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Real-time Graphics: Issues and Real-time Graphics: Issues and Trends in GamesTrends in Games

Tobi SaulnierCEO, 1st Playable Productions

November 5, 2007Computer Graphics, Fall 2007

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Graphics in Games

Notable for Real-time graphics Actually, a blend of prerendered and real-time

rendered Migration of graphics techniques as technology

advances (from film world)

Each game platform has a unique architecture, optimization techniques need to be tailored for each Genre enforces priorities for processing Game art and design production creates

bottlenecks Lifespan of a game platform <5 years

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Console Platform Transitions …

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 20052006 2007

PS2

PSX (’94)

XBox

Gamecube

N64 (’95)

Dreamcast

GameBoy Advance

GBC (’98)

Video Games technology introduction is driven by intense industry competition.

Video Games technology introduction is driven by intense industry competition.

N-Gage

2008 2009 2010

Dual Screen

PlayStation Portable

Xbox360, PS3, and Nintendo Revolution

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Types of platform issues

Embedded platforms – do more with fixed platformOptimize for specialized needs =

differentiation General purpose platforms

Phones, PC’sGraphics frameworks to isolate from

low-level dependencies

Every game platform has quirks and shortcomings, is only partially thought through, and decided well before most

developers see the specs

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Graphical Data Types

Scene data Character data Special Effects data Lighting Weather effects Particle systems

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Why Graphics Optimization?

More graphics in the game … More AI More realism More multiplayer More characters

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Nintendo DS

Arm 7 and Arm 9 processors

Tony Hawk DS versus Spiderman DS

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Unreal III Engine (PC)

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Trend in pipelines

Fixed function pipelinesTypical of GBA, DS, PSP, PS2

Programmable pipelinesPixel shadersVertex shadersShader languagesMajor transition for Xbox 360, PS3

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Lighting

Shadows Lighting Scene lighting Character lighting

Resident evil – lighting tied into facial animation

Doom – global illumination, shadow volumes

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Doom XBox

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Rendering

Tris, polys Multipass, single pass techniques Prerendering versus real-time

rendering choices Architectural impact – GPU, memory,

bus

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Unreal III Engine (PC)

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Procedural graphics

Problem = generation of enough content to utilize hardware capabilities Manual generation is harder

Terrain generation Scene generation Spore – real-time generation

Trees Returning to the same scene – pseudo-

random sequences Game challenges – design mapping

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Procedural Trees

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Trends

Fixed function to programmable Deferred rendering Progression of 3D onto handheld Multiprocessing/multipurpose Networked play Procedural texturing, geometry Lighting / cinematics

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Takeaways

Now is an exciting time in graphics for videogames

On all platforms! The problems being faced require a new

level of engineering discipline, a transfer of knowledge from non-realtime to realtime

You need to bridge hardware and software to be competitive

Not just games – Impact of innovation in other important areas