creativity unleashed

reason why i'm going to really love my job in the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkgYret8syk&feature=related
the major feature that will make the games industry so much more interesting is the software that will be used to work with it. dire
cxtx 10 is a windows API that supports shader model 4.0. what it can do is take the strain of working out mutiple processors and sort of collapse them into multi threaded lines, almost like a que. this speeds up processing power allowing your console (hopfully) or pc to process more things faster thus allowing for the evolution of graphics.

shader model 4.0 comparison:

	PS_2_0	PS_2_a	PS_2_b	PS_3_0[2]	PS_4_0[3]
Dependent texture limit	4	No Limit	4	No Limit	No Limit
Texture instruction limit	32	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Position register	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Instruction slots	32 + 64	512	512	≥ 512	≥ 65536
Executed instructions	32 + 64	512	512	65536	Unlimited
Texture indirections	4	No limit	4	No Limit	No Limit
Interpolated registers	2 + 8	2 + 8	2 + 8	10	32
Instruction predication	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Index input registers	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Temp registers	12	22	32	32	4096
Constant registers	32	32	32	224	16x4096
Arbitrary swizzling	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Gradient instructions	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Loop count register	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Face register (2-sided lighting)	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Dynamic flow control	No	No	No	24	Yes
Bitwise Operators	No	No	No	No	Yes
Native Integers	No	No	No	No	Yes

Vertex shader comparison

	VS_2_0	VS_2_a	VS_3_0[2]	VS_4_0[3]
# of instruction slots	256	256	≥ 512	4096
Max # of instructions executed	65536	65536	65536	65536
Instruction Predication	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Temp Registers	12	13	32	4096
# constant registers	≥ 256	≥ 256	≥ 256	16x4096
Static Flow Control	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dynamic Flow Control	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dynamic Flow Control Depth	No	24	24	Yes
Vertex Texture Fetch	No	No	Yes	Yes
# of texture samplers	N/A	N/A	4	128
Geometry instancing support	No	No	Yes	Yes
Bitwise Operators	No	No	No	Yes
Native Integers	No	No	No	Yes

i knew that shader model 4.0 enhanced 3d applications and games possibilities in quality but not to the extent that the charts show. it basically runs the same amount of processes in terms of rendering all the effects on screen but at a blinding speed with almost no limit.

an example of the evolution in 3d, direct x10 hardware can borrow ram from your computer if it needs to. basically it upgrades itself. no need to care about a graphics cards on board ram any more as long as you have them expansion slots filled.

to get to the point direct x applications will allow the games industry to go that 1 extra leap forward and create more life-like games with more AI running at once (qued processors). enhanced for multi core processors as well.

if its to much information at once, the simplest way to put it is direct x 10 will allow game artists to be more creative with their tools and with much higher texture sizes and poly budgets, freedom!