Glide API

Unreal utilizing its Glide renderer on Voodoo Graphics hardware

Glide is a 3D graphics API developed by 3dfx Interac-tive for their Voodoo Graphics 3D accelerator cards. Al-though it originally started as a proprietary API, it waslater open sourced by 3dfx.[1] It was dedicated to gamingperformance, supporting geometry and texture mappingprimarily, in data formats identical to those used inter-nally in their cards. Wide adoption of 3Dfx led to Glidebeing extensively used in the late 1990s, but further re-finement of Microsofts Direct3D and the appearance offull OpenGL implementations from other graphics cardvendors, in addition to growing diversity in 3D hardware,eventually caused it to become superfluous.

1 API

NFS 2 SE in Glide display mode using a Glide wrapper.

Glide is based on the basic geometry and world view

Starsiege: Tribes running on Glide wrapper.

of OpenGL. OpenGL is a large graphics library with 336calls in the API, many of which are of limited use. Glidewas an effort to select primarily features that were usefulfor real-time rendering of 3D games. The result was anAPI that was small enough to be implemented entirely inlate-1990s hardware. However, this focus led to variouslimitations in Glide, such as a 16-bit color depth limit inthe display buffer.[2]

2 Use in games

The combination of the hardware performance ofVoodoo Graphics (Voodoo 1) and Glides easy-to-useAPI resulted in Voodoo cards generally dominating thegaming market during the latter half of the 1990s. Thename Glide was chosen to be indicative of the GLunderpinnings, while being different enough to avoidtrademark problems.

3 Glide wrappers and emulators

Glide emulator development has been in progress sincethe late 1990s. During 3dfxs lifetime, the company wasaggressive at trying to stop these attempts to emulate theirproprietary API, shutting down early emulation projectswith legal threats.[3] However, just before it ceased op-erations and had its assets purchased by Nvidia, 3dfxreleased the Glide API, along with the Voodoo 2 andVoodoo 3 specifications, under an open source license,[4]which later evolved into an open source project.[5] Al-

1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrealhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_graphicshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interfacehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3dfx_Interactivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3dfx_Interactivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_processing_unithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct3Dhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGLhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_Speed_IIhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starsiege:_Tribeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_renderinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_depthhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framebufferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademarkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia

2 6 EXTERNAL LINKS

though no games released after 1999 depend on Glidefor 3D acceleration (Direct3D and OpenGL are used in-stead), Glide emulation is still needed to run older gamesin hardware accelerated mode. With the specificationsand code now open source, there are several capable em-ulators and wrappers available allowing older games thatmake use of the Glide API to run on non-Voodoo hard-ware. Other projects like Glidos allow even older gamesto use Glide.

4 See also Vulkan (API)

3dfx Interactive

MiniGL

Mantle (API) another low-level API

5 References[1] The 3DFX GLIDE Source Code General Public License

[2] http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/xf3D/glide/glidepgm.htm GLIDE programming manual

[3] 3dfx wraps up wrapper Web sites, The Register, April 8,1999.

[4] http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/12/07/3dfx_open_sources_glide_voodoo/

[5] http://sourceforge.net/projects/glide/

6 External links Glide Sourceforge Project

GLIDE programming manual

Glide Wrappers List

OpenGL Documentation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glidoshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulkan_(API)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3dfx_Interactivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniGLhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantle_(API)http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/xf3D/glide/glidepgm.htmhttp://www.gamers.org/dEngine/xf3D/glide/glidepgm.htmhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/04/08/3dfx_wraps_up_wrapper_web/http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/12/07/3dfx_open_sources_glide_voodoo/http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/12/07/3dfx_open_sources_glide_voodoo/http://sourceforge.net/projects/glide/http://glide.sourceforge.net/http://www.gamers.org/dEngine/xf3D/glide/glidepgm.htmhttp://www.sierrahelp.com/Utilities/DisplayUtilities/GlideWrappers.htmlhttp://www.opengl.org/documentation

3

7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1 Text Glide API Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glide%20API?oldid=649911944 Contributors: The Anome, MauryMarkowitz, Astronau-

tics, GreatWhiteNortherner, Lproven, Imroy, Qutezuce, RJHall, Devil Master, Minghong, Gargaj, Jtalledo, BrownstoneKnockn, FlaBot,Ysangkok, Lavenderbunny, SmackBot, Brianski, Frap, Swaaye, Doug Bell, RekishiEJ, BoH, Cydebot, Rhe br, Kingadrock, Fetchcomms,Bbi5291, Knight of BAAWA, DRiLLA, MartectX, Comrade Graham, ROM SPACEKNIGHT, Helpsloose, Ryanoasis, DanielPharos,Addbot, Hyperthermia, LaaknorBot, Lightbot, Yobot, Ganimoth, Citation bot, Masterius, Wuahn, Tim1357, Wayne Slam, ClueBot NG,Wikinium, ScotXW and Anonymous: 42

7.2 Images File:NFS2SE_lotus_gt1_glide.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/NFS2SE_lotus_gt1_glide.jpg License: Fair

use Contributors:Screen shot from PC gameOriginal artist: ?

File:Sshot0028.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Sshot0028.png License: Fair use Contributors:Gameplay ScreenshotOriginal artist: ?

File:Unreal-GlideVoodoo1flyby.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Unreal-GlideVoodoo1flyby.jpg License: ?Contributors: Captured by User:Swaaye. Original artist: ?

7.3 Content license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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API Use in games Glide wrappers and emulators See also References External links Text and image sources, contributors, and licensesTextImagesContent license