HW-accel on Vista

Java 2D
#1

I just read this interesting article by Chet:

http://weblogs.java.net/blog/chet/archive/2006/10/java_on_vista_y.html

On Vista, Direct-X acceleration will be completely disabled in Java2D’s default mode since it won’t mix with the (un-accelerated) GDI windows rendering system. I’m not that worried since on fast computers HW-acceleration is slower than the noddraw option but what of the other Java2D pipelines, like Direct-3D & OpenGL. Will these still fly on Windows Vista with Java 6?

Thanks,
Keith.

#2

At least for the OpenGL pipeline I am sure it works fine under Vista if you’ve a NVIDIA card.
As far as I know ATI hasn’t even released own OpenGL drivers for Vista, would be interesting wether the OpenGL-Java2d-pipeline will work with Vista’s OpenGL-1.4 emulation.

lg Clemens

#3

Chet’s response on his blog: D3D and OGL will still be available via command-line flags, just as they are on XP, it’s just that D3D (and DX) aren’t enabled by default.

More than ever we will really need an API for knowing what pipelines can be enabled - OGL, D3D or plain old software. I suppose by detecting that its a Windows Vista computer we can assume its a recent computer with some kind of D3D/OGL supported graphics card since Vista is graphics-intensive, so we can enable one of those. Yet this still can’t be done with WebStart programatically… but Dmitri T. acknowledges the problem - http://www.java-gaming.org/forums/index.php?topic=14092.15

Gee, tell me more about this emulation - is it D3D emulating OGL?

Regards,
Keith

#4

can’t remember where i read it but i read somewhere that java will only work on vista with aero glass if your using java 6, not a bad thing at least it’ll get more ppl to upgrade to the new fast java :slight_smile:

edit: think it was this http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=5&shownews=21723

#5

[quote] As far as I know ATI hasn’t even released own OpenGL drivers for Vista, would be interesting wether the OpenGL-Java2d-pipeline will work with Vista’s OpenGL-1.4 emulation.
[/quote]
Simle - it currently doesn’t, and likely won’t. Chris would fill you on the details…

It does sort of works with Nvidia’s OpenGL drivers, barring some bugs (apparently their Vista
drivers lag behind their drivers for XP).

Dmitri

#6

What a pity. So Windows Vista may bring a whole new crop of video-driver OGL bugs?

I’m glad I stuck to Java2D rather than JOGL or LWJGL then, its great the way we can just switch pipelines.

Keith

#7

by the way … all GDI operations are done in software to a system-ram surface when using aero glass.
This means the default pipeline runs completly in software on vista when areo glass is enabled :-/