What are Register Combiners ???

[Olumide]

Hi Fellas

My question is simple one, and I need simple - and if possible, detailed answer.

(Please send links where appropriate but please note that I doccumentation on how to program these Register thingies are hardly appropriate...)

so ... WHAT'S A REGISTER COMBINER?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?


ThanX

[Nutty]

A register combiner is a "function" that does maths on graphics stuff, like primary colors, texture fragments.

Very similar to how standard texture environment stuff lets you modulate textures together, with material colors, only much more flexable.

The how it works is not important, it just does, thanks to the clever engineers that make graphics hardware.

They are important, because they allow us to combine the material colors, and texture texels in new and interesting ways, allowing for effects such as per pixel mathematics, and custom blending equations that aren't done by the default combine systems (Texture Env, Texture Env Combine4 etc..).

Nutty