Mantle (API) explained

Mantle
Developer:AMD, DICE[1]
Released:[2]
Discontinued:yes
Operating System:Windows
Platform:x86 and x86-64
Replaced By:Vulkan
License:Proprietary, freeware

Mantle was a low-overhead rendering API targeted at 3D video games.[3] AMD originally developed Mantle in cooperation with DICE, starting in 2013. Mantle was designed as an alternative to Direct3D and OpenGL, primarily for use on personal computers, although Mantle supports the GPUs present in the PlayStation 4 and in the Xbox One. In 2015, Mantle's public development was suspended and in 2019 completely discontinued, as DirectX 12 and the Mantle-derived Vulkan rose in popularity.[4] [5] [6] [7]

Overview

The draw call improvements of Mantle help alleviate cases where the CPU is the bottleneck. The design goals of Mantle are to allow games and applications to utilize the CPUs and GPUs more efficiently, eliminate CPU bottlenecks by reducing API validation overhead and allowing more effective scaling on multiple CPU cores, provide faster draw routines, and allow greater control over the graphics pipeline by eliminating certain aspects of hardware abstraction inherent to both current prevailing graphics APIs OpenGL and Direct3D.[8]

CPU-bound scenarios

With a basic implementation, Mantle was designed to improve performance in scenarios where the CPU is the limiting factor:

GPU-bound scenarios

Mantle was also designed to improve situations where high resolutions and "maximum detail" settings are used, although to a somewhat lesser degree, as these settings tax GPU resources in a way that is more difficult to improve at the API level. While Mantle provides some built-in features to improve GPU-bound performance, gains in these cases are largely dependent on how well Mantle features and optimizations are being utilized by the game engine. Some of those features include:[11] [12]

Benchmarks

Other claims

Support

The Mantle API was only available as part of AMD Catalyst prior to 19.5.1, which was available for Microsoft Windows. AMD promised to support their Mantle API only for their graphics cards and APUs which are based on their Graphics Core Next microarchitecture, but not older products based on the TeraScale microarchitecture.[26] the implementation of the Mantle API was available for the following hardware:

Mantle was originally planned to be released on other platforms than Windows, including Linux, but it never happened.[27] [28]

While the API was officially discontinued, Clément Guérin[29] started a Mantle to Vulkan translation layer called GRVK[30] in mid 2020. This allows the API and ultimately the games to live on even without Mantle supporting graphic drivers.

Game engines

Video games

Originally planned

Similar technologies

A set of recent OpenGL 4.4 features, coupled with bindless texturing as an extension, can also substantially reduce driver overhead. This approach, termed by the Khronos Group as "AZDO" (Approaching Zero Driver Overhead) has been shown to achieve substantial performance improvements, approaching those stated for Mantle.[38] [39] Nvidia has extended OpenGL with a number of features that further reduce driver overhead.[40]

After details about DirectX 12 were made public, AMD has stated that they fully intend to support DirectX 12, but at the same time they claimed that Mantle "will [still] do some things faster." They have also claimed that due to similarities in the design philosophy of the two APIs, porting games from Mantle to DirectX 12 will be relatively straightforward,[41] and easier than porting from DirectX 11 to 12.[20]

Ultimately, AMD discontinued Mantle as a game API due to the similar aims of DirectX 12 and glNext (later renamed Vulkan). AMD donated the Mantle API to the Khronos group, which developed it into the Vulkan API.[42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47]

Recording and FPS overlay software

PC gamers and professionals traditionally used programs such as Fraps and Bandicam to record gameplay, measure game FPS and display FPS overlay, but because Mantle is new, most traditional recording software does not work with new titles while using the new API.

In partnership with AMD, PC gaming community and game recording software maker Raptr have overhauled their client and have since re-branded it as the AMD Gaming Evolved client in conjunction with AMD's Gaming Evolved initiative in the PC gaming space. Out of the partnership, players who install and use the client while in-game can earn points to spend on digital items like games or computer hardware, chat with friends, keep their game library optimized, check for graphics card driver updates, stream their games to Twitch and record gameplay of their own with a built-in GVR, a feature similar to Nvidia Shadowplay software in its own GeForce Experience software that allows users to define a custom buffer length in their game for retroactive game recording with the push of a button so no moment gets missed and users typically do not need expensive hard drive setups to record to. In late 2014, AMD updated the client to support the recording and streaming of titles using Mantle.[48] As of its initial update into the client, the Gaming Evolved software was the only software to officially support the recording and streaming of Mantle enabled games.

Besides Raptr, D3DGear[49] was the only other commercial game recording software that supported Mantle API based games.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Altavilla. Dave. AMD and DICE To Co-Develop Console Style API For Radeon Graphics. Forbes. 2013-09-30. 2014-07-14.
  2. Web site: AMD Radeon R9 and R7 Series Graphics Cards Usher in a New Era of Gaming Realism . AMD . 22 June 2021.
  3. Web site: Mantle WhitePaper . AMD.
  4. News: Smith. Ryan. AMD Lays Out Future of Mantle. 28 June 2016. Anandtech.com. 2 March 2015.
  5. Web site: One of Mantle's Futures: Vulkan | AMD Blogs.
  6. Web site: AMD's Revolutionary Mantle Graphics API. 2017-10-04.
  7. Web site: Farewell Mantle… AMD has ended all support for DirectX 12's API inspiration. 2019-05-15.
  8. Web site: Some Mantle benchmarks by AMD . AMD . 2014-02-01.
  9. Web site: Mantle 101 . AMD . 2014-05-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20140530081328/http://community.amd.com/community/amd-blogs/amd-gaming/blog/2014/05/28/mantle-101 . 2014-05-30 .
  10. Web site: AMD Gaming . 2014-02-01.
  11. Web site: The Next Generation of Graphics APIs . Oxide Games . 2014-05-21 . 2014-07-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035801/http://www.oxidegames.com/2014/05/21/next-generation-graphics-apis/ . 2016-03-04 .
  12. Web site: The Race to the Metal . Josh Barczak . 2014-05-23.
  13. Web site: The performance of Mantle . AMD . 2014-05-28.
  14. Web site: AMD Mantle API Performance Analysis With Radeon R7 260X, R9 270X, R9 280X.
  15. Web site: Tłumacz Google.
  16. Web site: AMD claim performance boosts of up to 45% using Mantle over DirectX | PCGamesN.
  17. Web site: AMD Mantle Powered Flagship Nitrous Engine "Star Swarm Benchmark" Released on Steam.
  18. Web site: Page 2 - AMD’s Mantle benchmarked: The biggest innovation in gaming since DirectX 9 | ExtremeTech.
  19. Web site: AMD releases Mantle, shares performance numbers.
  20. Web site: Mantle: the start of a low-overhead future . AMD . 2014-05-28.
  21. Web site: Combining Efficient Engine Design with a modern API . 2014-03-20.
  22. Web site: Mantle in the words of game developers . AMD . 2014-05-28.
  23. Web site: How Mantle changes the game . 2013-11-21.
  24. Web site: Mantle for Developers (by Johan Andersson, DICE) . 2013-11-21.
  25. Web site: Empowering 3D Graphics Innovation . 2013-11-21.
  26. News: Smith. Ryan. Understanding AMD's Mantle. 28 June 2016. Anandtech.com. 26 September 2013.
  27. Web site: AMD wants to improve gaming in Linux and Steam boxes with its Mantle tools . 2014-06-18.
  28. Web site: Linux support isn't ruled out completely . . 2014-05-31.
  29. Web site: libcg on Github. .
  30. Web site: GRVK on GitHub. .
  31. Web site: AMD Mantle support is headed to another game engine.
  32. Web site: Star Swarm Stress Test on Steam.
  33. Web site: Mantle Renderer now available in Battlefield 4.
  34. Web site: Mantle Takes to the Stars with Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth.
  35. Web site: Sniper Elite 3 to tap AMD's Mantle API.
  36. Web site: Star Citizen to Include Mantle Support . Cloud Imperium Games . Transmission . 5 November 2013 . 6 November 2013.
  37. Web site: Mantle to power 15 Frostbite games; DICE calls for multi-vendor support - The Tech Report.
  38. Web site: OpenGL Efficiency: AZDO. Khronos Group. March 2014. 2020-10-07.
  39. Web site: Beyond Porting: How Modern OpenGL Can Radically Reduce Driver Overhead. YouTube. 2014-02-11. 2020-10-07.
  40. Web site: OpenGL NVIDIA Command-List: Approaching Zero Driver Overhead. 2014-12-04. 2020-10-07.
  41. Web site: A closer look at DirectX 12. The Tech Report. 2014-03-30. 2020-10-07.
  42. Web site: More on Vulkan and SPIR - V: The future of high-performance graphics. Khronos Group. 27 June 2015. 10. Thanks AMD!.
  43. Web site: Mantle is a Vulkan: AMD's dead graphics API rises from the ashes in OpenGL's successor . Mah Ung . Gordon . 6 March 2015 . PCWorld .
  44. Web site: AMD Gaming: One of Mantle's Futures: Vulkan | AMD Blogs . Community.amd.com . 2015-03-05.
  45. Web site: Not dead yet: AMD's Mantle powers new Vulkan API, VR efforts . ExtremeTech . Hruska . Joel . 4 March 2015 . 2015-03-05.
  46. Web site: AMD's Mantle Lives On In Vulkan - Lays The Foundation For The Next OpenGL . Wccftech.com . 2014-06-20 . 2020-10-07.
  47. Web site: Kirsch . Nathan . Is AMD Mantle Dead As We Have Known It? Vulcan API Uses Mantle Technology for OpenGL . Legit Reviews . 2015-03-03. 2020-10-07.
  48. Web site: AMD Gaming Evolved Now Supports Mantle.
  49. Web site: D3DGear Mantle Recording Software.

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