quote:Original post by benjamin bunny To elaborate, Direct Draw will be accelerated on almost any 2D card. OpenGL can will only be accelerated if you have a 3D card, otherwise it'll revert to software, which is slow as hell. You can use it for 2D, but you'll need a 3D card.
What do you mean ? Direct Draw is 'accelerated' on any graphicscard, but OpenGL is only accelerated on '3D' graphics cards ? I'm sorry to say it's basically bullshit. DirectDraw or Direct3D has no edge over OpenGL whatsoever. You're actually implying D3D/DirectDraw has some kind of 'edge' over OpenGL when it's not simply true...
Wrong. What benjamin bunny said is perfectly true. There are many older cards which offer hardware accelerated DirectDraw, but do not support OpenGL (an example is the Trident 3dImage 975 which was originally in my PII 300). Because these cards do not support OpenGL, all OpenGL operations must be performed in software. This is far slower than 2d with DirectDraw.
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Don''t try to start a flame war where none exists. What he said is pretty much accurate, since older video cards (i.e. ones with no 3D support) often have DirectDraw support, but no OpenGL ICD (or MCD, even). So on these cards, an OpenGL program will be pure software, since there is literally no way for it to access the video card.
I''m not at all trying to start a flamewar, I''m just being disappointed with the implication that somehow D3D/DD is ''better'' than OpenGL, when this is actually not true in most circumstances - I agree I was wrong on this particular fact, but I strongly disagree that you''ll choose one API over the other over this insignificant issue.
quote:Original post by llyod I'm not at all trying to start a flamewar, I'm just being disappointed with the implication that somehow D3D/DD is 'better' than OpenGL,
I'm surprised that you think that benjamin bunny or myself would imply that D3D/DD is better than OpenGL, given that we are both known OpenGL advocates. Unless you were refering to andrew programmer's post?
quote:Original post by llyod I strongly disagree that you'll choose one API over the other over this insignificant issue.
True, but in this particular case, unless he wants to upgrade his video card (which I'd recommend regardless), DDraw looks like the only choice. I can't imagine trying to learn graphics/game programming when even a simple app won't run at a bearable framerate.
llyod, DirectDraw is a *2D* ONLY api. it is accelerated on nearly all video cards that are supported under windows. even those that support the minium (ie video blits and direct access to vram). it is FAR better then opengl on a *2D* ONLY video card that cant accelerate 3D graphics. opengl is a *3D* graphics api, and thus requires a 3D sccelerator to be of any use in realtime games. D3D is in the same boat as opengl, where software rendering on a 2D only card is worthless. openGL/D3D are meant to be used on 3D accelerators. DirectDraw is for ANY video card, and is useful for 2d games, or custom 3d software rasterizers.
if opengl is not supported by your card, then you will pick the api that is. i really think some ppl need to learn that you should use the right tool for the job, and what works for you. the FACT that opengl/D3D is utterly useless on any 2d only video card is pretty significent when you dont have a 3d card. many older cards (voodoo2) have crap opengl drivers, and work much better with direct3d.
i would never allow someone to painfully code a opengl app for a 2d game using a non accelerated card. its utter madness. in fact i would NEVER use opengl for ANY per pixel direct vram access, just like i would not use D3D. i would use the gdi or directdraw (if i need fullscreen support).
there was no iplication that directdraw was better. and d3d was never even mentioned in this thread before you. please understand directdraw and direct3d are two entirly different apis. would you tell him to use opengl instead of directsound? of course not, opengl does not handle sound, only *3D* graphics. its a *3D* graphics api after all. this dont make it worse at what it does. directx is a combination of apis. d3d and directdraw are just a part of it like directsound.
could someone please add to the faq (excuse me if its not there) the differences of opengl and directx? its quite stupid when ppl blindly think that opengl can do everything that directx does. even worse is when they start comparing opengl to directx. you cant do that. only thing opengl can be compared to is direct3d since that is the 3d api portion of directx.
the only reason i went so far with this post is because he as a link to a 2d game development forum, and i find it quiet said he dont know the difference between direct3d and directdraw.
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