DirectX 11: A look at what's coming

[zamoth]

DirectX 11: A look at what's coming
It doesn't seem all that long ago when Microsoft first started talking about what DirectX 10 would bring to game development. In fact, it was less than two years ago when we described the new pipeline and since then we've had a couple of generations of hardware from both AMD and Nvidia.

With the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft introduced DirectX 10.1 – we covered this in our RV670 architectural analysis and so far only AMD has adopted the updated API. Nvidia claims that developers wanted other things—like GPU-accelerated game physics—and so it chose to focus on those features in the GT200 architecture.

Some would say it was stifling progression in graphics, while others believe it's the first major shift away from just focusing on just graphics in games. Whichever way you look at it, it was a little controversial given what happened to Assassin's Creed.

And so we arrive at DirectX 11, the next major update to Microsoft's fabled graphics API. Microsoft's DirectX architects haven't been resting on their laurels since DirectX 10's release – in fact, even before DirectX 10.1 shipped with Vista SP1, the company had already started work on what is now known as DirectX 11, but that's certainly not the end of it because developers we've spoken to have even made comments about what they need in DirectX 12!

Microsoft announced the new API at GameFest 2008 in Seattle but it's still a work in progress. Since then we've had the chance to listen to Kevin Gee of Microsoft outline the API at Nvision 2008, and then following that we were able to catch up with a number of developers in order to discuss the new API and its aims. Additionally, we've listened to what was discussed at GameFest as well, since Microsoft has conveniently made all of its presentations—and accompanying audio recordings—available for public consumption.

What follows is the result of all of this information gathering I've done ever since the original announcement was made in July. However, because it's still a work in progress, things may change between now and DirectX 11's RTM date.

[guyz92]

http://www.czechgamer.com/novinky/5055/ ... venku.html
http://unmashable.com/pc-hardware/radeo ... te-leaked/

Some info about Nvidia DX11 card aka NVidia GTX 300
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new ... chitecture

DX11 is a much funnier story. The DX10 feature list was quite long when it was first proposed. ATI dutifully worked with Microsoft to get it implemented, and did so with the HD2900. Nvidia stomped around like a petulant child and refused to support most of those features, and Microsoft stupidly capitulated and removed large tracts of DX10 functionality.
This had several effects, the most notable being that the now castrated DX10 was a pretty sad API, barely moving anything forward. It also meant that ATI spent a lot of silicon area implementing things that would never be used. DX10.1 put some of those back, but not the big ones.
DX11 is basically what DX10 was meant to be with a few minor additions. That means ATI has had a mostly DX11 compliant part since the HD2900. The R870/HD5870 effectively will be the fourth generation DX11 GPU from the red team. Remember the tessellator? Been there, done that since 80nm parts.

It sound really very wrong that nvidia will behave like a kid

[Slayer369]

I'm totaly speachless after seening the video whats coming next!

[guyz92]

DirectX® 11 is a key feature of Windows® 7 and is important for two key reasons: it helps consumers experience better performing games and faster computing. To do this, DirectX 11 brings several new features which collectively improve the graphic fidelity of games and 3D applications while also enhancing the ability of the CPU and GPU to work together more efficiently. This in turn will allow end-users to potentially realize significant increases in performance as application developers harness the power of tessellation, multi-threading and compute shader technology, three key new features of DirectX 11.

Tessellation
Tessellation is a technique used for many years in the creation of CG film and television effects to add detail to 3D images and it’s now available to PC developers for real time rendering via DirectX 11. A game developer can now program more and more triangles into a character to create incredible details without worrying about massive performance decreases. Tessellation is truly critical for more realistic environments and characters:

• Create dynamic water surfaces – look more realistic than ever before
  Create dynamic clothing on characters – more accurate interaction with environments including wind and movement
  Create more detailed crowds – high levels of detail no longer need to be limited to characters in the front rows

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Multi-Threading
Multi-threading support built into DirectX 11 enables rendering tasks assigned to the CPU to be efficiently spread across AMD’s multiple cores, enabling a better balance of performance between the CPU and GPU. When multi-threading is implemented, each core can be assigned work rather than only one or two.

• The CPU can effectively feed the graphics processors more data reducing a performance bottleneck.

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Compute Shaders
Compute Shaders are programs that are executed on the graphics processor. With DirectX 11 and DirectCompute, developers are able to use the massive parallel processing power of modern GPUs to accelerate a much wider range of applications that were previously only executable on CPUs. Compute Shaders can be used to enable new graphical techniques to enhance image quality (such as order independent transparency, ray tracing, and advanced post-processing effects), or to accelerate a wide variety of non-graphics applications (such as video transcoding, video upscaling, game physics simulation, and artificial intelligence). In games, Compute Shader support effectively enables more scene details and realism:

• Optimized post-processing effects – apply advanced lighting techniques to enhance the mood in a scene
  High quality shadow filtering – no more hard edges on a shadow, see shadows the way you would in real life
  Depth of field – use the power of the GPU to have more realistic transitions of focal points - imagine looking through a gun sight or a camera lens
  High definition ambient occlusion – incredibly realistic lighting and shadow combinations

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[zamoth]

Diectx 11 got best perfomance in games but to use all this softhwere u need a new VGA card

[Slayer369]

Diectx 11 got best perfomance in games but to use all this softhwere u need a new VGA card

You mean DirectX 11 need's a updated VGA card to use on?
Old card on old PC cant?

[zamoth]

to use all power of directx 11 u need a new vga like ati 4000 or 5000 series or nvidia 200
if u dun have a new vga u cant a preciate all power of DX11

[guyz92]

to use all power of directx 11 u need a new vga like ati 4000 or 5000 series or nvidia 200
if u dun have a new vga u cant a preciate all power of DX11

GTX 200 may have problem in tessellation technology while ATi 4000 may have compute shader problem.

I have a Sapphire RadeonHD 4850 means i can use DX11 ?

I tried running the SDK but it does not work. End up using CPU to render Dx11.