Slashdot Mirror
Software Rendering Engine GPU-Accelerated By WebCL
Phopojijo writes "OpenGL and DirectX have been the dominant real-time graphics APIs for decades. Both are catalogs of functions which convert geometry into images using predetermined mathematical algorithms (scanline rendering, triangles, etc.). Software rendering engines calculate colour values directly from the fundamental math. Reliance on OpenGL and DirectX could diminish when GPUs are utilized as general 'large batches of math' solvers which software rendering engines offload to. Developers would then be able to choose their algorithms for best suits their project, even native to web browsers with the upcoming WebCL."
Actually, I look at web browsers as an art platform. It is programmed by a set of open standards which gives any person or organization the tools to build support for the content which is relevant to society. A video game, designed in web standards, could be preserved for centuries by whoever deems it culturally relevant.
For once, we have a gaming platform (besides Linux and BSD) which allows genuine, timeless art. If the W3C, or an industry body like them, creates an equivalent pseudo-native app platform... then great. For now, the web is the best we have.
Many 3D engines are carefully tuned to the limited bandwidth to the GPU cards that provides them just enough bandwidth per frame to transfer the necessary geometry/textures/etc for that frame. The results, of course, stay on the GPU card and are just outputted to the frame buffer. Now, in addition to that existing overhead, the engine writer would now have to transfer back the results/frame buffer back to the CPU to process, generate an image, that is then passed back to the GPU to be displayed as an image? Or am I missing something?
While I'm sure it would allow customized algorithms, they would have to be rather unique to not be handled by the current state of geometry/vertex/fragment shaders. Are they thinking some of non-triangular geometry?
Maybe there is a way to send the result of the maths directly to the frame buffer while it's on the GPU?
Things you think are in the Constitution, but are not.