DirectX 12 Will Require Applications To Explicitly Do A Lot of Validation And Book Keeping

DirectX 12 is going to improve a lot of technical processes when it launches late next year. Gaming PCs that have a multiple GPU set up will see benefits as the new iteration of the API will make sure there are no bottlenecks due to the CPU.

[urwifeminder]

Nice seems the pc tech guys are all coming together praising dx12 my pc is ready bring it.

[BG11579]

I'm reading this and thinking that DX12 will make gaming software harder to program in PC.

[Volkama]

The major benefits will take some additional work, yes. But then Dx9/10/11 are not about to stop working.

[kneon]

this is usually how it goes with software. If you add a lot of layers of abstraction so that the programmer doesn't need to deal with the details under the hood it makes it easier to program, but performance takes a hit.

If you take away all those layers and get down to into the guts you can get big performance improvements, but it's more work.

[donthate]

True, but in general the payoff is really negligible visually to optimize for this. With current generation consoles, it is roughly 10x performance of previous generation, but visually it looks just slightly better so eeking out 20-30% more is barely noticeable.

I think better use of time is to optimize for resource use, as opposed to manually controlling resources. The former is high level optimization, whereas the latter is low level optimization.

I wish we had the production value of AAA games, but with the creative design of indie games.

Which console will be able to foster this first?

[nicksetzer1]

It is going to be more difficult, does that change that it allows for better production?

[1nsomniac]

?? I thought the premise of DX12 is that it's primary focus was to remove a lot of the validation & book keeping bringing it closer to the metal....???

After all this is exactly what developers have been complaining about.

I think GamingBolt have screwed up again!

*Edit* Maybe I've read it wrong & it's giving the book keeping responsibilities to the devs, I'm confusing myself now...

[nicksetzer1]

Yea, the guy in the interview makes no sense. I think he is trying to say with DX12 the dev/programmer is responsible for allocating resources properly, where as with prior dx versions you could have the program do it for you.

[Godmars290]

Sounds like DX12 will need another application to partly relieve some of the added programming burden its going to cause, while it only ever "promised" some performance improvements.

Edit @ mhunterjr:

But by my understanding, its more strict. If you have to make major changes to code in one section to another, you wont be able to. That doesn't sound like being allowed to do it "your way".

[mhunterjr]

No, this is what the devs asked for, instead of dx11 doing all the book keeping, potentially in a manner that is inefficient for their particular game, the devs want freedom to do it their way...

This is the cost of being closer to the metal or having lower level API's.

[1nsomniac]

From my understanding this is how it is^^

DX12 doesn't do any, so Devs do it all themselves but that means that the only book keeping that is done is only what is done by the dev so is essential to that game. So you don't have ridiculous excess of unnecessary & unused book keeping that needs to be processed for no reason.