Was the DM Demo really Software? I think not.

[az]

Sorry for re-posting, but my post in "MS shows Displacement Mapping @ GDC - With MATROX !" was worded horribly, so no one would've understood...

So, here's what I think of the displacement mapping presentation at GDC:

It - in spite of what Matrox said - wasn't run in software. Why do I say so?

- Because it ran too smooth.. remember last year's presentation? Computer speeds haven't increased by that much.

So it was pre-rendered? No. Why?

- It looked a lot like the lizard and the landscape were moved/altered in real-time.

If it wasn't pre-rendered, and if it wasn't run in software - which possibilities are left? I only see one: it was run on some yet-to-be-announced hardware (Parhelia, anyone?).

What do you think?

AZ

[dZeus]

Where did they say it was run in software? I thought the original commotion about it being software was due to a mis-translation from the report on the Japanese website.

Correct me if I'm wrong

[az]

Uuh really? Where'd you get this from? Would be great

AZ, who is - as ever - not very well informed

[Joel]

Didn't the guy in the video say "Matrox displacement mapping hardware". And I would be willing bet my next paycheck that it wasn't a G550.

Joel

[Marnix]

After looking at the video's it isn't 100% clear for me, but in the last one someone says Matrox blabla Hardware.

That is what we al heard. The first two demos could also be software, because there are 'only' two figures rendered.

In my opinion it 99% hardware. I hope its is my upcoming vid card.

[Marshmallowman]

for the 3rd demo:
I think the keyboard controls are a give away,...You only have that kind of stuff up if you are doing it real time.

[Novdid]

I think the keyboard controls are a give away,...You only have that kind of stuff up if you are doing it real time.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Tempest]

I don't know how big a role Matrox played in the Displacement Map presentation, so just out of curiosity: Would it be possible to run the demo with, say, an ATI Radeon 8500 and do everything else BUT the displacement maps in hardware?

[Sasq]

The guy on the Japanese site said he was told by boyd after the presentation that it was run in software...
That doesn't mean he thought it did

[knirfie]

Originally posted by Tempest
I don't know how big a role Matrox played in the Displacement Map presentation, so just out of curiosity: Would it be possible to run the demo with, say, an ATI Radeon 8500 and do everything else BUT the displacement maps in hardware?

If you could find the demo somewhere you could, and the DM would automaticaly be done in software, unless the 8500 has secret hardware support for DM's

[TdB]

Originally posted by Tempest
I don't know how big a role Matrox played in the Displacement Map presentation, so just out of curiosity: Would it be possible to run the demo with, say, an ATI Radeon 8500 and do everything else BUT the displacement maps in hardware?

last years gdc they demoed it with a g550, instead of emulated it with pixelshaders/vertexshaders on gf3, so i think it is running on matrox hardware. if i understand correctly, matrox interrupted the microsoft dx9 presentation to show displacement mapping on their own hardware, those demos wasn´t done by microsoft.


that doesn´t mean it is running on a fully-functional-ready-to-release parhelia, it could be a prototype on a larger die, this would indicate working drivers though.

perhaps matrox wants to use 0,13 micron die-size for the parhelia, and that they aren´t ready to do this, and thats what they are waiting for.

[xortam]

Seen the BBs posting much lately? I don't think they're busy off testing emulations. The demos had the Matrox logo splashed on them and the presenter did say Matrox HW.

[TdB]

well, i did vote parhelia. i actually think we will hear something from matrox, within the next 2 months, and that it will be worth the wait.

[Wombat]

I think the keyboard controls are a give away,...You only have that kind of stuff up if you are doing it real time.

Or if you were running a real program on a simulation of hardware.

[Jammrock]

Or if you were running a real program on a simulation of hardware.

At that resolution, speed and detail...you'd have to have some serious computing power to pull it off, without dedicated hardware. I say it was the Parhelia! The Scott gave it all away.

Jammrock