hmm looking at the NVIDIA Extensions Spec it tells that 3D Textures are only supported in software…
Chris
Well, the first test is in. I tried my 3d texturemapping program under linux with the 0.9-769 drivers, and it’s definitely software rendering. However, the drivers seem to lack a lot of gf3 features (although they do identify it correctly at xwin startup)… For instance, I didn’t see the vertex program extension when I checked the extensions string. I hope drivers with that feature come out soon 
Tomorrow I will port the program to windows where the (leaked) drivers are more advanced and let you know if I get hardware or software rendering.
– Zeno
New version of nvOpenGLspecs.pdf available.
And extension support table update to “EXT_texture_3D is supported in NV2x family(not software)”.
I don’t know what this change mean.
http://www.nvidia.com/marketing/Developer/DevRel.nsf/pages/A86B9D846E815D628825681E007AA680
So, it is supported after all?
Ooh It is indeed checked off as hardware accelerated on this new pdf.
It also says “The extension support colums are based on the latest & greatest Nvidia driver release”. Can anyone say for sure whether this works under 12.4? I don’t remember if I tried my 3d texmap program after I installed that version, but I had to bump back down to 12.2 due to some crashes.
– Zeno
Any comments on this new pdf if you’re allowed to say Matt or Cass? I’m itching to go down to the shop and order my new GeForce3! Just want to hear confirmation from the horse’s mouth. I promise it won’t go further than this discussion board I just hope that the pdf is correct.
[This message has been edited by ffish (edited 05-24-2001).]
Just read a little more of the specs. The imaging subset is hardware accelerated too!? I thought you said a little while ago that that was way too expensive on consumer hardware Matt? Whoa, now I really have to get the GeForce3. I need convolution filters and 3D textures in hardware for my volume rendering thesis. I didn’t think I’d get them both this year! <fingers crossed/>
You’re misreading the meaning of the ARB_imaging row. We do accelerate blend color, blend subtract, and blend minmax, which are part of ARB_imaging. However, that in no way suggests that we accelerate some of the fancier things.
Further clarifications relating to 3D textures should be forthcoming. I’m confused myself by all the different contradictory statements we’ve put out.
- Matt
Thanks for the clarification re imaging subset Matt. I guess I’ll have to wait for convolution filters in hardware 
. The confusion about 3D textures implies to me that they can be accelerated in hardware. I just hope you’re allowed to do it in a (current?) future driver release. I’ve said before, there’ll be at least a couple of us here that will buy a GeForce3 on the basis of accelerated 3D textures alone - otherwise I’ll wait to upgrade my GeForce 2 GTS until the next generation of cards.
I apologize that the story on 3D textures has been ambiguous and frustrating to all. My suggestion would be to not waste time speculating. We will make a definitive statement soon, but exactly when is someone else’s call.
Thanks for your patience.
Cass
Originally posted by ffish:
I need convolution filters and 3D textures in hardware for my volume rendering thesis. <fingers crossed/>[/b]
… I can only assume you have read the Rezk-Salama/ Engel paper on Volume Rendering on PC hardware. They have a nice hack for getting 3d-interp out of 2d textures for volume rendering, I can think of a few hacks to make this work for general geometry, an exersise left to the reader. As for Convolution, I have my fingers crossed as well.
–joey
Thanks, joey. Yeah, I’ve read it. I just like the idea of ease of implementation of 3D textures. If they ever become as supported and optimized as 2D textures volume rendering will be so much easier, along with a lot of other useful effects.
humus, your 3d-texture is running smoothly on my gf2mx!
smoothly with bout 4 fpm, frames per minute
on a pentium3 500… not too bad 
for what do i need an ati radeon, if my gf can do it in software?
oh, btw, could you please give the possiblilty to set the resolution of the demo? i would like to try 320x240 or something like that, perhaps it will be a little faster then…
Lessee, it’s several weeks since “an answer to the 3D texture question will be forthcoming.”
Bump.
PS: Convolution in hardware probably ain’t gonna happen in the GF3 series – and I’d rather see accumulation buffer than convolution in the GF4 
Originally posted by jwatte:
Lessee, it’s several weeks since “an answer to the 3D texture question will be forthcoming.”
Bump.
PS: Convolution in hardware probably ain’t gonna happen in the GF3 series – and I’d rather see accumulation buffer than convolution in the GF4
Hi, this is from a D3D discussion forum:
“… The GeForce3 support for DirectX will include true volume textures run
in hardware, on the GPU without intervention from the CPU. There will be no
hackery involved, the hardware natively supports volume textures and that
feature will be exposed in a forthcoming driver…”
"…“We intend to expose full and robust hardware support for volume textures,
including compressed volume textures, on GeForce3 in a future driver.”
You can quote me on that.
Thanks,
Richard “7 of 5” Huddy
Developer Relations, NVIDIA Corporation."
OK, so that doesn’t say anything about opengl, but close. Cass? any comment. I have heard that the delay is a marketing agreement with a, oh lets say, former graphics giant.
luv
joey
Mmmmm…juicy info.
I can’t wait
– Zeno
All the information from Richard is accurate. GeForce3 3D texture support will be turned on in a future driver, and that future is Soon.
Thanks -
Cass