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What is OpenGL?
- Thread starter Quattro
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2002
- Location
- Calgary AB Canada
Well there may be others out there who can get into it more technically than I but OpenGL is an API (Advanced Programming Interface) just like Direct3d is. They are both coding architectures that allow you to program 3d graphics. Back in the mid/late 90's OpenGLv1.0 was used to power most 3d games because direct3d was still in it's infancy. Since dx7 opened up new graphical features that opengl was not capable of keeping up with they released opengl v1.2 but by then it was too late, directx was fast and beautiful and easier to program for so most developers switched over. However John Carmack (iD's lead programmer) has always been good at programming opengl so his games always use opengl EX: Quake1-3 and all the games based off thier various engines. Doom3 naturally is coded with opengl just like every other game john carmack has programmed before. To my knowledge the only games using opengl are the games based of id's engines (wich when compared to the rest of them is less than 10% of all games released). The big stink lately is based around the fact that nvidia cards have better opengl drivers than ati's cards do so nvidia cards generally enjoy a 5-15% performance improvement than thier direct competition from ati. I hope this helps you out.
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2003
- Location
- Lee's Summit, MO
Google 
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2002
- Location
- Calgary AB Canada
Just glad to help. In all honesty I think most of this is going to blow over once people realize that an enjoyable doom3 experience can be had from both camps. From the way things are going I can see 2 things happening. Ati will loose signifigant market share with the d3 upgrade rush and this new benchmark fiasco, this will cause them to either 1)Work hard and put out a some decent opengl support or 2)Work some kind of doom3 driver optimizations into thier drivers, only time will tell though.
Nandro
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- Joined
- Mar 21, 2004
- Location
- Wherever I happen to be.
Out of curiosity do you (or anyone) think that ATI knew the NV cards would be so much further ahead with doom3? I mean with the rates to be had by these new cards I am sure they are all capable, but wouldnt they have worked on their OGL in advance anticipation of doom3? Games sell these cards, and D3 is a huge release IMHO.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2002
- Location
- Calgary AB Canada
Heh, I think the d3 release caught ati off gaurd. I think they were relying on hl2 coming out first and having hl2 sell alot of vidcards for them, then poof d3 shows up out of nowhere and they are caught flat footed. Read my last post if you want to know what I think ati will do next .
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- Joined
- May 9, 2004
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Actually I don't think Nvidia is going to have the same problems with HL2 and Stalker that ATI is having with D3. Nvidia seems to be on the ball this go around. I think they are seriously trying to step it up since the 5000 series fiasco. And in all honesty as soon as a FX6900 hits the shelves I'll be all over it like white one rice. I personally have always liked Nvidia's driver set better, mainly because I've never in my life had to revert backwards a driver or two until I owned a 9800XT. Right now I can't use ATI's newest driver because it doesn't like Knights of the Old Republic or FarCry. But, it's all personal preference these days. Pretty soon everything will be so fast that the arguments will be based comopletely on which PCB is prettier and which card has the better bundle.
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2001
- Location
- Indiana/North Dakota
Myhre said:
Using Cat 4.7's I've never had an issue with Far Cry. I can't say as far as KOTOR. Maybe it's diff with the 9800XT's but I've not heard of anyone having issues with Far Cry since the Cat 4.4's were released. Since then I think it's been good sailing for most people. Are you sure it isn't chipset drivers causing the problems? I know I had a board that didn't get along with my ATi cards. Turned out it was the GART driver and the Catalyst drivers. The only way my 3d stuff would work was if I uninstalled the GART driver. Otherwise the only game that would play was City of Heroes.
- Joined
- May 9, 2004
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2002
- Location
- Frankfurt/London
http://fly.cc.fer.hr/~unreal/theredbook/
programming 3d things is bloddy confusing. I programmed a 3d crane ones. with was build of 1 square, another square as the arm, 2lines going from the 1 squer corners to the other squares corner (support lines for arm) and a string in the middle of the square to pull things up (well not really).
I then was able to change some variables to rotate the crane and lift the arm and string. obviously all the 5 parts had to interact with each other! IE I cant roate 1 square and not the other etc.
took me 1 week to do this. very satisfing. used matlap to create it.
programming 3d things is bloddy confusing. I programmed a 3d crane ones. with was build of 1 square, another square as the arm, 2lines going from the 1 squer corners to the other squares corner (support lines for arm) and a string in the middle of the square to pull things up (well not really).
I then was able to change some variables to rotate the crane and lift the arm and string. obviously all the 5 parts had to interact with each other! IE I cant roate 1 square and not the other etc.
took me 1 week to do this. very satisfing. used matlap to create it.
![]-[itman](/forums/data/avatars/s/9/9309.jpg?1650325391){kind=avatar}