HDR in Half-Life 2 maybe not possible for Nvidia cards?

[Avatar007]

Interesting post from 'someone who knows': Dave Baumann

Link to beyond3d forum

Hi guys,

OK, I've only just got back home in the UK from Shader day and am beginning to catch up on the aftermath of Gabes statements.

I've not read all this thread so I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I see that NVIDIA are suggesting using PS1.4 for many effects and there will be limited visual difference. There is a problem with this though.

Whilst Valve were there they displayed that they had implemented higher dynamic range into the engine. HDR will be available in the game to those that support its requirements, however it is not currently implemented in the benchmark. HDR needs the a higher range, and PS1.4 only has -8, 8 range which is probably not enough - the HDR effects also require float buffers which none of the current NVIDIA drivers support. There is also dramatic visual differences between HDR being enabled and disabled.

HDR is currently not in the benchmark mode because NVIDIA don't support float buffers at the moment and the benchmark was designed to render equally on all systems.

Seems like to big bom still has to fall...

 

[Whizzy]

wow....

This Ti-200 i have will be my last nVidia card. after all this HL2 / Lara / Aquamark business.. I really hope they fix "some" things with the nv40

 

[Avatar007]

It was this HDR (High Dynamic Range)-usage that I saw in Half-Life 2 screen-shots that impressed me the most... (very realistic rendered water, metal walls ...)

 

[mooojojojo]

ok.. what exactly is HDR? and please don't just reply High Dynamic Range

 

[Avatar007]

Good question mooojojojo.

I'm also new in these materials and have to get my info from the web.

Best link to get some (realy beautifull) HDR examples is:
Real-Time High Dynamic Range Image-Based Lighting

I found the best HDR definition in:
HDRShop

What is a High-Dynamic Range (HDR) image?
The "dynamic range" of a scene is the contast ratio between its brightest and darkest parts. A plate of evenly-lit mashed potatoes outside on a cloudy day is low-dynamic range. The interior of an ornate cathedral with light streaming in through its stained-glass windows is high dynamic range. In fact, any scene in which the light sources can be seen directly is high dynamic range.

A High-Dynamic Range image is an image that has a greater dynamic range than can be shown on a standard display device, or that can be captured with a standard camera with just a single exposure.
HDR images also have the important property that their pixel values are proportional to the amount of light in the world corresponding to that pixel, unlike most regular images whose pixel values are nonlinearly encoded.

HDR Images are typically generated by combining multiple normal images of the same scene taken with different intensity levels, or as the result of creating a global illumination rendering. In practice, high dynamic range pixels use floating-point numbers, capable of representing light quantities of one to a million and beyond. Low-dynamic range images usually represent pixels using eight bits per channel, with pixel values ranging as integers between 0 and 255.

Hope this helps...

 

[Avatar007]

noticed the requirements for the HDR demo to run?

System Requirements:
[*]Intel(R) 80x86-compatible CPU
[*]Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 98, ME, 2000, or XP
[*]DirectX(R) 9.0 or later
[*]A video card that supports Vertex Shader 2.0 and Pixel Shader 2.0

 

[Avatar007]

Same question asked now also at Beyond3D:
Mixed NV3xpath doesnt support HDR in halflife2?Who knows?
Maybe they have some answers there...

 

[ndee]

http://myweb.cableone.net/jrose/Jeremy/HL2.jpg

rotfl

 

[arcenite]

I can't wait for HL2.

Bill

 

[jm0ris0n]

Originally posted by: Avatar007
Good question mooojojojo.

I'm also new in these materials and have to get my info from the web.

Best link to get some (realy beautifull) HDR examples is:
Real-Time High Dynamic Range Image-Based Lighting

I found the best HDR definition in:
HDRShop

What is a High-Dynamic Range (HDR) image?
The "dynamic range" of a scene is the contast ratio between its brightest and darkest parts. A plate of evenly-lit mashed potatoes outside on a cloudy day is low-dynamic range. The interior of an ornate cathedral with light streaming in through its stained-glass windows is high dynamic range. In fact, any scene in which the light sources can be seen directly is high dynamic range.

A High-Dynamic Range image is an image that has a greater dynamic range than can be shown on a standard display device, or that can be captured with a standard camera with just a single exposure.
HDR images also have the important property that their pixel values are proportional to the amount of light in the world corresponding to that pixel, unlike most regular images whose pixel values are nonlinearly encoded.

HDR Images are typically generated by combining multiple normal images of the same scene taken with different intensity levels, or as the result of creating a global illumination rendering. In practice, high dynamic range pixels use floating-point numbers, capable of representing light quantities of one to a million and beyond. Low-dynamic range images usually represent pixels using eight bits per channel, with pixel values ranging as integers between 0 and 255.

Hope this helps...

Wow! Those are some amazing real-time effects !

 

[bjc112]

Originally posted by: aRCeNiTe
I can't wait for HL2.

Bill

My 9500 Pro is excited.

Is the date officially pushed back? Or still Sept. 30 along with Halo..

 

[NFS4]

Benchmarks or 5600 getting beat by 9600 Pro in HDR testing:

http://techreport.com/reviews/2003q3/chaintech-5600u/index.x?pg=6

 

[dmw16]

ebgames has it shipping mid november so i think it has been pushed back...but im keeping my fingers crossed.
-doug

 

[HigherGround]

anyone with a 5x00 willing to try it.

 

[Pocatello]

I've heard that HL2 will be bundled with the faster ATi 9800 on the 30th of Sept. I wonder if Valve will release the game to the retail stores on the same date or a lot later. I guess if you want to play HL2 at the end of Sept, you better have $400 under the mattress.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
I've heard that HL2 will be bundled with the faster ATi 9800 on the 30th of Sept. I wonder if Valve will release the game to the retail stores on the same date or a lot later. I guess if you want to play HL2 at the end of Sept, you better have $400 under the mattress.

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: Pocatello
I've heard that HL2 will be bundled with the faster ATi 9800 on the 30th of Sept. I wonder if Valve will release the game to the retail stores on the same date or a lot later. I guess if you want to play HL2 at the end of Sept, you better have $400 under the mattress.

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?

Like you have anything to say anyway

 

[Alkali]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: Pocatello
I've heard that HL2 will be bundled with the faster ATi 9800 on the 30th of Sept. I wonder if Valve will release the game to the retail stores on the same date or a lot later. I guess if you want to play HL2 at the end of Sept, you better have $400 under the mattress.

Do you have any idea what you're talking about?

I think he needs some sleep Nebor