t leveraging DX11 to push a new OS like they did with DX10. Don’t get me wrong I’ll probably buy at least one Windows 7 license anyway.

 

[tkpenalty]

GTX280 cant use tesselation...

 

[Darknova]

YES! Finally they have added tessellation, about bloody time.

Tesselation rocks, turns 1 polygon into about 1300. That's why the 360 looks so good despite the fact it's running on a GPU roughly equivalent to an ridiculously underclocked 2900.

Heheh, but currently, only ATi cards have tessellation support

 

[Hayder_Master]

i hope it will be big jump not like dx 10

 

[Darknova]

i hope it will be big jump not like dx 10

Tessellation is a big jump

You can create graphics like...I dunno, take the Crytek engine. If that supported tessellation you could get graphics as good as that that would run on a GPU 1/3 as powerful.

 

[ShadowFold]

I just hope DX11 runs well on a 4850. And I also hope its optimized.

 

[Mad-Matt]

Is this the return of the hardware feature of the radeon 8500 ? I forget the name, but used nPatches. If i remember right it increased number of triangles to improve the models. Only game I had that used it was UT99 i think, and it seemed to squish the models abit .

 

[DrPepper]

It sounds fantastic, but then again dx10 SOUNDED fantastic....

I think its fantastic then again I think communism works Also I didn't think it a big deal upgrading to a directX 10 card since it had to be done for shader model 3 as well and also directX 10 is quite well optimised since assassins creed runs really well under it and so does crysis.

 

[tkpenalty]

I just hope DX11 runs well on a 4850. And I also hope its optimized.

With the added bonus of the "free AA" that the 4850 is capable of, as well as the native support for the tesselation engine... well it WILL run well. The other lower end derivatives of the RV770 should also have the tesselation engine...

 

[Darknova]

With the added bonus of the "free AA" that the 4850 is capable of, as well as the native support for the tesselation engine... well it WILL run well. The other lower end derivatives of the RV770 should also have the tesselation engine...

Which means that low-mid cards would actually be a viable product for gamers

 

[tkpenalty]

Which means that low-mid cards would actually be a viable product for gamers

Well remember the HD4650/HD4450 aren't like the HD3450/HD3650... these lower end cards will be a serious threat to Nvidia..


Lets say, 4850 is X1950PRO and 4650 is X1650XT.

 

[Darknova]

Well remember the HD4650/HD4450 aren't like the HD3450/HD3650... these lower end cards will be a serious threat to Nvidia..


Lets say, 4850 is X1950PRO and 4650 is X1650XT.

Oh, I know that, but with tessellation you no longer need uber powerful GPUs to create stunning graphics.

 

[btarunr]

DX 10 looked just as promising.

 

[panchoman]

[*]New compute shader technology that lays the groundwork for the GPU to be used for more than just 3D graphics, so that developers can take advantage of the graphics card as a parallel processor

sounds like ms is trying to get into the gpu-computing game, and trying to compete with cuda, etc... of course i bet it'll be less vertasile and probably some typical ms bull in it.

 

[DarkMatter]

Oh, I know that, but with tessellation you no longer need uber powerful GPUs to create stunning graphics.

Eh, eh, eh. Tesselation is a very good feature, but not one to get so excited YET. I mean don't expect SO MUCH from it in the next few years. Also it comes with a BIG performance penalty. Not as much as adding the geometry to match the level of detail you can attain with it, but think of something like FSAA vs. MSAA. I seriously doubt even the HD4870 has enough power on the tesselator to render a whole game as we want it today: 1920x1200 60 FPS. The frame buffer is a serious concern too. They could use it only on characters/models though, where it would be most aparent and finally get rid of the need of LOD models, etc...

Also XBox 360 has the ability to use tesselation but no game has used it (AFAIK) and I highly doubt it will ever do. Basically it lacks the power. It could take an HL2 model and make it look as smooth as one on Crysis, but IMO you wouldn't save up a lot of power and definately you could not add as much details. As of now I don't know of any real time algorithm that can add detail to a simple model, kind of like like parallax mapping would do, or the displacement maps on CAD programs. (If anyone knows of one please link.) Until then it doesn't make sense to use tesselation on low detail (<20000 polys) models. It's more a feature to use on Crysis like models and make them look like real.

 

[chron]

@DarkMatter
Tessellation would be used on round objects or curved objects wouldn't it? It's not like everything on the screen needs to be rendered that way...