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| author | marha <marha@users.sourceforge.net> | 2009-10-08 13:15:52 +0000 |
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| committer | marha <marha@users.sourceforge.net> | 2009-10-08 13:15:52 +0000 |
| commit | a0c4815433ccd57322f4f7703ca35e9ccfa59250 (patch) | |
| tree | f5213802ec12adb86ec3136001c1c29fe5343700 /mesalib/docs/faq.html | |
| parent | c73dc01b6de45612b24dc2dd34fba24d81ebf46c (diff) | |
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diff --git a/mesalib/docs/faq.html b/mesalib/docs/faq.html new file mode 100644 index 000000000..65e279aac --- /dev/null +++ b/mesalib/docs/faq.html @@ -0,0 +1,397 @@ +<html> + +<head><title>Mesa FAQ</title></head> + +<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="mesa.css"></head> + +<BODY> + + +<center> +<h1>Mesa Frequently Asked Questions</h1> +Last updated: 21 August 2006 +</center> + +<br> +<br> +<h2>Index</h2> +<a href="#part1">1. High-level Questions and Answers</a> +<br> +<a href="#part2">2. Compilation and Installation Problems</a> +<br> +<a href="#part3">3. Runtime / Rendering Problems</a> +<br> +<a href="#part4">4. Developer Questions</a> +<br> +<br> +<br> + + + +<a name="part1"> +</a><h1><a name="part1">1. High-level Questions and Answers</a></h1> + +<h2><a name="part1">1.1 What is Mesa?</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part1">Mesa is an open-source implementation of the OpenGL specification. +OpenGL is a programming library for writing interactive 3D applications. +See the </a><a href="http://www.opengl.org/">OpenGL website</a> for more +information. +</p> +<p> +Mesa 6.x supports the OpenGL 1.5 specification. +</p> + + +<h2>1.2 Does Mesa support/use graphics hardware?</h2> +<p> +Yes. Specifically, Mesa serves as the OpenGL core for the open-source DRI +drivers for XFree86/X.org. See the <a href="http://dri.freedesktop.org/">DRI +website</a> for more information. +</p> +<p> +There have been other hardware drivers for Mesa over the years (such as +the 3Dfx Glide/Voodoo driver, an old S3 driver, etc) but the DRI drivers +are the modern ones. +</p> + +<h2>1.3 What purpose does Mesa serve today?</h2> +<p> +Hardware-accelerated OpenGL implementations are available for most popular +operating systems today. +Still, Mesa serves at least these purposes: +</p> +<ul> +<li>Mesa is used as the core of the open-source XFree86/X.org DRI + hardware drivers. +</li> +<li>Mesa is quite portable and allows OpenGL to be used on systems + that have no other OpenGL solution. +</li> +<li>Software rendering with Mesa serves as a reference for validating the + hardware drivers. +</li> +<li>A software implementation of OpenGL is useful for experimentation, + such as testing new rendering techniques. +</li> +<li>Mesa can render images with deep color channels: 16-bit integer + and 32-bit floating point color channels are supported. + This capability is only now appearing in hardware. +</li> +<li>Mesa's internal limits (max lights, clip planes, texture size, etc) can be + changed for special needs (hardware limits are hard to overcome). +</li> +</ul> + + +<h2>1.4 What's the difference between"Stand-Alone" Mesa and the DRI drivers?</h2> +<p> +<em>Stand-alone Mesa</em> is the original incarnation of Mesa. +On systems running the X Window System it does all its rendering through +the Xlib API: +<ul> +<li>The GLX API is supported, but it's really just an emulation of the + real thing. +<li>The GLX wire protocol is not supported and there's no OpenGL extension + loaded by the X server. +<li>There is no hardware acceleration. +<li>The OpenGL library, libGL.so, contains everything (the programming API, + the GLX functions and all the rendering code). +</ul> +</p> +<p> +Alternately, Mesa acts as the core for a number of OpenGL hardware drivers +within the DRI (Direct Rendering Infrastructure): +<ul> +<li>The libGL.so library provides the GL and GLX API functions, a GLX + protocol encoder, and a device driver loader. +<li>The device driver modules (such as r200_dri.so) contain a built-in + copy of the core Mesa code. +<li>The X server loads the GLX module. + The GLX module decodes incoming GLX protocol and dispatches the commands + to a rendering module. + For the DRI, this module is basically a software Mesa renderer. +</ul> + + + +<h2>1.5 How do I upgrade my DRI installation to use a new Mesa release?</h2> +<p> +This wasn't easy in the past. +Now, the DRI drivers are included in the Mesa tree and can be compiled +separately from the X server. +Just follow the Mesa <a href="install.html">compilation instructions</a>. +</p> + + +<h2>1.6 Are there other open-source implementations of OpenGL?</h2> +<p> +Yes, SGI's <a href="http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/index.html" +target="_parent"> +OpenGL Sample Implemenation (SI)</a> is available. +The SI was written during the time that OpenGL was originally designed. +Unfortunately, development of the SI has stagnated. +Mesa is much more up to date with modern features and extensions. +</p> + +<p> +<a href="http://ogl-es.sourceforge.net" target="_parent">Vincent</a> is +an open-source implementation of OpenGL ES for mobile devices. + +<p> +<a href="http://www.dsbox.com/minigl.html" target="_parent">miniGL</a> +is a subset of OpenGL for PalmOS devices. + +<p> +<a href="http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/TinyGL/" +target="_parent">TinyGL</a> is a subset of OpenGL. +</p> + +<p> +<a href="http://softgl.studierstube.org/" target="_parent">SoftGL</a> +is an OpenGL subset for mobile devices. +</p> + +<p> +<a href="http://chromium.sourceforge.net/" target="_parent">Chromium</a> +isn't a conventional OpenGL implementation (it's layered upon OpenGL), +but it does export the OpenGL API. It allows tiled rendering, sort-last +rendering, etc. +</p> + +<p> +<a href="http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/361/36173.html" +target="_parent">ClosedGL</a> is an OpenGL subset library for TI +graphing calculators. +</p> + +<p> +There may be other open OpenGL implementations, but Mesa is the most +popular and feature-complete. +</p> + + + +<br> +<br> + + +<a name="part2"> +</a><h1><a name="part2">2. Compilation and Installation Problems</a></h1> + + +<h2><a name="part2">2.1 What's the easiest way to install Mesa?</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part2">If you're using a Linux-based system, your distro CD most likely already +has Mesa packages (like RPM or DEB) which you can easily install. +</a></p> + + +<h2><a name="part2">2.2 I get undefined symbols such as bgnpolygon, v3f, etc...</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part2">You're application is written in IRIS GL, not OpenGL. +IRIS GL was the predecessor to OpenGL and is a different thing (almost) +entirely. +Mesa's not the solution. +</a></p> + + +<h2><a name="part2">2.3 Where is the GLUT library?</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part2">GLUT (OpenGL Utility Toolkit) is in the separate MesaGLUT-x.y.z.tar.gz file. +If you don't already have GLUT installed, you should grab the MesaGLUT +package and compile it with the rest of Mesa. +</a></p> + + + +<h2><a name="part2">2.4 What's the proper place for the libraries and headers?</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part2">On Linux-based systems you'll want to follow the +</a><a href="http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/ABI/index.html" +target="_parent">Linux ABI</a> standard. +Basically you'll want the following: +</p> +<ul> +<li>/usr/include/GL/gl.h - the main OpenGL header +</li><li>/usr/include/GL/glu.h - the OpenGL GLU (utility) header +</li><li>/usr/include/GL/glx.h - the OpenGL GLX header +</li><li>/usr/include/GL/glext.h - the OpenGL extensions header +</li><li>/usr/include/GL/glxext.h - the OpenGL GLX extensions header +</li><li>/usr/include/GL/osmesa.h - the Mesa off-screen rendering header +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGL.so - a symlink to libGL.so.1 +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGL.so.1 - a symlink to libGL.so.1.xyz +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGL.so.xyz - the actual OpenGL/Mesa library. xyz denotes the +Mesa version number. +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGLU.so - a symlink to libGLU.so.1 +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGLU.so.1 - a symlink to libGLU.so.1.3.xyz +</li><li>/usr/lib/libGLU.so.xyz - the OpenGL Utility library. xyz denotes the Mesa +version number. +</li></ul> +<p> +After installing XFree86/X.org and the DRI drivers, some of these files +may be symlinks into the /usr/X11R6/ tree. +</p> +<p> +The old-style Makefile system doesn't install the Mesa libraries; it's +up to you to copy them (and the headers) to the right place. +</p> +<p> +The GLUT header and library should go in the same directories. +</p> +<br> +<br> + + +<a name="part3"> +</a><h1><a name="part3">3. Runtime / Rendering Problems</a></h1> + +<h2><a name="part3">3.1 Rendering is slow / why isn't my graphics hardware being used?</a></h2> +<p> +<a name="part3">Stand-alone Mesa (downloaded as MesaLib-x.y.z.tar.gz) doesn't have any +support for hardware acceleration (with the exception of the 3DFX Voodoo +driver). +</a></p> +<p> +<a name="part3">What you really want is a DRI or NVIDIA (or another vendor's OpenGL) driver +for your particular hardware. +</a></p> +<p> +<a name="part3">You can run the <code>glxinfo</code> program to learn about your OpenGL +library. +Look for the GL_VENDOR and GL_RENDERER values. +That will identify who's OpenGL library you're using and what sort of +hardware it has detected. +</a></p> +<p> +<a name="part3">If your DRI-based driver isn't working, go to the +</a><a href="http://dri.sf.net/" target="_parent">DRI website</a> for trouble-shooting information. +</p> + + +<h2>3.2 I'm seeing errors in depth (Z) buffering. Why?</h2> +<p> +Make sure the ratio of the far to near clipping planes isn't too great. +Look +<a href="http://www.opengl.org/resources/faq/technical/depthbuffer.htm#0040" +target="_parent"> here</a> for details. +</p> +<p> +Mesa uses a 16-bit depth buffer by default which is smaller and faster +to clear than a 32-bit buffer but not as accurate. +If you need a deeper you can modify the parameters to +<code> glXChooseVisual</code> in your code. +</p> + + +<h2>3.3 Why Isn't depth buffering working at all?</h2> +<p> +Be sure you're requesting a depth buffered-visual. If you set the MESA_DEBUG +environment variable it will warn you about trying to enable depth testing +when you don't have a depth buffer. +</p> +<p>Specifically, make sure <code>glutInitDisplayMode</code> is being called +with <code>GLUT_DEPTH</code> or <code>glXChooseVisual</code> is being +called with a non-zero value for GLX_DEPTH_SIZE. +</p> +<p>This discussion applies to stencil buffers, accumulation buffers and +alpha channels too. +</p> + + +<h2>3.4 Why does glGetString() always return NULL?</h2> +<p> +Be sure you have an active/current OpenGL rendering context before +calling glGetString. +</p> + + +<h2>3.5 GL_POINTS and GL_LINES don't touch the right pixels</h2> +<p> +If you're trying to draw a filled region by using GL_POINTS or GL_LINES +and seeing holes or gaps it's because of a float-to-int rounding problem. +But this is not a bug. +See Appendix H of the OpenGL Programming Guide - "OpenGL Correctness Tips". +Basically, applying a translation of (0.375, 0.375, 0.0) to your coordinates +will fix the problem. +</p> + +<h2>3.6 How can I change the maximum framebuffer size in Mesa's +<tt>swrast</tt> backend?</h2> +<p> +These can be overridden by using the <tt>--with-max-width</tt> and +<tt>--with-max-height</tt> options. The two need not be equal. +</p><p> +Do note that Mesa uses these values to size some internal buffers, +so increasing these sizes will cause Mesa to require additional +memory. Furthermore, increasing these limits beyond <tt>4096</tt> +may introduce rasterization artifacts; see the leading comments in +<tt>src/mesa/swrast/s_tritemp.h</tt>. +</p> + +<br> +<br> + + +<a name="part4"> +</a><h1><a name="part4">4. Developer Questions</a></h1> + +<h2>4.1 How can I contribute?</a></h2> +<p> +First, join the <a href="http://www.mesa3d.org/lists.html">Mesa3d-dev +mailing list</a>. +That's where Mesa development is discussed. +</p> +<p> +The <a href="http://www.opengl.org/documentation" target="_parent"> +OpenGL Specification</a> is the bible for OpenGL implemention work. +You should read it. +</p> +<p>Most of the Mesa development work involves implementing new OpenGL +extensions, writing hardware drivers (for the DRI), and code optimization. +</p> + +<h2>4.2 How do I write a new device driver?</h2> +<p> +Unfortunately, writing a device driver isn't easy. +It requires detailed understanding of OpenGL, the Mesa code, and your +target hardware/operating system. +3D graphics are not simple. +</p> +<p> +The best way to get started is to use an existing driver as your starting +point. +For a software driver, the X11 and OSMesa drivers are good examples. +For a hardware driver, the Radeon and R200 DRI drivers are good examples. +</p> +<p>The DRI website has more information about writing hardware drivers. +The process isn't well document because the Mesa driver interface changes +over time, and we seldome have spare time for writing documentation. +That being said, many people have managed to figure out the process. +</p> +<p> +Joining the appropriate mailing lists and asking questions (and searching +the archives) is a good way to get information. +</p> + + +<h2>4.3 Why isn't GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc implemented in Mesa?</h2> +<p> +The <a href="http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/registry/EXT/texture_compression_s3tc.txt" target="_parent">specification for the extension</a> +indicates that there are intellectual property (IP) and/or patent issues +to be dealt with. +</p> +<p>We've been unsucessful in getting a response from S3 (or whoever owns +the IP nowadays) to indicate whether or not an open source project can +implement the extension (specifically the compression/decompression +algorithms). +</p> +<p> +In the mean time, a 3rd party <a href= +"http://homepage.hispeed.ch/rscheidegger/dri_experimental/s3tc_index.html" +target="_parent">plug-in library</a> is available. +</p> + + +</body> +</html> |