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Re: (OT?) Lynx3DM video chip questions

From: Vito Miliano <>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2002 11:01:03 -0400

On Tuesday, June 4, 2002, 4:08:59 PM, Rick wrote:

RJ> However, while the general video capabilities have improved for
RJ> this chip - the 3D capabilities of this chip in the Linux world
RJ> are untapped.  This chip supports OpenGL in the Windows world..
RJ> but not in the Linux world..   This certainly holds some interest
RJ> to augmented reality issues - rendering (superimposing the image
RJ> of a new design  graphically over reality) etc..  Is this another
RJ> area where the Linux world has cooled their heels a bit because
RJ> they have a half dozen chip sets that give them 3D but only work
RJ> in a power hungry environment?

Even though I know this message will never reach the list, I figure I
should respond anyway.

Just because a chipset claims to offer 3D support, doesn't mean it
actually does.  If there is even a complete OpenGL ICD for this
chipset under Windows (which I seriously doubt), I would bet that most
functions were simply being done in software emulation.

This is why most video cards can't do things like run even the
original Quake game in OpenGL mode.  Or run a CAD application.  The
only portable chipsets capable of such things are the very recent
GeForce2Go, GeForce4Go, Mobile Radeon, and Mobile Radeon 7500.  The
old Mobile Savage chipsets were halfway decent, as I recall, but they
never achieved any significant market penetration.

Drawing a "hardware accelerated" 3D line (which is likely all you're
going to get) isn't going to be much faster than just rendering it
with Mesa.

A good example is the Trident CyberBlade I7 chipset that was used in
the old I-Opener internet appliances.  "The World's First 3D Graphics
Chip Integrating Core Logic For The Sub-$1000 Notebook Market," the
press releases said.  How impressive!

Except it's not really a 3D chipset.  It has a terribly incomplete
OpenGL ICD, no hardware acceleration, and really can't run diddly
squat in the way of OpenGL anything.  It's a 2D chipset, but you can't
call it that, because everyone wants 3D chipsets.  So they call it a
3D chipset.

What it comes down to is if it's not a modern Nvidia or ATI chipset,
it's not going to do 3D.  That means GeForce or Radeon in the name
(although the ATI Mobile Rage 128 might be tolerable).  Mesa is your
friend, otherwise.

--Vito

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