With the iOS devices with 8 processors, A7 and A8 (iPad Air, iPad Mini with Retina, iPhone 5S and later) hit Metal. This announced in June at WWDC new technology for 3D graphics is to increase image quality and performance of the equipment only through changes in the software. This progress is to allow devices to catch up with Apple’s big gaming platforms (PS3, Xbox 360, and in the future maybe even the next generation) – as an example, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. This humorous shooter from EA originally appeared on major platforms just. Thanks to the Metal game was launched on the iPad Air, which was previously impossible.
How’d reached such a jump in performance playing only the software without touching the hardware? To answer this question, we need to look at how is rendered 3D graphics.
Two decades luggage
Apple
When a new game is, regardless of the quality of graphics, no one drew pleasure from it, if it does not go as smoothly – in other words, if the action will not be displayed with at least 30 image frames per second. To wyrenderował equipment even one is needed and cooperation between the central processor (CPU) and graphics (GPU).
In this tandem CPU is preparing a set of instructions containing information about what is to be found in a cage, while the GPU immediately executes these instructions. The less time this process takes, the more frames per second is rendered. Ideally prepares CPU instructions at such a rate that the GPU always run at full speed.
For some time, however, the situation is far from ideal. GPUs are developing at a tremendous rate, higher than the central processors (example is the same iPhone 6 & A8 – CPU is faster to 25% relative to the A7, GPU and up to 50%). Today’s GPU bustling with his work of so much faster than they get instructions from the CPU, making the latter performance bottleneck.
is largely the fault of the graphics API – a programming interfaces, which are responsible for preparing the aforementioned instructions. Foundations for the action of the two most important, DirectX and OpenGL, poured back in the 90s, when the consumer market dominated by the likes of Voodoo 3D accelerator. To put it bluntly – in the era of the pixel Age.
Apple
Apple is not the first company to notice the problem of obsolete API. The trail blazed mainly manufacturer of graphics cards, AMD, which last year published a Mantle. The success of this approach in increasing productivity made anew discussion started on. Future API
The new API from Apple, Metal precisely, is a “pure” approach to the subject – acting only on the latest Apple systems , A7 and A8, the company reduced the number of operations performed by the API and allowed developers more direct communication with the GPU. If you believe the announcements, the effects are truly admirable – not just the GPU gets instructions much faster, but the CPU is less busy and have free computing resources. Game developers can use this fact in two ways:
1) can maintain the quality of the graphics at the same level, so that the GPU, running from now at full capacity, will render more frames per second, thereby increasing the flow of the game . Additional power CPU can allocate the calculations unrelated to graphics, for example. Physics and artificial intelligence.
Or
2) can have the GPU even more work – here into action just “Draw Calls “, which was said during the conference. “Draw Calls” is, in simple terms, the number of displayed objects on the screen. According to Apple Metal is possible thanks to their even 10x increase, from 400 to 4000, which has lead to a much more detailed graphics at 30 frames per second.
the new API results are impressive and should help Apple’owi not only in maintaining the already strong position of the iPhone and iPad mobile games on the market, but also in the struggle for productions at the “bigger platform”. Although Metal only went on the market, now enjoys great support from the game developers, including our native CD Projekt RED, which on the device with iOS-I intend to release The Witcher Battle Arena. Apple itself presented at the September conference game Vain Glory, production of Super Evil Megacorp, which actually offers graphic design, which large productions would not powstydziły.
But the appearance of the metal may also have a detrimental effect on Android. How?
Apple abandons openness
Before Metal Apple were using on their devices with OpenGL. OpenGL graphics API, which, however, in contrast to Microsoft’s DirectX, there is a closed standard. On the contrary, it is open source software, which can benefit everyone willing. This allows OpenGL is popular on many platforms, from Linux and Android on the forefront.
Over the API ensures the development of this consortium called The Khronos Group. This is an extremely interesting bunch, because we find in it such market giants like Google, Nokia, Nvidia, AMD, Sony, Intel, Samsung and Apple’s. Competitors for the day, at night working together for the common good?
Before this year’s WWDC could think so. Preview metal corrupts but this idyll. He says Kamil Brzezinski, head of Agora SA application:
Metal Apple will what it is for Microsoft DirectX, which is their own implementation of the API for 3D graphics.
Apple abandons open solution and introduces its own, closed. Why? The first answer that is throwing you is to have more control over it. But why now the Cupertino giant relies on its own solution, 20 years after Microsoft’s
As noted by Kamil Brzezinski, OpenGL is not adapted to the A7 and A8 chip and a 64-bit processor Apple. Theoretically, as one of the Khronos Group could affect the development of OpenGL in the desired direction by yourself, but here it is worth to quote the words Alexa St. John “Saint’s”, one of the creators of DirectX.
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According to him, Apple came to the point where the development of open solutions is not in his interest – the company already has so much skill in 3D graphics that can create their own API. What’s more, investing in OpenGL reflects backfire position with the Cupertino giant, because, willy-nilly, supports its direct competition.
OpenGL is not free from defects – many compares it random motley collection features that do not work or are non-optimized. According to the “Saint’s” mobile devices are free from this mess because the direction of development of the mobile version of OpenGL, OpenGL ES, marked the Apple designed for its iOS. Used this as Android smartphones so green little robot also well suited as a platform for games.
This situation may, however, now complicated. Although the Khronos Group has announced OpenGL’s initiative to create a new generation that has to catch up with market trends and get rid of the baggage of previous versions, this process will be difficult and long. Metal in the meantime it is. It is no wonder that there is a fear that starts to grow Grow the gap between iOS and Android-em, which until the release of a new generation of OpenGL may be too great to backfilling.
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