GF4MX/DX8.1 dest alpha read problem
Author
Hello. I had some DX7 code that used D3DBLEND_DESTALPHA blend states in some important areas. I was using an ATI XPert 128 at the time, and the code ran correctly. I then bought a Gainward GeForce4 MX card ("PowerPack", model Pro/450TV, 64MB DDR), and it runs the code correctly except for the parts where I use the destination alpha read. In those sections, the result is as if the alpha had uniform value of 1.0.
I''ve tried various experiments, such as setting the alpha to 0 using the buffer clear, but the results still work as though I was reading a 1.0 from the destination alpha all the time. I then re-wrote the code using the DirectX8.1 interface. Again, all the code except the part with the alpha read worked properly, and again, the results seemed to imply that the detination alpha was filled with the value 1.0.
I''m using the newest NVidia drivers.
I don''t think there is a mistake in my code-- it worked on the ATI card, I''ve checked the initialization code again to make sure I''m using the A8R8G8B8 format for the render surface.
I need to know if anyone else has had this problem, or if there might be something I''ve overlooked code-wise that the ATI card driver didn''t catch. Sorry for the long post, and thanks.
why not post the renderstate() calls in which you use D3DBLEND_DESTALPHA.
its likly your doing something wrong that the ati drivers ignore but the nvidia drivers do not.
pretty sure no video card supports ARGB color format for the backbuffer (which means no dest alpha when dealing with that). though render target buffers (ie drawing to a texture) supports an alpha channel. how are you handling this? drawing to a texture i hope.
try it with the dx8 ref rastirzier (software driver designed to test effects and ensure its a driver problem not a code problem).
its likly your doing something wrong that the ati drivers ignore but the nvidia drivers do not.
pretty sure no video card supports ARGB color format for the backbuffer (which means no dest alpha when dealing with that). though render target buffers (ie drawing to a texture) supports an alpha channel. how are you handling this? drawing to a texture i hope.
try it with the dx8 ref rastirzier (software driver designed to test effects and ensure its a driver problem not a code problem).
destination alpha has been in from geforce2..
And probably the ati card had it to ati can do proper 2d stuff.. but iam not sure
And probably the ati card had it to ati can do proper 2d stuff.. but iam not sure
Author
Thanks for the reference driver idea! The problem is reproduced by the reference driver, so I guess I can rule out a hardware problem with the new card.
Here is one of the state setups. In this example, I've set the first pass to all black, and the second to all white, except that the second pass takes the dest alpha, and modulates it with the current passes color component. The should be black, since 0.f*1.0=0.f. But the result is white. Similar results occur elsewhere dest alpha is used.
quote: pretty sure no video card supports ARGB color format for the backbuffer (which means no dest alpha when dealing with that). though render target buffers (ie drawing to a texture) supports an alpha channel. how are you handling this? drawing to a texture i hope.
I'm not rendering to a texture, but to the back buffer. Here is my setup code, if that helps:
This code does not return any errors on the NVidia card. The documentation is sort of fuzzy, but I assume CreateDevice fails if the required format is not supported.
The GeForce256 had destination alpha reads of some sort, also I think. At anyrate, an investigation of the HAL caps show that GF4MX supports the D3DBLEND_ALPHA blend operation for both source and destination. Am I getting the wrong meaning out of this?
Thanks for the replys.
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:45:33 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:47:52 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:52:56 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:54:07 AM]
Here is one of the state setups. In this example, I've set the first pass to all black, and the second to all white, except that the second pass takes the dest alpha, and modulates it with the current passes color component. The should be black, since 0.f*1.0=0.f. But the result is white. Similar results occur elsewhere dest alpha is used.
D3DCOLOR dir_color = leMath::colorToARGB( 0.f, 0.f, 0.f, 0.f ); hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_TEXTUREFACTOR, dir_color ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // set fall off texture to modulate color against hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTexture( 0, shader.getTexture( leSHADERTEXTYPE_FALLOFF ).tex ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // set transform for falloff texture and dir light hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTransform( D3DTS_TEXTURE0, (D3DMATRIX*) &scene.light.matr ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // set address to use camera space normals... hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_ADDRESSU, 1 | D3DTADDRESS_CLAMP ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_ADDRESSV, 1 | D3DTADDRESS_CLAMP ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_TEXTURETRANSFORMFLAGS, D3DTTFF_COUNT2 ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_TEXCOORDINDEX, 1 | D3DTSS_TCI_CAMERASPACENORMAL ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // set first stage to modulate falloff with tfactor hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_COLORARG1, D3DTA_TEXTURE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_COLORARG2, D3DTA_TFACTOR ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_COLOROP, D3DTOP_MODULATE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_ALPHAARG1, D3DTA_TEXTURE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_ALPHAARG2, D3DTA_TFACTOR ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 0, D3DTSS_ALPHAOP, D3DTOP_MODULATE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // disable second stage so it doesn't mess up anything. hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTextureStageState( 1, D3DTSS_COLOROP, D3DTOP_DISABLE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // make sure blending is off hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_ALPHABLENDENABLE, FALSE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // render the reqs... if(!renderVerts( leENTTYPE_STATICOBJ, batch, vb, dx_stuff )) return false; // set the alpha color as tfactor D3DCOLOR amb_color = leMath::colorToARGB( 1.f, 1.f, 1.f, 1.f ); hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_TEXTUREFACTOR, amb_color ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // Identity texture hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetTexture( 0, scene.i_tex.tex ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // set blending to modulate dest alpha with src color hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_ALPHABLENDENABLE, TRUE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_DESTBLEND, D3DBLEND_ONE ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; hr = dx_stuff.d3dd->SetRenderState( D3DRS_SRCBLEND, D3DBLEND_DESTALPHA ); if(FAILED(hr)) return false; // render reqs if(!renderVerts( leENTTYPE_STATICOBJ, batch, scene, vb, dx_stuff )) return false; quote: pretty sure no video card supports ARGB color format for the backbuffer (which means no dest alpha when dealing with that). though render target buffers (ie drawing to a texture) supports an alpha channel. how are you handling this? drawing to a texture i hope.
I'm not rendering to a texture, but to the back buffer. Here is my setup code, if that helps:
// setup for windowed or fullscreen mode if(windowed) { // make sure the desktop is 32bits-- needed for display!! if( (d3ddm.Format != D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) && (d3ddm.Format != D3DFMT_X8R8G8B8) ) return leERR( "Desktop needs to run in 32bit mode to use windowed mode" ); d3dpp.Windowed = TRUE; // Is this okay, or do we have to use Format (I need the alpha!!!!) d3dpp.BackBufferFormat = D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8;//d3ddm.Format; } else { d3dpp.Windowed = FALSE; d3dpp.BackBufferFormat = D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8; } // set dest buffer size d3dpp.BackBufferWidth = xres; d3dpp.BackBufferHeight = yres; // set the back buffer count d3dpp.BackBufferCount = 1; // set the swap effect to discard, whatever that is d3dpp.SwapEffect = D3DSWAPEFFECT_DISCARD; // set the back buffer format d3dpp.BackBufferFormat = d3ddm.Format; // setup for using the best stencils available. d3dpp.EnableAutoDepthStencil = TRUE; d3dpp.AutoDepthStencilFormat = D3DFMT_D24S8; // try to create the device hr = dx_stuff.d3d->CreateDevice( D3DADAPTER_DEFAULT, D3DDEVTYPE_HAL, hWnd, D3DCREATE_HARDWARE_VERTEXPROCESSING, &d3dpp, &dx_stuff.d3dd ); if(FAILED(hr)); This code does not return any errors on the NVidia card. The documentation is sort of fuzzy, but I assume CreateDevice fails if the required format is not supported.
quote: destination alpha has been in from geforce2
The GeForce256 had destination alpha reads of some sort, also I think. At anyrate, an investigation of the HAL caps show that GF4MX supports the D3DBLEND_ALPHA blend operation for both source and destination. Am I getting the wrong meaning out of this?
Thanks for the replys.
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:45:33 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:47:52 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:52:56 AM]
[edited by - SH on May 31, 2002 8:54:07 AM]
This topic is closed to new replies.
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