High-Precision Effects


	Technical Brief: The GeForce 6 Series of GPUs Image Quality High Performance & Quality for Complex Visual Effects Read about the superscalar architecture and the 64-bit texture filtering and blending of the GeForce 6 Series of GPUs in the attached technical brief (375KB PDF).

Richer, More Vibrant Images with the GeForce 6 Series of GPUs

The NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6 Series of GPUs delivers extraordinary new technologies that streamline the creation of stunning effects in games and other 3D real-time applications. The innovative new architecture gives developers the hardware power they need to create detailed, vibrant images that won’t tax your PC.

Superscalar Design
The NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series includes a totally new superscalar shader architecture, which doubles the number of operations that can be executed per cycle compared to traditional architectures. The result is a significant performance increase over single-shader non-scalar designs. In addition, the new architecture provides full 32-bit floating point precision—while still allowing for 16-bit mode—so developers can deliver higher quality images in a broader range of real-time situations. The superscalar design also provides increased programming flexibility. Increased performance, flexibility, and 32-bit native mode enable a host of complex computations and pixel operations, resulting in an unprecedented level of image sophistication in the latest bleeding-edge games and other real-time interactive applications.

64-Bit Texture Filtering and Blending
Did you know that the human eye is more sensitive to low intensities of light, and sees darker shades with more detail than high-intensity or bright light? Developers would like to take advantage of the subtle light, texture, and color intricacies that you see in the real world and put them in their games, so you can experience rich, detailed scenes that fully immerse you in their game environments.

Image courtesy of Paul Debevec

This image illustrates the use of high dynamic-range rendering. Note the photorealistic quality of the light; the incredible brightness of the sun shining through the windows and its reflections, as well as the rich color detail of the darker imagery.

Until now, high dynamic-range (HDR) rendering—a technique for photorealistic rendering—was limited by graphics hardware capabilities. With NVIDIA’s 64-bit texture filtering and blending technology, based on the Industrial Light + Magic standard OpenEXR, the hardware barriers are removed. Now developers can easily take advantage of advanced shading, blending, filtering, and texturing capabilities to create accurate effects such as iridescence, motion blur, and soft shadows. In addition, the new GeForce GPUs include a new rotated-grid antialiasing system for more accurately depicted pixel colors.

Image courtesy of Microsoft

The image on the left was taken without high dynamic range, and shows a blown out lighting effect on the window and floor. The image on the right, taken with high dynamic range, shows much more accurate lighting effects. In the image on the right, note the subtle lighting variations on the floor and on the nature scene on the wall versus the harsh, over-lit conditions in the image on the left.

A New Era of Effects
The new GeForce 6 Series’ superscalar architecture with its native 32-bit pipeline and advanced imaging features, translates into speed and precision improvements across a broad range of imaging operations and effects. Many operations become practical for the first time in real-time applications and games, bringing life and cinematic realism to the PC. Without compromising speed for quality, developers can implement stunning visual effects throughout complex scenes and digital worlds. Revolutionary innovations like 64-bit texture filtering and blending allow for higher visual quality and more unique effects by maintaining floating point precision in all aspects of rendering, including shading, texturing, filtering, and blending. The NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series is poised to break through the final barriers to achieving cinematic realism in virtual worlds. Soon, even the experts will be doing double takes—trying to discern computer-generated scenes from filmed sequences.