OpenGL 4.2 Released
Khronos released OpenGL 4.2 as a new version of the cross-platform 2D and 3D graphics API earlier today at Siggraph.
The new version integrates shaders with atomic counters as well as load, store and atomic read-modify-write operations to a single level of a texture. Additionally, there is support for GPU-tessellated geometry, the modification of an arbitrary subset of a compressed texture without having to re-download the whole texture to the GPU for significant performance improvements, and the ability to pack multiple 8 and 16 bit values into a single 32-bit value for efficient shader processing.
“OpenGL 4.2 has integrated feedback from developers that are shipping significant OpenGL-based applications and games, making for a faster, more capable API which will continue to evolve to meet market needs,” said Barthold Lichtenbelt, working group chair of the OpenGL ARB and director of Tegra graphics at Nvidia.
Both AMD and Nvidia said that their products will support OpenGL 4.2 in the immediate future.
Um, why would they do that? Also has anyone heard anything about DX12? Microsoft always likes to release its new API along with their new operating system but of course since Windows 8 is going to be designed differently will MSFT keep that tradition?
some rumor suggesting that windows 8 may come with DX11.1 instead of DX12. the rumor based on intel IGP that built-in for haswell based processor will featuring DX11.1 instead of DX12
They might have removed depreciated functions. You can't support legacy stuff forever or your code/hardware becomes bloated to the point of unsuitability.
What is the difference between DX11.1 and DX12 (other than DX0.9)? Sometimes a name or a number is just a name or a number.
That could be like how Intel didn't update thier IGPs to support DX11 and instead went the DX10.1 route. They waited until their Sandy Bridge IGPs were released to support it. DX10.1 was just an incremental update to add some missing features until the new stuff came along.
Like x86?
... no intel GPU's?
Haha, long live MMX!
and actually still can hold its own today. OpenGL is vastly under used than it should be and in my opinion is still to this day superior to Direct X
It's simple really. A whole digit would require sufficient change to name something 2.0 for example. While something being 1.1 would mean that they made minor changes not enough to actually call it a complete new version.
There is a reason people dont use OPENGL anymore.. its crap.. it use to be great back in the original halflife days when it was ya know better then the competition. Its open source nature of everyone wants their hands in the pie is crippling the API's progress to the point of irrelevance. Sure its good for well free and all good for niche stuff right now. But superior to DX? who are you kidding. Who cares if its open and free if it cant keep up.
This makes sense if the next gen consoles are also DX11 based..
I have no idea what I just read. Atomic wha-? This thing is nuclear?! But... it's software. Or... is it ?
>sceptical cat is sceptical
>divided by zero
>inb4 etc
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You are aware that OGL is actually AHEAD of DX, right? I mean, ulike DX, they support DX11 features for XP. Unlike DX, developers still have the ability to use their own extensions and the like.
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1: The 360 is hte only non-Winodws environment to even have a DX layer.
2: No major release for the 360 uses the DX API for 3d graphics, because of speed concerns. [Remember that whole "DX is too slow" spat AMD had? This is where that came from].
3: Even the PS3, which has an OGL ES layer, is coded at a lower level via libgcm, which unlike its OGL implementation, allows direct access to the RSX framebuffer, greatly speeding certain applications.
So please, stop this whole "Consoles use DX" nonesense. Its never been true, but its been repeated enough where everyone thinks it is.
You do realize that features that even DX 11 added existed for years with OpenGL right? Also as gamerk316 pointed out it allows extensions.
Even if you prefer Direct X (assuming you have actually used it other than playing a game) you have to admit the existence of OpenGL at-least gives a option that stops a complete take over from Microsoft. So if you are willing to ignore the positives OpenGL has over Direct X at the very least you should not the importance of its existence.
They don't do that because every piece of hardware is different.
You would have to code everything a thousand times (literally).
There are that many models new and old to support. And a lot of models don't have specification pages so you can't know how you should code stuff for those things this way.
API's that standardize stuff if done right don't actually have much/big negative consequences. They make stuff work everywhere is a much better deal you get than what you describe.