[GSoC 2012] Complete the DirectX 11 render system

[robert_sasu]

Sorry guys. I just overestimated my power, and also had another deadline for Sunday. I have a lot of stuff to do for university, but I am also making progress with the code review and the tasks what I have to do. I will finish as soon as possible, perhaps tomorrow night, and give all the detailed answers.

[robert_sasu]

I've finished with reading the codes of Eugene and reviewed also all the patches. I've uploaded the wiki page of the project, adding the project proposal (for start). I've also opened a fork of ogre on bitbucket, give permission for ogre administrators and users https://bitbucket.org/sasu_robert/ogre3d-d3d11. I've read the page on the ogre coding styles, downloaded and set up TortoiseHg for Ogre using the guide line.

As I saw some of the patches from the open patch list were already merged to the master version of ogre, like the texture2d array implementation. Some of the features done by the open patches are also covered by Eugene's work(which is great). As we want to complete the D3D11 render system I think all of the patches are useful, but I would firstly merge the patches created by crashym and zerocomplex (ID's: 3448095, 3439298,3502173, 3448095). I would work with the multiple render target patches after finishing the tessellation support, also would try to merge the work done for separate scene blending, operations by then (the patches uploaded by crashym). In these time of the program, I would try to work with the patches of zerocomplex, doing all the needed changes, test them. On Eugene's work there is also a method for the alpha-beta blending.

The code for the WinRT support is good, as I have not yet installed window 8 I couldn't test it, but read all the commits, and all the changes made. It is great to have such a support for WindowsRT, as windows has a lot of users and graphics engine's are widely used by anyone who want to publish a game / a program using 3D/2D graphics. Ogre is the first of the open graphics engine's which already has support for the Metro style. The support for XAML is good for easing the work of creating a sample, a presentation, and great support for webpages to use sophisticated graphics which will be rendered directly to the videocard. The code is as general as it is possible, using every render system, depending on the system which will be using windows8. As for the changes and features added, it is added separately everything needed for windowsRT which is almost the same as win32. Redefining by name
(for example. #elif OGRE_PLATFORM == OGRE_PLATFORM_WINRT
typedef ID3D11Device1 ID3D11DeviceN;) the code became more general, writing the code just once, and work for win32 and also winRT. The work also cleaned up the unused code, and made some minor bugfixes (on major on cleaning up, freeing the memory used by the render system). For RTShaderSystem it enables backward compatibility for hlsl shaders (which is not yet known if it will be supported by windows8 or not, but is good for every OS which has direct support). For Win32 the resizing of swapchain is done, everything dependent of resources have to be released and reaquired. In the method for determining the driver version it checks for ID3D10 support, instead of ID3D11 as there is no CheckInterfaceSupport() later, it need a UMD for D3D10 and D3D11, so that blacklisting could be done. Cleans up the code for isTexture, making better use of the getCustomAttribute() method. Finally, also adds a different error check system for windowsRT and support for xgiDevice.

[Assaf Raman]

Good work.
Can you add to the wiki a list of tasks for the project? Have the following columns - ID, Title, State (declared, active, done, canceled), Time estimate in hours (min and max hours estimate to complete the task), actual hours you worked on the task(add the hours every day at the end of the day to the tasks you worked on), IDs of other dependance tasks.
Try to order the list based on the order you think you will do the tasks.

This will be a good way for me to follow your progress.
At the end of every work day - post a small summary on this thread that will include what you did that day and what you have planed for the next day. If you need to take time off (weekend, party, exam, etc) - that is fine, but post about it - and when you are going to continue the work. If you have open issues, or need help - write it also there. The community and I will follow you and try to guide and help you as much as we can.

This is a high profile project, I hope that all the members of the community that wanted it (they know who they are) - will give you a nice welcome, follow your progress and help along the long road ahead of us.

You can always contact me privately if needed, the reason for the daily public thread update is that this is the common way we update each other on projects progress in the community, you can see the same in the d3d11 thread and other threads.

Is the task list idea and daily progress in the forum thread acceptable by you or you want do things in a different way?

[Assaf Raman]

I updated your signature - so when you post in the forum - the community will be able to identify you, please don't change your signature until the end of the project.

[robert_sasu]

I will not change my signature (I like it ).

The task list idea and daily progress in the forum thread is more then acceptable. In these way everyone can get in touch with the project whenever he/she wants as all the tasks and progress will be updated daily. I've added some new information on the wiki page of the project (weekly progress and links to the mercurial repository and this thread). I will add the first list of raw tasks as soon as possible (max. 2 days).

[Assaf Raman]

Sounds good. Thanks.

[robert_sasu]

I've updated the wiki page with the list of tasks

This is the first list. As I will arrive to the main features, which has estimated time in days I will split them in more tasks which will consist a work of maximum a day.

ID Title State(declared, active, done, canceled) Estimated time Actual working time Dependencies
1 Test and merge the DX11 enhancement patch (ID: 3411278 - zerocomplex) declared/open 12 hours - -
2 Test and merge the DX11 Unicode build support (ID: 3502173 - zerocomplex) declared/open 12 hours - -
3 Planning the tessellation support declared/open 3 days - -
4 Writing some raw code for tessellation declared/open 3 days - -
5 Tesselation feature, support for pipeline stages declared/open 10 days - -
6 Support for hull-shaders and domain shaders declared/open 7 days - -
7 Testing multi window support declared/open 3 days - -
8 Test and merge the DX11MRT Support patch (ID: 3448095 - crashym) declared/open 12 hours - -
9 Test and merge the DX11Separate Scene Blending & operations patch (ID: 3439298 - crashym) declared/open 12 hours - -
10 Test and merge the DX11 comparison filtering implementation patch (ID: 3404125 - crashym) declared/open 12 hours - -
11 Multi-device support (copying from Directx9RS and making adjustments) declared/open 14 days - -
12 RT shader system support for shader model 4/5 with dynamic linking declared/open 14 days - -

I cannot really start coding, as I have one more month of university as I stated in my proposal and have a lot of projects and homework to do (I want really much to start working ), but will make planning and everything else.

[Assaf Raman]

ok.

[robert_sasu]

Is this list good ? I will try to do as much as I can in my spare time. If there are any other tasks please write .

[Assaf Raman]

The list is good.
Do you feel you can finish it all?
I think we should split the list to - "I commit to the the following items", the next items on the list -"I will only do if I finished all the rest in a good way before I get to them".

[robert_sasu]

I hope I can finish all the tasks. The list is made in a proposed timeline, so the task with ID = 1 will be the first, and the task with ID = 12 will be the last. I want to do one after the other, and I don't want to start a task, and leave it on an uncompleted stage. I am committed to tessellation support more, and will leave RT shader system to the last. If I will not be able to finish all the tasks on summer, I will continue with them after GSoC.

p.s. If I will not have many debugging problems (like staying 3-4 days because of an error), I am sure I can finish all the tasks.

[Assaf Raman]

Wow.
Wonderful.

[maxdelphi]

Excellent, I think Ogre should continue to grow and not stay there because you're used to an old hardware as I read somewhere, ogre must continue to evolve, while more modern is much better because it uses all technologies such as DirectX 11, .

I am very happy to hear this news.

[robert_sasu]

Thanks. As far as

you're used to an old hardware

is concerned, I think Ogre is evolving continuously (for example. support for WindowsRT). I've read about your big idea post. If you want to help, there is a list on the projects wiki page with a lot of proposed tasks for D3D11, you can choose any of them.

[robert_sasu]

One exam is done, 5 more to come in 20 days. In the mid-time some more homework and project deadlines. I am nervously waiting to finish this year's school and to start coding, working on the project. In the mid-time, around 1 hour per day I am reading the DirectX 11 SDK documentation, and have read all the Ogre Tutorial's.

[Assaf Raman]

When do you plan to start coding?

[robert_sasu]

I plan to start coding on 8th June. I mentioned it in my proposal, I am having my finals now, and I do not have time to code.

[Assaf Raman]

ok.
You will have to work hard - you will not have a lot of time, but I believe in you.

[robert_sasu]

I will work hard, and I am sure I will finish most of the tasks I listed on the wiki page.

By the way, 2 weeks ago cherlix wrote me a message the he would be able to do tasks 8, 9 and 10, which is merging the patches sent by crashym. He said he would finish on the last weekend. I asked him how much was he able to do yesterday, but I got no response. After I will get response from him, I will post about.

[Assaf Raman]

Sounds good.

[robert_sasu]

I have discussed with cherlix. He said tasks nr. 8 and 9 are already done, he will post about the progress here in the next days and he will also present some showcase, tests.
Task nr. 7 will be done in the next few days.

[robert_sasu]

4 exams done 2 more to come . Anyway I have a free weekend, almost. I will try to make some progress with my project, probably on Saturday and Sunday (today I need some rest). I will merge my code with the work that have been done by cherlix and write about the progress.

[robert_sasu]

I've finished all my exams with success. I took a brake on the week-end. Today I built Ogre from Mercurial again, as I changed my laptop. I've also discussed with cherlix, and merged the patches of zerocomplex to my code (ID: 3411278, ID: 3502173), merge the DX11 enhancement patch and the DX11 Unicode build support. Tomorrow I will also merge my code with cherlix's code, and will test these tasks (Task nr.1, nr.2).

[Assaf Raman]

Nice, sounds good.
Do you need my help in anything?

[robert_sasu]

I do not need your help, yet. I will post my questions when they will come . The first 2 tasks are simple.