Parhelia, WinXP and Displacement Mapping

[GNEP]

From Haig on the Matrox forums:

If you get our card AND if we do have hardware DM, try it with your current XP system as is and see what happens.

Eh?

Is the office assistant a headcasted Bill Gates with the new card?

Or does the Windows GUI go semi-3d somehow? DM Windows? I can't really get my head round it...

Besides, I use Win2k

Anyone fancy giving me a hint/speculating further?

gnep

[mute]

it's just for driver support ..

[AD]

Actually this could be a great thing, as it probably accelerates all (not some) of those nifty XP 2D effects at high speed, without slowdown. pity I still use win98se

[GNEP]

yes but what has DM got to do with the nifty 2D effects?

[xortam]

I was just getting back here to post this same question. What is significant about XP and DM? Vygr sure is grilling Haig with a lot of questions on the Matrox forums ... and Haig is coughing up some interesting answers.

I'm also a little concerned about P compatibility on my P2B (AGP support); hell, most of the time I've got to force 1xAGP. Looks more and more like I'll just have to buy a new platform for the P to sit in.

[Jammrock]

Do you remember the GDC video off that Japanese site? The cool mountian scenery with the clouds floating by casting shadows on the mountainside? That was the the background 'wallpaper'. Look at the bottom of the screen, you can see the program bar and the start button.

Now add 2 and 2 together...

Jammrock

[GNEP]

Ahhh - I see. Thanks Jammrock.

Very nice effect, with that WinXP grassy hill moving in the background, but unfortunately I pretty much always run with my apps maximised.

But add an alpha see-through effect to my windows, and I would see the pretty picture...

Might not get much work done though as I think of not being in London but back on the farm in Yorkshire

gnep

[TdB]

in that case we should add a wallpaper section to murc.

[Ali]

I dont think those hills are the background from XP. For one thing there is snow on them, for the other there is a title bar. If it was just a background there wouldnt be a title bar.

Also, Im not 100% sure its running under XP. Unless they have changed the theme to the classic style. Start button, volume control, etc are all different.

Ali

[GNEP]

So it might work in Win2k then.

Or perhaps we haven't solved Haig's riddle yet.

Hmmmmmmm.....

[mute]

it's just a tech demo

but it's pretty interesting ..

actually

[GNEP]

The link, for anyone who hasn't got a clue what we are referring to:

MS DX9 displacement mapping mountains demo



gnep

[Haig]

I'll add something to clear it up.

If you get our card AND if we do have hardware DM, AND there is a DM demo on our cd, try it with your current XP system as is and see what happens.

[Ali]

Ah, now its clear. thanks Haig.

(been spending a while thinking about that, along the line of DM windows, icons, using DM to speed up window dragging or something)

Ali

[flee]

Haig

I have a question...

How come your posts on the matrox forum is stuck on 11513?

Is there a bug in the forum or could this be something more sinister?