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3D-Tech News Around The Web / AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition 21.7.2

« Last post by Stefan on July 28, 2021, 03:54:24 AM »

Radeon™ Software Adrenalin 21.7.2 Highlights
Support For

• Chernobylite™

Added Vulkan® Support

• VK_KHR_copy_commands2
  • This extension introduces extensible versions of the Vulkan® buffer and image copy commands that can now accept extension-specific information via their copy parameters.
• VK_EXT_extended_dynamic_state2
  • This extension allows more states to be set dynamically to reduce the number of unique pipeline state objects used by an application.

Fixed Issues

• Game Compatibility advisor in AMD Radeon™ Software may incorrectly advise some users their CPU and/or GPU do not meet the minimum requirements to play some games. If some users are still experiencing this issue, reinstall or upgrade your driver and perform a factory reset. Learn more from AMD here on performing a factory reset.
• If a Blue or Black screen is observed in mobile systems, temporarily disable Enhanced sign-in.
• Resident Evil Village™ may experience an intermittent application hang or TDR on AMD Radeon™ VII graphics products in the first mission of the game.
• A Blue or Black screen may be observed after updating to the latest Radeon™ Software when core isolation is enabled.

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3D-Tech News Around The Web / GPU architecture types explained

« Last post by JeGX on July 23, 2021, 06:48:34 PM »

Immediate-Mode Rendering (IMR) vs Tile-Based Rendering (TBR):

The behavior of the graphics pipeline is practically standard across platforms and APIs, yet GPU vendors come up with unique solutions to accelerate it, the two major architecture types being tile-based and immediate-mode rendering GPUs. In this article we explore how they work, present their strengths/weaknesses, and discuss some of the implications the underlying GPU architecture may have on the efficiency of certain rendering algorithms.

Link:
- https://rastergrid.com/blog/gpu-tech/2021/07/gpu-architecture-types-explained/

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3D-Tech News Around The Web / Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) now available for free on GitHub

« Last post by JeGX on July 23, 2021, 06:46:39 PM »

The Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) contains the common tools, libraries, and documentation needed to build games for the Xbox App on Windows 10, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox consoles (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One), and Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming.

Prior to this public release, the GDK was only available to developers under confidential licenses within an Xbox developer program.

The GDK is now available to all developers free of charge, to help developers learn how to build games for the Xbox App on Windows and Game Pass; no license required for learning.

Additional licensing is required to obtain the Xbox Extensions to build games optimized for Xbox consoles or publish games to the Microsoft catalog for any platform.

Links:
- news @ gamasutra
- GDK @ github

4

3D-Tech News Around The Web / Vulkan API specifications 1.2.185 released

« Last post by JeGX on July 21, 2021, 07:08:37 PM »

Change log for July 20, 2021 Vulkan 1.2.185 spec update:
  * Update release number to 185 for this update.
  * Going forward we will probably be moving the default day for spec
    updates to Tuesday (Pacific time) rather than Monday.

Github Issues:

  * Clarify that only *device* extensions are required to be specified in
    valid usage statement for flink:vkCreateDevice (public issue 1567).
  * Fix extension dependencies for `<<VK_EXT_calibrated_timestamps>>` to
    include `<<VK_KHR_get_physical_device_properties2>>` (public issue
    1568).
  * Conditionalize xref to VkPhysicalDeviceSubgroupProperties in
    `<<VK_KHR_spirv_1_4>>` appendix so it does not show up in a 1.0 spec
    build (public issue 1574).
  * Relax portability usage of the identity swizzle in
    slink:VkImageViewCreateInfo valid usage statement 04465 (public
    KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Portability issue 27).

Internal Issues:

  * Document in the <<extendingvulkan-extensions-extensiondependencies,
    Extension Dependencies>> section that instance extensions do not have
    dependencies on device extensions, and add a similar requirement to the
    description of the `requires` attribute of extension tags in the
    registry schema document (internal issue 2387).
  * Fix `optional` attribute in XML for
    flink:vkCmdBindVertexBuffers2EXT::pname:pBuffers (internal issue 2574).
  * Remove redundant valid usage statements from flink:vkCmdPipelineBarrier,
    flink:vkCmdSetEvent, and flink:vkCmdResetEvent. Add missing VUs for
    slink:VkSubpassDependency and slink:VkSubpassDependency2 (internal issue
    2583).
  * Clarify that
    ename:VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT_KHR
    must be supported in pname:bufferFeatures (internal issue 2686).
  * Clarify that a valid function pointer pname:fp returned from
    flink:vkGetInstanceProcAddr must not be `NULL` (internal issue 2720).
  * Relax code:Flat, code:NoPerspective, code:Sample, and code:Centroid
    storage class restriction in the
    <<spirvenv-module-validation-standalone, Standalone SPIR-V Validation>>
    section (internal issue 2721).
  * Clarify forward progress behavior of flink:vkAcquireNextImageKHR and
    flink:vkQueuePresentKHR (internal issue 2729).
  * Remove duplicated language describing queue submission in the
    <<fundamentals-execmodel, Execution Model>> and
    <<fundamentals-queueoperation, Queue Operation>> sections (internal
    issue 2736).
  * Describe the new pipeline stage
    ename:VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_2_SUBPASS_SHADING_BIT_HUAWEI in several sections
    of the <<synchronization>> chapter where it was missing (internal issue
    2745).
  * Improve formatting in the <<limits>> chapter, add support for the
    missing optionally: normative word macro, and replace most use of
    (non-normative) "`optionally`" with normative "`can:`". Update style
    guide to add more contractions and remove contractions from the spec.
    add a better description of the pname:shaderDrawParameters feature
    (internal merge requests 4699, 4708).
  * Fix name of parameter
    flink:vkGetMemoryRemoteAddressNV::pname:pMemoryGetRemoteAddressInfo to
    follow Vulkan conventions (internal merge request 4704).
  * Minor fixes for the <<resources-image-views-compatibility, image view
    compatibility table>> and related minor spec language fixes elsewhere
    (internal merge request 4709).

New Extensions:

  * `<<VK_EXT_shader_atomic_float2>>`
  * `<<VK_HUAWEI_persistent_thread>>`
  * `<<VK_KHR_present_id>>`
  * `<<VK_KHR_present_wait>>`

Miscellany:

  * Happy Lunar Landing Day!

source: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Docs/commit/62e02d5234fbbbd997d7c71099373a273a27dbf8

New extenions:
- VK_EXT_shader_atomic_float2

This extension allows a shader to perform 16-bit floating-point atomic
operations on buffer and workgroup memory as well as floating-point atomic
minimum and maximum operations on buffer, workgroup, and image memory.

- VK_KHR_present_id

This device extension allows an application that uses the
`<<VK_KHR_swapchain>>` extension to provide an identifier for present
operations on a swapchain.

- VK_KHR_present_wait

This device extension allows an application that uses the
`<<VK_KHR_swapchain>>` extension to wait for present operations to complete.
An application can use this to monitor and control the pacing of the
application by managing the number of outstanding images yet to be
presented.

5

3D-Tech News Around The Web / Vulkan API specifications 1.2.184 released

« Last post by JeGX on July 21, 2021, 07:03:28 PM »

Change log for July 5, 2021 Vulkan 1.2.184 spec update:
  * Update release number to 184 for this update.

Github Issues:

  * Make description of
    slink:VkSparseImageMemoryRequirements::pname:formatProperties.imageGranularity
    consistent by replacing the nested structure descriptions with a simple
    description of pname:formatProperties (public issue 1444).
  * Update `<<VK_HUAWEI_subpass_shading>>` extension to rename
    flink:vkGetSubpassShadingMaxWorkgroupSizeHUAWEI to
    flink:vkGetDeviceSubpassShadingMaxWorkgroupSizeHUAWEI and give it a
    dispatchable slink:VkDevice parameter (public issue 1564).
  * Fix labelling of "`Resource`" reference block in pipeline block
    diagrams (public issue 1582).

Internal Issues:

  * Replace the old <<resources-image-views-compatibility>> table with a
    simplified image type / image view type compatibility table, and move
    the parameter compatibility portions of the table into explicit valid
    usage statements (internal issue 2586).
  * Define the slink:VkPipelinCacheHeaderVersionOne structure in `vk.xml`
    instead of the previous "`Layout for pipeline cache header version one`"
    table (internal merge request 4011).
  * Make the `requires` attribute of the `spirvcapability` XML tag required
    when specifying a structure, even if what's required is
    `"VK_VERSION_1_0"`, to address a problem in the generated table from
    these tags (internal merge request 4689).

New Extensions:

  * `<<VK_NV_extermal_memory_rdma>>`

source: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Docs/commit/02c265fb0af1eb5e82651e6c001d3790101adf96

New extension:
- VK_NV_external_memory_rdma

This extension adds support for allocating memory which can be used for
remote direct memory access (RDMA) from other devices.

6

3D-Tech News Around The Web / AMD Radeon Memory Visualizer (RMV) 1.2 released

« Last post by JeGX on July 21, 2021, 06:59:06 PM »

The Radeon Memory Visualizer (RMV) is a software tool that will allow users to analyze video memory usage on AMD Radeon GPUs (Vulkan and Direct3D 12).

The latest version of Radeon Memory Visualizer is now available for download! Here’s a bit about the new features:
- range-based address searching
- range-based address searching has been added to the search boxes. An address can be entered into the search box and any resource touching the memory address entered will be shown.
- resource tooltip

Links:
- Announcement
- Homepage
- RMV @ github

7

3D-Tech News Around The Web / Radeon GPU Profiler (RGP) 1.11 released

« Last post by JeGX on July 21, 2021, 06:52:08 PM »

The AMD Developer Tools team is pleased to announce a new version of the Radeon™ GPU Profiler (RGP). 

RGP is our ground-breaking low-level optimization tool that provides detailed information on Radeon™ GPUs.

This latest release – version 1.11 – offers several enhancements to our existing feature set:
- Ray tracing call targets.
- Cache counters.

Links:
- news announcement
- RGP homepage and downloads
- RGP @ github

8

General Discussion / Re: Scrolling starfield in Elite 1984

« Last post by friday on July 21, 2021, 05:02:32 AM »

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9

3D-Tech News Around The Web / NVIDIA RTX Memory Utility (RTXMU) for Vulkan and DXR

« Last post by JeGX on July 19, 2021, 08:52:42 PM »

NVIDIA has released a new ray tracing SDK that improves memory allocation for Vulkan and Direct3D 12 games.

RTX Memory Utility (RTXMU) Available Now

Reducing Memory Consumption with an Open Source Solution

Real-time ray tracing has advanced the art of lighting in video games, but it’s a computationally expensive process. Aiming to reduce these costs, NVIDIA has developed a memory utility that combines both compaction and suballocation techniques to optimize and reduce memory consumption of acceleration structures. We’ve turned this solution into an SDK called RD TXMU, and we are making it available as an open source release today. It’s built to support any DXR or Vulkan Ray Tracing application.

Compaction of acceleration structures with RTXMU eliminates any wasted memory from the initial build operation. For applications using RTXMU, NVIDIA RTX cards get a ~50% reduction in memory footprint. Additionally, suballocating acceleration structure buffers with RTXMU prevents fragmentation and wasted space. Scenes with thousands of small unique BLAS benefit greatly from suballocation.

Links:
- New Ray Tracing SDK Improves Memory Allocation for Games
- Reducing Acceleration Structure Memory with NVIDIA RTXMU
- RTXMU - RTX Memory Utility @ github

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3D-Tech News Around The Web / NVIDIA GeForce 471.41 WHQL Graphics Driver Released

« Last post by JeGX on July 19, 2021, 08:45:31 PM »

More information and downloads links:
https://www.geeks3d.com/20210623/nvidia-geforce-471-11-graphics-driver-released-vulkan-1-2-175/#20210719