Author Topic: Hardware TnL on a Voodoo3?! ROFLMAO!!! (Read 9070 times)

Goku7 · « **on:** 2002-09-08 15:22:59 »

That's right, for some reason one of my games, Star Trek:Bridge Commander, now thinks that my Voodoo3 PCI is capable of Hardware Transform and Lighting. I can get a screen shot of the config screen showing what I'm talking about, but I've got no hosting for it.

Anyway, now you may be asking why it has it to begin with. Well, in truth, I don't have that ability. However, most newer 3Dfx driver sets have an option called "Geometry Assist", that only appears if you have a P3 or higher CPU. With the option enabled, it uses the SSE instructions of the P3 or P4 (and in the case of Amd processors, it'll use 3DNow! Instructions if the cpu supports them), to process the TnL a little more efficiently than straight Software-based TnL.

Anyway, as a side effect, the driver winds up reporting the V3 as capable of HW TnL, 'cause the Geometry Assist is trying to emulate that hardware ability as best as it can. As I said earlier, one game has already been fooled.

But regardless of whether or not its actually working, its still funny to see the game report Hardware TnL on a card that came out a good year or two before the GeForce (which, as you know, was the first card to truly have Hardware TnL.) 256 chipset.

PurpleSmurf · « **Reply #1 on:** 2002-09-08 15:27:49 »

if you want email me the screeny and i'll host it for you.

Goku7 · « **Reply #2 on:** 2002-09-08 15:52:27 »

Sure. I'm not at my regular comp right now, but I'll try to send it as soon as possible.

Oh, and I guess I'll need your email Address, then.

PurpleSmurf · « **Reply #3 on:** 2002-09-08 17:08:33 »

[email protected] or [email protected]

Goku7 · « **Reply #4 on:** 2002-09-08 19:06:32 »

Ok, its on its way now.

How's nVidia gonna explain THIS?!?!?!!

Alhexx · « **Reply #5 on:** 2002-09-08 19:14:06 »

So PurpleSmurf's havin his own domain, right?

Let's take a look at it...

Oh, am I wrong or is "Comming Soon" spelled "Coming Soon" ??

(oh man, what an off-topic reply ... and that from a mod

)

- Alhexx

PurpleSmurf · « **Reply #6 on:** 2002-09-08 19:19:07 »

yea yea, i still can't spell worth a damn but i'm a pretty good designer now.

edit: oh and btw, darky told me it was mispelled with 2 m's.
and click on the splash

J* H***** · « **Reply #7 on:** 2002-09-08 19:21:23 »

Message

Goku7 · « **Reply #8 on:** 2002-09-08 19:22:59 »

"Coming Soon" is the correct way of spelling it.

Oh, and yes. I suppose that is very off-topic. Shame on you.

J/k.

But getting back to the topic, running the game under the TnL setting seems to work relatively fine, though because I've messed with the textures slightly (there's other bridge textures that are more accurate, but the texture resolution on some of them might be above the texture res. cap put on the V3), it does freeze up once in a while.

The only graphical glitch I've seen is the warp flash usually seen in the distance when warping, is not displayed. Again, that may be because of the texture I replaced it with.

However, I have seen a speed increase with the HW TnL setting on!

PurpleSmurf · « **Reply #9 on:** 2002-09-08 19:27:37 »

here's the link to the screenshot. it's pretty big so i won't just stick it in the thread.
http://www.purplesmurf.com/images/v3.jpg

Goku7 · « **Reply #10 on:** 2002-09-08 19:32:46 »

Quote from: Jari Huttunen

Explain what? Driver tweak that slows your Voodoo? http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardware/v5103/page3.asp

Some comments about Geometry Assist.

I really don't bother with benchmarks. And besides, with a stupidly fast CPU behind it (well, fast compared to the card itself), even OpenGL games are playable.

The point was how would nVidia explain why my V3 *allegedly* has HW TnL, something which didn't exist until nVidia produced their GeForce 256 chip.

J* H***** · « **Reply #11 on:** 2002-09-08 19:53:01 »

Message

atzn · « **Reply #12 on:** 2002-09-08 20:15:30 »

Can the same be said about GeForce2 cards doesn't have Anti-Aliasing (it's emulated?)

Just wondering.

J* H***** · « **Reply #13 on:** 2002-09-08 20:49:57 »

Message

Goku7 · « **Reply #14 on:** 2002-09-08 20:55:39 »

Jari: I know all that already. I was speaking in good humor when I was talking about nVidia.

Its just that, even if its faked or not, having a HW TnL setting on my V3 is something that just struck me as hilarious, because of the fact that V3's cannot do true HW TnL, no ifs ands or buts. That was my first reaction, and I had wanted to share this comical development with you guys, since I figured you would get a kick out of it too.

And as for G. Asist being faster, well, all I know that I used to get a framerate drop (you don't even need a FPS counter to see it, its that much of a drop) whenever I closely approached a starbase, 'cause those things are HUGE. With G. Assist on, I'm not getting that drop, or that drop has been reduced to where I need an FPS counter to see it. So, from my point of view, I'm inferred that this mode is running faster in-game, because I'm no longer seeing that framerate drop to the naked eye.

As for the claims of performance degredation in benchmarks, I see where they're coming from, and I can definitely see how it caused a performance drop. But, when I said it was faster, it was faster in that particular game. That's all I meant.

mirex · « **Reply #15 on:** 2002-09-09 11:36:52 »

Little off topic:
guys if you want to host some things, i created little code some time ago, so you can upload things at http://bin.mypage.sk
But dont upload bad(illegal) things pliz.
Bugs: upload time is limited to 0.5 minute. Cleansing is not working.

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #16 on:** 2002-09-20 14:18:50 »

3dfx just cant let go can they. Haha.

Goku7 · « **Reply #17 on:** 2002-09-20 21:34:10 »

No, they shan't let go! Not even after almost 3 years after they've suffered an anticompetitive takeover at the hands of nVidia! LOL.

At any rate, the principle behind it is actually really, really ingenious, cause the kyro line of cards doesn't have hardware TnL either, but that product line still sells. Imagine, if they were able to get it to be stable with DX8 and 9 when it comes out, then that alone could lead to a HUGE improvement in compatibility (with games that demand the driver reports that it has HW TnL), and in speed in others, 'cause of the more efficient processing of what is still Software TnL to begin with.

Besides, 3Dfx still has some pull. I mean, c'mon, they're gonna put 3Dfx compatibility back into UT2k3, so yeah!

The Skillster · « **Reply #18 on:** 2002-09-21 07:13:02 »

thats news
im getting my voodoo5 5500 on monday
hey where can i get them 3rd party win xp drivers for it tho?

Goku7 · « **Reply #19 on:** 2002-09-21 19:53:47 »

www.x3Dfx.com is a good place to look.

Although, currently the only driver that is working with UT2k3 is the one known as the NuDriver5, found at http://www.nuangel.net/.

And, as for setting up the driver to get hardware TnL to be reported, you'll have to enable the feature called "Geometry Assist". A few words of warning, though, G. Assist's stability in DX8 games is shakey on a good day, and in order to even see it show up in the 3Dfx tools program (the standard program used to setup your card's options), you have to have a processor that can do 3DNow! or SSE instructions. In other words, you'll need a CPU that is at least as advanced as a P3 or P4.

Also, you'll probably need to disable G. Assist to get UT2k3 to work with the NuDriver5.

And, there currently is no DX8.1 compliant drivers anywhere (no thanks to nVidia's keeping of driver source code after they bought it), but word on the street is the driver set being developed by 3DHQ (formerly known as 3Dfx-Underground) is being built from the ground up, and is planned to include DX8.1 compliant drivers, and maybe even DX9, but I'm not sure about the DX9 support. Also, it is planned to have the OpenGL 1.2 ICD in it.

Author Topic: Hardware TnL on a Voodoo3?! ROFLMAO!!! (Read 9070 times)

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