Anyone knows what’s the minimum hardware requirement for the RenderTexture function?
I’m developing an application that will eventually allow the user to output a sequence of PNG files larger than the screen display.
I’m considering using RenderTexture but my concern is the hardware requirement that’ll limit my application’s compatibility on older machines.
I’m not sure, but there is a SystemInfo class that says wether render textures are supported or not.
I took a look at SystenInfo class.
That’ll help if I wanted to implement using RenderTexture.
However I think many older graphic cards don’t support RenderTextures. For games, it’s not a problem. However for an application, it could make a critical feature not work.
That’s why I’ve been trying the find the hardware requirement for RenderTexture.
My feel is Shader Model 2 onwards, or OpenGL 2.0 support, but I’m not really sure.
Can someone correct me?
IIRC, render textures started being supported since original GeForce, Radeon, Intel 865(all DX7 technology, long before OpenGL 2.0 and shader model 2.0). That is, any graphics card made in this millennium probably supports them.
and by which OGL version did ATI and Intel drivers finally learn to support them (correctly 
)?
eddieq: I guess you mean rendertargets which is not per se the same thing (although only aras and the rest of the devs know which one is used in which environment actually)
We use Render Targets on D3D9, and FBOs (if available) or p-buffers (if FBOs are not avalable) on OpenGL.
I don’t see what ATI or Intel OpenGL driver quality has to do with this (OpenGL driver quality is bad on Windows, which is why the default on Windows is to use D3D9).
In other words, don’t worry. Almost all GPUs made in this millennium support render textures.
No fallback to Render Textures in D3D9 where no RenderTargets are present? (I think GeForce 5 and older)
As for what it has to do with it: Interpretation of standards and how they were meant to be followed in driver and/or hardware (ATI X1000 series which are not SM3 but were advertised as such as a hardware example. Driver examples exist enough, not only on Windows as ATI has proofen on the OSX 10.5 builds for a long enough time) but you are naturally right if it is put in relation to render textures only
Eh?
Everything that supports “render into texture” is the same implementation on D3D9. Starting with the very first GeForce (or maybe event TNT) and ending with GeForce GTX. In D3D there’s a single D3DUSAGE_RENDERTARGET flag. That’s it. No special dances to be done for GeForce FX.
ATI Radeon X1300 and upare fully SM3 compatible and capable. Stop spreading the confusion!
Now I’m feeling stupid. Thanks for the reminder.
Seems like I’m having too many technical conversations on such topics and too little “API-lese” conversations where there the distinction is much less present thanks to MS work on DX.