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Stingray
Account closed
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 117 |
FASTER 3D GRAPHICS
I've heard it said before that the way the VIC chip addresses memory (8x8 cells) makes it slower fo rendering graphics because of the extra calculations needed. So what way would you have had the Commodore engineers design an alternative addressing mode so that 3D graphics could be calculated quicker? I would realy appreciate your ideas on this. |
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Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
planar is completely useless if you have pixeldepths of 2, 4 or 8 bits per pixel. chunky is the way to go. |
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Stingray
Account closed
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 117 |
So sounds like bit planes are a big NO. Only choice is between 1 byte per pixel (two banks for one image) or 4bits per pixel (and no need to bank switch). What do you think Graham? Live with the bank switching? how much diffrence would it make?
That brings me to my next question, If I end up going with chunky, the graphics memory will no longer be in columns of 8bits. What is the best way to address graphics data in chunky mode?
We are slowly narrowing the design down, which is good since I have to have a pretty certain idea where the design is heading before I start redesigning the cct.
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Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
packing as much pixels in a byte as possible is often a good idea. if you access the screen in blocks it doesn't hurt but even helps a bit. for single pixel access ofcourse one byte per pixel is the best solution. |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
chunky 4bit/8bit modes are fine with me. How will be the colors defined?
in these modes the mem layout is not that a big question anymore.pc style linear is as fine as columns, but for some reason Id still vote for columns tho.
bank switching is ok, should be just a tiny problem when coding.
but how much memory will this have ? how about doublebuffer/tripplebuffer?
(how about blitter line drawing?:) |
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Stingray
Account closed
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 117 |
How much memory? you will have plenty of banks to switch in and out of the 6510's 64k, well thats if my idea works. I will explain my idea for the memory banking in a post very soon. Triple buffering? not a problem at all - heaps of memory (but 64k max addreasable from 6510 at a time). You can even run code from the graphics cct's memory (when banked in). |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
one more thing I forgot last time:
how about 2x2/4x4/8x8 modes ? we coders would love the hardware do these, instead of hacking the vic, and wasting cpu power :)
stingray, you havent responded my question, how colors would be defined ? ...16 shades of 1 color looks much nicer than "random" 16 color in any palettized order. |
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Stingray
Account closed
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 117 |
I'm not sure about colors yet. I'm not even sure how I will design the circuitry for the colors yet, I'm guessing that VIC has an Op Amp and had different resistor values to give different frequencies for the different colors? I would like to have 256 colors available (but I'm not promising anything).
2x2, 4x4, 8x8? does that mean like doubling pixel size? |
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Cybernator
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 154 |
> 2x2, 4x4, 8x8? does that mean like doubling pixel size?
Considering _plain_ 2x2, 4x4 or 8x8, yes it's like doubling the pixel size.
@Oswald: What kind of VIC hacking do you need for 8x8? Chars are normally 8x8, rite? |
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JackAsser
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 2014 |
http://www.pepto.de/projects/colorvic/
This link describes the colors of the C64. At the bottom of the document is an email from the dude who helped design the color circuitry in the VIC2-chip. Check it out, it might give some hints. |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
stingray: yep, 2x2 is a pixel sized 2 times as wide and 2 times as tall as the smallest possible one, and so on..
cybernator: yep 8x8 doesnt needs hacking, was just lazy to write "except 8x8.."
jackasser:damn, I wanted to point out that link aswell :) |
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