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Last Updated:
07
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21
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2006
Developer Newsletter: Issue #20
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DEVELOPER RESOURCES |
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NVIDIA SDK 8.0 Released
 The latest version of our software development kit includes support for the latest GeForce 6 Series GPUs. Hundreds of new effects and code samples cover areas such as Shader Model 3.0, high dynamic range, floating-point blending and filtering, vertex texture fetch, and more.
Individually packaged samples and effects also available on our Web site. This feature is particularly useful for some international and low-bandwidth Internet connections, since it gives access to specific examples without requiring our entire SDK to be downloaded. In each release of our SDK you'll find a plethora of helpful information, tips, and tricks to help you take advantage of the latest in graphics technology.
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FX Composer 1.5 Now Available
 FX Composer has been updated with support for Shader Model 3.0, support for Microsoft's DirectX Semantics and Annotations Specifications (DXSAS), and various other improvements and bug fixes. FX Composer 1.5 includes improvements to the texture panel, properties panel, scripting, and a first cut at an SDK for writing your own geometry importers, for example.
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GPU Gems II: Call for Participation
Following the success of GPU Gems: Programming Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Real-Time Graphics (it was the runaway bestseller at GDC 2004 and entered its second printing just weeks after being published), we have decided to produce a second GPU Gems volume in order to showcase the best new ideas and techniques for the latest programmable GPUs. Like the first GPU Gems volume, GPU Gems II will be hard bound and in full color.
Tentatively titled GPU Gems II: Techniques for Graphics and Compute Intensive Programming, this book will be edited by Matt Pharr, software engineer at NVIDIA. Matt has extensive experience in the field of computer graphics and has recently authored a book on physically-based rendering, several SIGGRAPH publications, and three chapters in the original GPU Gems book. Randy Fernando, editor of the first GPU Gems, will serve as the series editor.
We’re looking for innovative ideas from developers who are using GPUs in new ways to create stunning graphics and cutting-edge applications. Chapters should present techniques and ideas are broadly useful to GPU programmers and can be integrated into their applications. GPU Gems II will have an increased focus on chapters exploring non-graphics applications of the computational capabilities of GPU hardware (learn more at www.GPGPU.org).
If you would like to participate, please read through the submission guidelines and send an e-mail to articlesubmissions@nvidia.com with your proposed chapter title as the subject line, and the required description in the e-mail body. The deadline for submissions is Monday, August 16, 2004.
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NVPerfHUD 2.0 Released
 NVPerfHUD 2.0 allows you to analyze your graphics pipeline performance one stage at a time and displays real time statistics that can be used to diagnose performance bottlenecks in your Direct3D 9 application. NVPerfHUD 2.0 includes several new features, including drag-and-drop application launching, a batch size histogram, shader visualization, new pipeline analysis options, and a complete user guide to help you get the most out of NVPerfHUD.
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Melody 1.1 Now Available
 NVIDIA Melody creates high quality normal maps that make a low-poly model look like a high-poly model. Simply load your low poly working model, then load your high-poly reference model, click the "Generate Normal Map" button and watch Melody go to town.
You can also can use Melody to generate LODs for you with the "Generate Progressive Mesh" feature. You can rotate your models and see the normal map in action. A command line version is provided to help you integrate Melody in your content creation pipeline. Read more about how you can get the most out of Melody in the accompanying User Guide.
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NVIDIA GPU Programming Guide Updated
 The NVIDIA GPU Programming Guide provides useful advice on how to identify bottlenecks in your applications, as well as how to eliminate them by taking advantage of the GeForce 6 Series and GeForce FX family's features. The latest version has been updated with SLI information, stereoscopic gaming information, and various minor improvements.
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DirectX 9.0 Summer Update 2004 Now Available
The Microsoft DirectX® Team is pleased to announce the final release of DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2004)!
The Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2004) contains updated versions of the D3DX library, graphics samples, sample framework, tools and Managed DirectX documentation. Areas of concentration in the DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2004) release are:
- HLSL support for Pixel Shader & Vertex Shader 3.0
- Effects Framework performance improvements
- Pre computed Radiance Transfer improvements
- New Sample framework
- New & Updated Samples
- Improved Documentation
- PIX tool for better debugging of Direct3D applications
- Introduction of the Preview Pipeline for easier content creation
For information on what is supported in shader model 3.0, refer to the updated DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2004) reference documentation. You can install the final releases from the locations listed below.
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Become a Registered Developer Today
Joining our Registered Developer program is free and gives you access to a number of benefits:
- Developer Forums
- Prerelease Tools
- Prerelease Drivers
- Bug Reporting
Joining is easy! Simply fill out one of applications below:
Please note that it may take a few weeks to receive a decision on your application, due to the large number of applicants.
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EVENTS |
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NVIDIA U (August 6 -- Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Established by NVIDIA Corporation, NVIDIA U (short for "NVIDIA University") is a conference developed to promote the advancement of graphics technology through industry and academic collaboration. In 2001 the inaugural NVIDIA U was held in Austin, Texas with representatives from 12 universities worldwide. 2003 brought NVIDIA U San Diego with more than 60 university and industry affiliates represented.
NVIDIA U 2004 has again reinvented itself, and will be a highly focused, one day event on August 6, 2004 at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown hotel. Conveniently held in Los Angeles one day before GP2 and two days prior to SIGGRAPH 2004, NVIDIA-U will sizzle with presentations targeting current and future NVIDIA technology.
NVIDIA U is an NDA only conference that provides the ideal forum for leaders in the graphics world to collaborate and share ideas and research in graphics technology. We look forward to seeing you at NVIDIA U 2004, and working together to power next generation research.
Apply here to attend NVIDIA U 2004. Applications will be accepted through July 1st. Space is limited, so be sure to submit your application early!
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NVIDIA at SIGGRAPH 2004 (August 8-12 -- Los Angeles, CA, USA)
NVIDIA will be involved in a number of talks, courses, and other events at SIGGRAPH 2004, which are summarized below. For details, please visit our NVIDIA at SIGGRAPH 2004 page.
Sponsored Sessions:
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Shader Model 3.0 Unleashed. This lecture dissects practical examples of Shader Model 3.0 in action for use both to enrich visual complexity and improve performance.
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Transforming Production Workflows with the GPU. This lecture covers high-performance, practical real-time applications of shading technology to create expressive and realistic shading to compete and complement the best of movie effects.
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GPU Performance Tools and Analysis Techniques. This lecture showcases the toolset for performance optimization while tackling bottlenecks in an actual application, through a step-by-step case study using NVPerfHUD, FX Composer, and other tools.
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Image Processing with the GPU. This lecture covers pixel buffer objects, multiple draw buffers, floating-point filtering and blending, getting data quickly to and from the GPU, high dynamic range (HDR), and GPU-based paint applications.
Courses:
- Real-Time Shading (Course #1)
- State of the Art in Monte Carlo Global Illumination (Course #4)
- Performance OpenGL: Platform-Independent Techniques (Course #16)
- Real-Time Shadowing Techniques (Course #26)
- GPGPU : General-Purpose Computation on Graphics Hardware (Course #32)
NVIDIA-Sponsored Events:
On the Show Floor
NVIDIA technology will be shown in the following booths on the show floor: Adobe #1361, Alias #1312, Discreet #1700, EON Reality #1155, Kaydara #1300, HP #919, Newtek #1147, Softimage #1547, and many more....
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Microsoft HLSL Hands-on Workshops at SIGGRAPH 2004
Microsoft will be presenting both Introductory and Advanced High-Level Shader Language (HLSL) Workshops at SIGGRAPH 2004. The Introductory workshop is intended for experienced graphics programmers familiar with fundamental 3D graphics techniques, including simple matrix math. The Advanced workshop intended for experienced coders who are already conversant with writing shaders and want to take their knowledge to a higher level.
All machines used for the labs are the latest AMD64-based computers with NVIDIA’s latest NV4X-based GPUs. The workshops will be taught by the experts from Microsoft who actually developed HLSL. All machines used for the labs are the latest AMD64-based computers with NVIDIA’s latest GPUs.
Register now by e-mailing HLSL@microsoft.com. Make sure to specify your preferred and alternate choice of sessions and times. For more information, please see our NVIDIA at SIGGRAPH 2004 web page.
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Upcoming Events in Asia (Taiwan, Korean, Japan)
We have a number of developer events coming up in Asia over the next few months. These events will cover the latest technologies and techniques, including Shader Model 3.0 techniques such as high dynamic range rendering, deferred shading, shadow techniques, performance advice, and much more.
Check out our Events Calendar to learn more about the various events, and to find registration information.
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PRODUCTS |
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NVIDIA Introduces SLI
 SLI is new NVIDIA technology that intelligently scales graphics performance through multiple NVIDIA GPUs in a single PCI Express system. SLI scales both geometry and fill rate/pixel shader performance for two GPUs using various methods, including inter and intra-frame scalability algorithms. Most importantly, it just works! SLI technology is application transparent (DirectX or OpenGL) and is enabled automatically through the driver, with no application modification required. Developers using certain rendering techniques will benefit from increased performance by following our guidelines in the updated NVIDIA GPU Programming Guide (Chapter 6).
Learn more about the awesome power of NVIDIA SLI Multi-GPU solution -- detailed information is available via the links below.
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Tip of the Month: New Device Setup Code for NVPerfHUD 2.0
NVPerfHUD is a powerful performance analysis tool that helps you understand the internal functions of your application. To ensure that unauthorized third parties do not analyze your application without your permission, you must make a minor modification to enable NVPerfHUD analysis.
One of the first things you do when setting up your graphics pipeline is call the Direct3D CreateDevice() function to create your display device. In your application it probably looks something like this:
HRESULT Res;
Res = g_pD3D->CreateDevice( D3DADAPTER_DEFAULT,
D3DDEVTYPE_HAL,
hWnd,
D3DCREATE_HARDWARE_VERTEXPROCESSING,
&d3dpp,
&g_pd3dDevice );
When your application is launched by NVPerfHUD, a special “NVIDIA NVPerfHUD” adapter is created. Your application can give NVPerfHUD permission to analyze it by selecting this adapter. In addition, since some applications might select the “NVIDIA NVPerfHUD” adapter ID unintentionally and expose themselves to unauthorized analysis, you must select “D3DDEVTYPE_REF” as the device type. Your application will not actually use the reference rasterizer as long as you have selected the NVPerfHUD adapter.
A minimal code change that will enable NVPerfHUD analysis in your application would be something like this:
HRESULT Res;
Res = g_pD3D->CreateDevice( g_pD3D->GetAdapterCount()-1,
D3DDEVTYPE_REF,
hWnd,
D3DCREATE_HARDWARE_VERTEXPROCESSING,
&d3dpp,
&g_pd3dDevice );
Using the last adapter (by calling GetAdapterCount()-1 as shown above) assumes that the “NVIDIA NVPerfHUD” adapter identifier created by NVPerfHUD will be the last in the list.
Learn more about NVPerfHUD by reading the User Guide that accompanies it. (Chapter 2 of the User Guide expands on the preceding discussion.)
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Job Openings
NVIDIA's Developer Technology group is always looking for talented engineers and artists in the US, Japan, and Europe. See http://talent.nvidia.com for more general information, or our specific openings for: Handheld Devices Developer Technology Engineer, Developer Technology Engineer (Korea), and Developer Technology Engineer (USA).
Featured this issue are the two Developer Technology positions that follow:
Performance and QA Support Engineer (Contracting position for 3 to 6 months, possibly renewable)
Location: Theale, United Kingdom
Job description: Performance analysis, benchmarking and quality assurance for 3D games. Responsible for setting up various configurations of different systems, with different hardware and different versions of the Windows operating systems and NVIDIA graphics drivers. Responsible for performance analysis of games on a regular basis, identifying any issues, and providing feedback to the appropriate groups within the company. Responsible for detecting any rendering or quality issues with games with different hardware and driver configurations, and reporting any issues to the appropriate groups. Responsible for setting up scripts and any other automated techniques for the same.
Skills required: Strong knowledge of and passion for 3D games and gaming in general. Strong knowledge of scripting and benchmarking technologies. Knowledge of system configuration, Windows and driver installation, and general setup of Windows systems. Knowledge of C++ preferred.
Developer Technology Engineer (Europe)
Location: Europe. Working from home is very possible.
Job description: Work with some of the most talented cutting-edge game developers throughout Europe. Interact closely with the architecture and driver teams at NVIDIA in ensuring the best possible experience on current generation hardware, and on determining trends and features for next generation architectures. Work with game developers on performance optimization and 3D rendering effects for specific upcoming titles. Develop new technical demos, write whitepapers, and present new effects and 3D technologies at various conferences. Provide support to game developers on any issues with 3D graphics in general, and on NVIDIA hardware in particular.
Skills required: Strong knowledge of Direct3D and DirectX. Strong knowledge of 3D graphics rendering technologies, including vertex and pixel shaders, DirectX9 HLSL and FX. Familiarity with 3D games and gaming technologies. Strong knowledge of C++ and programming techniques. Experience in DirectX game and engine development a strong plus. Understanding of 3D graphics architecture a plus. Good communication skills preferred. Travel for onsite visits with game developers will be required.
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Sizzle into summer with special Developer pricing on Quadro FX 2000s at only $650.00! Supplies won't last long at that price, so get them while they're hot! To purchase, go to 
