OpenGL 3.2 drivers for ATI Radeon HD 2000 series and newer

[duds26]

Today ATI has released drivers with OpenGL 3.2 support for ATI radeon HD 2000 series and newer.
Together with Catalyst software suite 9.12:
Download page: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

Detailed release notes: http://www2.ati.com/relnotes/Catalyst_912_release_notes.pdf


List of OpenGL 3.2 features and extensions added in ATI Catalyst 9.12:

* Support for OpenGL Shading Language 1.50.
* BGRA vertex component ordering (GL_ARB_vertex_array_bgra).
* Drawing commands allowing modification of the base vertex index (GL_ARB_draw_elements_base_vertex).
* Shader fragment coordinate convention control (GL_ARB_fragment_coord_conventions).
* Provoking vertex control (GL_ARB_provoking_vertex).
* Seamless cube map filtering (GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map).
* Multisampled textures and texture samplers for specific sample locations (GL_ARB_texture_multisample).
* Fragment depth clamping (GL_ARB_depth_clamp).
* Geometry shaders (GL_ARB_geometry_shader4).
* Fence sync objects (GL_ARB_sync).

Now everybody has OpenGL 3.2 available, jippie
EDIT: Now most Celestia users who have Windows as their OS have OpenGL 3.2 available, jippie

[Reiko]

Are there plans for Celestia to use it Open GL 3.2?

[duds26]

While the developers aren't taking up new features of OpenGL 3.2 now, here are still advantages.
Some of the things are performance advantages for drivers to better run on multiple-core systems.

In the future, things like seamless cube maps and the new multi-sample anti-aliasing functions will probably be used in Celestia.
Just my 2 cents.

[danielj]

Is it true that ECS GTS 250 ONLY supports Open GL 2.1?

[duds26]

@danielj
OpenGL 2.1 has everything that OpenGL 2.0 has and new stuff.
The only version where there are two profiles (one core and one with extra stuff for backwards compatibility) is from OpenGL 3.1 and beyond.

For discovering the OpenGL version,
you could look on nVidia's website.
(The card you have is an Nvidia GTS 250.)

And while you're at it, search for an up to date driver.

[ianmacfarlane]

Now everybody has OpenGL 3.2 available, jippie

Not people running Linux with the open source drivers, and I don't think Mac users either.

[duds26]

Now most Celestia users who have Windows as their OS have OpenGL 3.2 available, jippie

[danielj]

But my card box says that ONLY supports Open GL 2.1.How can it be?A much older VGA supports Open GL 3.2 and my video card don?t!?

[selden]

Whether or not a particular card supports certain OpenGL features is determined by the manufacturer and the version of graphics drivers that you have installed.

ATI has had a history of providing newer OpenGL features in software that aren't available in the hardware. They aren't very fast, but they can be used. There were quite a few updates of that type for their ancient 9200 cards.

Nvidia tends not to do that.

[danielj]

http://www.nvidia.com/object/win7_winvi ... _whql.html
This driver supports Open GL 3.2,but if it is said the box that only supports Open GL 2.1,what prevails?
I am beggining to think that I commited a mistake buying an ECS video card...

[duds26]

New things can be added through software, depending on the details it's a lot slower to roughly the same performance than in hardware.

sigh, you have NOT made a mistake:
(Read all of it.)
Your card also supports all versions of opengl prior to 2.1 because they only added stuff up to 2.1.
They say that on the box only because then people can't say 'but it says 2.1 and 2.1 is close to 3'.
It's not that there is a new version that it can't be added, made in software.
Which happends with new driver releases, this means update your drivers.
With 2.1 however your card has been build for it. (take that very literally.)

You have NOT made a mistake, just UPDATE your DRIVERS!
Follow this: http://www.shatters.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12440


P.S. you have an Nvidia (ECS) video card.
(ECS is the distributor, Nvidia has designed and made the cards.)