about GeForce 8 Series (G8X) OpenGL Extensions

OpenGL OpenGL: Advanced Coding
1

Dear all,

where can download nvidia “glext.h” file for GeForce 8 Series (G8X) OpenGL Extensions :confused: .

Thanks :wink:

2

with all these new extensions I see an urgend need for a cleaned up OpenGL (aka OpenGL 3.0 lean and mean)!!!

3

why?
the only non core extension i use is FBO
just use a extension loader eg glew + u can ignore the thought of extensions

95% of extensions u can ignore cause theyve been superceeded (or have no practical use)

true a lean + mean gl will be nice (from the driver writers viewpoint) for me it wont make any difference

4

why?
Because OpenGL’s plumbing is being stressed quite a bit by some of these extensions. Look at how many of them tell people who aren’t using glslang to take a hike?

Concepts like specifying mipmaps and so forth are getting in the way of progress, as exemplified in the texture_array specification (check the issues on generating mipmaps).

It’s not about having to access them via extensions; it’s about the fact that the core root of OpenGL is not well designed for the kinds of things it’s being forced to do, and they are getting in the way of progress and performance.

5

yes thats true certainly for the driver writers, i can see it being a major PITA actually, yes gl2.0 should of done a springclean (the end result of what we got as gl2.0 should of been called 1.6)

but for u + me + hampel 95%+ of extensions can be ignored as it should make no major difference to us

6

if you download the specifications from the nVidia website you should be able to find the values for the appripriate #defines yourself.

The nVidia OpenGL-Specs for EXT_geometry_shader4 gives (for example):

GEOMETRY_SHADER_EXT 0x8DD9

which results for you in a
#define GL_GEOMETRY_SHADER_EXT 0x8DD9

you’ll find the complete values for the constants (which are defines in C/C++ and replaced by the preprocessor) in the nvidia specs avaiable at http://developer.nvidia.com

and the new Functions, well, meanwhile, use wglGetProcAddress :wink:

the parameters (and names) are described in the specs as well.

I, for my(lazy)self, looked for a glext.h-file too, but it doesn’t seem that there’s one avaiable right now.

I don’t think 95% of the new extensions should be ignored. they bring things up DX9 already has (e.g. Instancing) or give the GL community features, the DX-community will only be avaiable to use with the (still unfinished) directX10 under (the still not released for public)Vista only.
(Geometry Shader, GPU shader, texture buffer objects, transform feedback (makes your GPU a PhysicsPU using GL :wink: ))

7

they bring things up DX9 already has (e.g. Instancing)
No. This instancing is completely different from DX9 instancing.

give the GL community features, the DX-community will only be avaiable to use with the (still unfinished) directX10 under (the still not released for public)Vista only.
Which is of no value until hardware exists that can actually use them.

8

Glext.h and friends are now available on the NVIDIA developer site.

http://developer.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_opengl_specs.html

-Evan

9

ehart:

Glext.h and friends are now available on the NVIDIA developer site.

something I recently found out too :wink: now I owe my colleague some baked noodles :slight_smile:

Korval:

Which is of no value until hardware exists that can actually use them.

today, we got our 2 GF8800GTS (here@work).
Very nice boards :slight_smile:

No. This instancing is completely different from DX9 instancing.

you may be right. its not the same but has the same intention, when I understand the “Overview” section in the specs correctly.