AMD Catalyst 11.8 Preview with OpenGL 4.2 Beta Support, 7 New Extensions, Windows and Linux

AMD has published a preview driver (Catalyst 11.8) with a beta support of OpenGL 4.2. You can download this preview for Windows and Linux here:

• Cat 11.8 for Windows
• Cat 11.8 for Linux

More information about this preview: AMD Releases Catalyst Beta Drivers for OpenGL 4.2.

Unlike NVIDIA that has provided a driver (R280.28) with all OpenGL 4.2 related extensions
(OpenGL 4.2 specs introduce 11 new extensions), AMD has chosen to expose only six GL 4.2 extensions:

• GL_ARB_base_instance (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_compressed_texture_pixel_storage (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_internalformat_query (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_map_buffer_alignment (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_shader_image_load_store (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_transform_feedback_instanced (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_EXT_texture_storage

As you can see on the GPU Caps Viewer screenshot, the OpenGL version is still 4.1. I think it’s because AMD does not want to ship an incomplete OpenGL 4.2 driver. Then we have the preview of the new extensions but it’s officially still an OpenGL 4.1 driver. Catalyst will be labelled with OpenGL 4.2 support when the following extensions will be added:

• GL_ARB_conservative_depth (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_shader_atomic_counters (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_shading_language_420pack (OpenGL 4.2)
• GL_ARB_shading_language_packing
• GL_ARB_texture_storage (OpenGL 4.2)

Remark: the GL_ARB_texture_compression_bptc extension is part of OpenGL 4.2 but is already exposed since Cat 10.10a.

Here is the list of all 226 OpenGL extensions (GL=206 and WGL=20) exposed by the preview of Cat 11.8 Win7 64-bit for a Radeon HD 6970:

• GL_AMDX_debug_output
• GL_AMDX_vertex_shader_tessellator
• GL_AMD_blend_minmax_factor
• GL_AMD_conservative_depth
• GL_AMD_debug_output
• GL_AMD_depth_clamp_separate
• GL_AMD_draw_buffers_blend
• GL_AMD_multi_draw_indirect
• GL_AMD_name_gen_delete
• GL_AMD_performance_monitor
• GL_AMD_pinned_memory
• GL_AMD_sample_positions
• GL_AMD_seamless_cubemap_per_texture
• GL_AMD_shader_stencil_export
• GL_AMD_shader_trace
• GL_AMD_texture_cube_map_array
• GL_AMD_texture_texture4
• GL_AMD_transform_feedback3_lines_triangles
• GL_AMD_vertex_shader_tessellator
• GL_ARB_ES2_compatibility
• GL_ARB_base_instance
• GL_ARB_blend_func_extended
• GL_ARB_color_buffer_float
• GL_ARB_compressed_texture_pixel_storage
• GL_ARB_copy_buffer
• GL_ARB_debug_output
• GL_ARB_depth_buffer_float
• GL_ARB_depth_clamp
• GL_ARB_depth_texture
• GL_ARB_draw_buffers
• GL_ARB_draw_buffers_blend
• GL_ARB_draw_elements_base_vertex
• GL_ARB_draw_indirect
• GL_ARB_draw_instanced
• GL_ARB_explicit_attrib_location
• GL_ARB_fragment_coord_conventions
• GL_ARB_fragment_program
• GL_ARB_fragment_program_shadow
• GL_ARB_fragment_shader
• GL_ARB_framebuffer_object
• GL_ARB_framebuffer_sRGB
• GL_ARB_geometry_shader4
• GL_ARB_get_program_binary
• GL_ARB_gpu_shader5
• GL_ARB_gpu_shader_fp64
• GL_ARB_half_float_pixel
• GL_ARB_half_float_vertex
• GL_ARB_imaging
• GL_ARB_instanced_arrays
• GL_ARB_internalformat_query
• GL_ARB_map_buffer_alignment
• GL_ARB_map_buffer_range
• GL_ARB_multisample
• GL_ARB_multitexture
• GL_ARB_occlusion_query
• GL_ARB_occlusion_query2
• GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object
• GL_ARB_point_parameters
• GL_ARB_point_sprite
• GL_ARB_provoking_vertex
• GL_ARB_sample_shading
• GL_ARB_sampler_objects
• GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map
• GL_ARB_separate_shader_objects
• GL_ARB_shader_bit_encoding
• GL_ARB_shader_image_load_store
• GL_ARB_shader_objects
• GL_ARB_shader_precision
• GL_ARB_shader_stencil_export
• GL_ARB_shader_subroutine
• GL_ARB_shader_texture_lod
• GL_ARB_shading_language_100
• GL_ARB_shadow
• GL_ARB_shadow_ambient
• GL_ARB_sync
• GL_ARB_tessellation_shader
• GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp
• GL_ARB_texture_buffer_object
• GL_ARB_texture_buffer_object_rgb32
• GL_ARB_texture_compression
• GL_ARB_texture_compression_bptc
• GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc
• GL_ARB_texture_cube_map
• GL_ARB_texture_cube_map_array
• GL_ARB_texture_env_add
• GL_ARB_texture_env_combine
• GL_ARB_texture_env_crossbar
• GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3
• GL_ARB_texture_float
• GL_ARB_texture_gather
• GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat
• GL_ARB_texture_multisample
• GL_ARB_texture_non_power_of_two
• GL_ARB_texture_query_lod
• GL_ARB_texture_rectangle
• GL_ARB_texture_rg
• GL_ARB_texture_rgb10_a2ui
• GL_ARB_texture_snorm
• GL_ARB_timer_query
• GL_ARB_transform_feedback2
• GL_ARB_transform_feedback3
• GL_ARB_transform_feedback_instanced
• GL_ARB_transpose_matrix
• GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object
• GL_ARB_vertex_array_bgra
• GL_ARB_vertex_array_object
• GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_64bit
• GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object
• GL_ARB_vertex_program
• GL_ARB_vertex_shader
• GL_ARB_vertex_type_2_10_10_10_rev
• GL_ARB_viewport_array
• GL_ARB_window_pos
• GL_ATI_draw_buffers
• GL_ATI_envmap_bumpmap
• GL_ATI_fragment_shader
• GL_ATI_meminfo
• GL_ATI_separate_stencil
• GL_ATI_texture_compression_3dc
• GL_ATI_texture_env_combine3
• GL_ATI_texture_float
• GL_ATI_texture_mirror_once
• GL_EXT_abgr
• GL_EXT_bgra
• GL_EXT_bindable_uniform
• GL_EXT_blend_color
• GL_EXT_blend_equation_separate
• GL_EXT_blend_func_separate
• GL_EXT_blend_minmax
• GL_EXT_blend_subtract
• GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array
• GL_EXT_copy_buffer
• GL_EXT_copy_texture
• GL_EXT_direct_state_access
• GL_EXT_draw_buffers2
• GL_EXT_draw_instanced
• GL_EXT_draw_range_elements
• GL_EXT_fog_coord
• GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit
• GL_EXT_framebuffer_multisample
• GL_EXT_framebuffer_object
• GL_EXT_framebuffer_sRGB
• GL_EXT_geometry_shader4
• GL_EXT_gpu_program_parameters
• GL_EXT_gpu_shader4
• GL_EXT_histogram
• GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays
• GL_EXT_packed_depth_stencil
• GL_EXT_packed_float
• GL_EXT_packed_pixels
• GL_EXT_pixel_buffer_object
• GL_EXT_point_parameters
• GL_EXT_provoking_vertex
• GL_EXT_rescale_normal
• GL_EXT_secondary_color
• GL_EXT_separate_specular_color
• GL_EXT_shader_image_load_store
• GL_EXT_shadow_funcs
• GL_EXT_stencil_wrap
• GL_EXT_subtexture
• GL_EXT_texgen_reflection
• GL_EXT_texture3D
• GL_EXT_texture_array
• GL_EXT_texture_buffer_object
• GL_EXT_texture_compression_bptc
• GL_EXT_texture_compression_latc
• GL_EXT_texture_compression_rgtc
• GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc
• GL_EXT_texture_cube_map
• GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp
• GL_EXT_texture_env_add
• GL_EXT_texture_env_combine
• GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3
• GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic
• GL_EXT_texture_integer
• GL_EXT_texture_lod
• GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias
• GL_EXT_texture_mirror_clamp
• GL_EXT_texture_object
• GL_EXT_texture_rectangle
• GL_EXT_texture_sRGB
• GL_EXT_texture_shared_exponent
• GL_EXT_texture_snorm
• GL_EXT_texture_storage
• GL_EXT_texture_swizzle
• GL_EXT_timer_query
• GL_EXT_transform_feedback
• GL_EXT_vertex_array
• GL_EXT_vertex_array_bgra
• GL_EXT_vertex_attrib_64bit
• GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat
• GL_KTX_buffer_region
• GL_NV_blend_square
• GL_NV_conditional_render
• GL_NV_copy_depth_to_color
• GL_NV_explicit_multisample
• GL_NV_float_buffer
• GL_NV_half_float
• GL_NV_primitive_restart
• GL_NV_texgen_reflection
• GL_NV_texture_barrier
• GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap
• GL_SGIS_texture_edge_clamp
• GL_SGIS_texture_lod
• GL_SUN_multi_draw_arrays
• GL_WIN_swap_hint
• WGL_EXT_swap_control
• WGL_ARB_extensions_string
• WGL_ARB_pixel_format
• WGL_ATI_pixel_format_float
• WGL_ARB_pixel_format_float
• WGL_ARB_multisample
• WGL_ARB_pbuffer
• WGL_ARB_render_texture
• WGL_ARB_make_current_read
• WGL_EXT_extensions_string
• WGL_ARB_buffer_region
• WGL_EXT_framebuffer_sRGB
• WGL_ATI_render_texture_rectangle
• WGL_EXT_pixel_format_packed_float
• WGL_I3D_genlock
• WGL_NV_swap_group
• WGL_ARB_create_context
• WGL_AMD_gpu_association
• WGL_AMDX_gpu_association
• WGL_ARB_create_context_profile

(Forum thread)