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Mantle (API)

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Mantle
Developer(s)AMD, DICE[1]
Operating systemWindows[2]Linux (announced)[3]
Platformx86 currently
TypeAPI
LicenseNot Yet Detailed
Websitewww.amd.com/mantle

Mantle is a graphics API specification developed by AMD as an alternative to Direct3D and OpenGL, primarily for use on the PC platform.[4] Currently the only implementation is for graphics processing units with AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture.[5] The design goals of Mantle are to allow games and applications to utilize the CPU and GPU more efficiently, eliminate CPU bottlenecks by reducing API validation overhead and allowing more effective scaling on multiple cores, provide faster draw routines, and allow greater control over the graphics pipeline by eliminating certain aspects of hardware abstraction inherent to the current prevailing graphics APIs.[6] Mantle will allow Graphics Core Next GPUs to better utilize the TressFX and TrueAudio programs, both of which are also AMD developed technologies.[7][8]

AMD has stated that Mantle will be an open API.[9] It is unknown when the Mantle specification and development materials will be released to the public, although AMD's director of software alliances and developer relations stated in an interview that Mantle may be made public in early 2014, or the year after.[10] As of May 2014, the Mantle specification and development materials remain unavailable to the general public.

Claimed advantages

  • Easy to port to DirectX 12[11]
  • Monolithic Pipeline[12]
  • Pipeline saving and loading
  • Hybrid Resource Model
  • Control over resource preparation
  • Dynamic flow control without CPU intervention
  • Native multi-GPU support[13]
  • Reduced runtime shader compilation overhead
  • AMD claims that Mantle can generate up to 9 times more draw calls per second than comparable APIs by reducing CPU overhead.[5]
  • Performance increase over higher-level APIs such as Direct3D and OpenGL.
  • Explicit command buffer control
  • Up to 45% faster than Direct3D in Battlefield 4[14][15][16] and up to 319% faster in the Star Swarm demo in single GPU configuration[17][18][19] in extremely CPU-limited situations.
  • Better control over the hardware.[5]
  • "All hardware capabilities are exposed through the API."[5]
  • Low-overhead validation and processing of API commands[20]
  • Reduction of command buffer submissions
  • Data formats optimizations via flexible buffer/image access
  • Explicit control of resource compression, expansion, and synchronization
  • Asynchronous DMA queue for data uploads independent from the graphics engine
  • Asynchronous compute queue for overlapping of compute and graphics workloads
  • Advanced Anti-Aliasing features for MSAA/EQAA optimizations[21]
  • New rendering techniques.
  • Close to linear performance scaling from recording command buffers onto multiple CPU cores[6]
  • Multithreaded parallel CPU rendering support for at least 8 cores.[22]
  • No game developer reliance on existing AMD driver support release schedules (potentially no or fewer bugs on release, much faster patching for GFX related errors).
  • Due to bypassing of error-prone and inefficient abstraction, common technical difficulties like FPS drops, micro stuttering and texture corruption can be significantly less frequent or nonexistent, though Mantle currently has these more commonly than DirectX and OpenGL.[citation needed]

Usage

Game engines

Main page: Game engines that support Mantle
  • At GDC 2014, Crytek announced they will support Mantle in their engine.[23]
  • During a GPU 14 Tech Days presentation, an announcement was made that Frostbite 3 would include a Mantle backend.[4][5]
  • Will be used in the upcoming Nitrous game engine from Oxide Games.

Video games

Main page: Video games that support Mantle

Hardware support

The Mantle API is claimed to be supported by all hardware that implements AMD's Graphics Core Next microarchitecture, but only in conjunction with AMD Catalyst, AMD's proprietary device driver, and only the versions for the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. At time of writing available hardware which officially supports Mantle comprises:

  • certain Radeon HD 7000 Series GPUs
  • certain Radeon HD 8000 Series GPUs
  • certain AMD Radeon Rx 200 Series GPUs ("R7" and "R9")
  • all Steamroller-based "Kaveri" APUs: AMD A10-7000 Series and AMD A8-7000 Series
  • all Jaguar-based "Kabini" and "Temash" APUs: AMD E1-2000 Series, E2-3000 Series, A4-1200 Series, A4-1350, A4-5000 Series, A6-1450, A6-5200, Sempron 2650, Sempron 3850, Athlon 5150, Athlon 5350, etc.
  • all Puma-based "Beema" and "Mullins" APUs: E1 Micro-6200T, A4 Micro-6400T, A10 Micro-6700T, E1-6010, E2-6110, A4-6210, A6-6310, etc.

See also

  • Glide – another low-level API, by the now defunct 3dfx
  • S3 MeTaL – another low-level API, by S3
  • RRedline – another low-level API, by Rendition

References

  1. ^ Altavilla, Dave (Sep 30, 2013). "AMD and DICE To Co-Develop Console Style API For Radeon Graphics". forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  2. ^ Larabel, Michael (14 April 2014). "It Doesn't Look Like AMD Mantle Is Coming To Linux, SteamOS". Phoronix. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  3. ^ "AMD wants to improve gaming in Linux and Steam boxes with its Mantle tools". 2014-06-18.
  4. ^ a b Parrish, Kevin (Sep 25, 2013). "AMD's Mantle API Gives Devs Direct Hardware Control". tomshardware.com. Tom's Hardware. Retrieved Oct 1, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e "AMD Livestream at GPU 14 Tech Days". 2013.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b AMD Gaming: AMD Catalyst™ 14.1, a must-ha... | AMD Blogs
  7. ^ TressFX
  8. ^ TrueAudio
  9. ^ "Mantle Graphics API Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  10. ^ "We ask AMD: Why will Mantle be different?". VR-Zone. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  11. ^ http://community.amd.com/community/amd-blogs/amd-gaming/blog/2014/05/28
  12. ^ http://www.amd.com/Documents/Mantle_White_Paper.pdf
  13. ^ http://www.amd.com/Documents/Mantle_White_Paper.pdf
  14. ^ AMD Mantle API Performance Analysis With Radeon R7 260X, R9 270X, R9 280X
  15. ^ Tłumacz Google
  16. ^ http://www.pcgamesn.com/battlefield/amd-claim-performance-boosts-45-using-mantle-over-directx
  17. ^ AMD Mantle Powered Flagship Nitrous Engine "Star Swarm Benchmark" Released on Steam
  18. ^ Page 2 - AMD’s Mantle benchmarked: The biggest innovation in gaming since DirectX 9 | ExtremeTech
  19. ^ AMD releases Mantle, shares performance numbers
  20. ^ AMD Gaming: AMD Catalyst™ 14.1, a must-ha... | AMD Blogs
  21. ^ http://www.amd.com/Documents/Mantle_White_Paper.pdf
  22. ^ Smith, Ryan (Sep 26, 2013). "Understanding AMD's Mantle: A Low-Level Graphics API For GCN". anandtech.com. AnandTech. Archived from the original on Oct 1, 2013. Retrieved Oct 1, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ AMD Mantle support is headed to another game engine
  24. ^ Mantle Renderer now available in Battlefield 4
  25. ^ "AMD's Revolutionary Mantle Graphics API Adopted by Industry Leading Game Developers Cloud Imperium, Eidos-Montréal and Oxide". AMD. NYSE: AMD: AMD. November 4, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Star Citizen to Include Mantle Support". Transmission. Cloud Imperium Games. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  27. ^ Mantle Takes to the Stars with Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth
  28. ^ [1]
  29. ^ Mantle to power 15 Frostbite games; DICE calls for multi-vendor support
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