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News |
Posted by Bustard |
03/05/2003 |
23:07 |
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GLExcess 2.0 is currently under
development. As usual, it will run a number of tests to determine
system performance in the following areas: CPU speed, fill rate,
polygon count, VRAM amount, extensions support.
From a technical point of view, here is a short brief of some
of the features you will find in GLExcess 2.0:
- unextended OpenGL tests
- OpenGL extensions from 1.2 to 1.4 tests including:
- vertex programs
- fragment programs
- per pixel lighting
- realtime shadows
- a few hardware-specific-extension tests
- OpenGL 2.0 tests are likely to be added soon
- 3D positional audio
and, obviously, lots of eye-candy :) The release date is planned
for Q4 2003.
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Version 1.2v |
Posted by Bustard |
07/17/2003 |
13:28 |
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Version 1.2v (patch and full)
is up, it fixes a bug that prevented previous versions to correctly
generate benchmark reports. Grab it off
FILES page as usual.
Many thanks to my friend Alex Lee at Via Technologies for his
unvaluable support :)
NOTICE: The patch will only work if v1.2
or greater is already installed on your system. |
Version
1.2b |
Posted by Bustard |
05/16/2003 |
20:51 |
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EDIT: V1.2b
Full version posted as well.
I've posted a new file on the files
page, here a list of what's new in version 1.2b
- Added XLS and TXT reports
- Sound card is no more required to run bench
mode
- Bug fixes
NOTICE: It only works if v1.1a or v1.2
is installed. |
1.2 full |
Posted by Bustard |
07/22/2002 |
19:00 |
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Version 1.2 full just
posted in files
section. Enjoy. |
Version
1.2 |
Posted by Bustard |
07/21/2002 |
21:54 |
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This one fixes some bugs and
prevents (as much as possible) cheating on results. I've just
uploaded a patch to upgrade from v1.1a right now, I'll post stand-alone
versions later. Hope you like it, here
it is.
NOTICE: It's not possible to upload v1.1a generated scores
anymore. |
Enough
cheaters |
Posted by Bustard |
07/18/2002 |
14:22 |
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One of the main spreading factor
of GLExcess is that it uses HTML for reporting. Obviously this
means you can easily put up your scores on the web for your revies
and comparisons and I must say this was my main goal, but it seriously
exposes bench scores to cheaters. Now it's quite enough, some
people seem to like to put up science-fiction scores just to show
GLExcess flaws, which are all due to HTML format. One more of
these and I'll be forced to close XSMark site, but maybe that's
their goal. Thanks. |
Quick note |
Posted by Bustard |
06/03/2002 |
19:21 |
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Wow took some time since my last
post!
Anyway, just a quick note to let you know I'm working on something
new... Needless to say, this will take soooooo long I can't even
imagine... Stay tuned...
P.S. I still love your amazing feedback! |
A thousand
members! |
Posted by Bustard |
12/05/2001 |
23:27 |
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Nice stuff :) For such occasion
I've decided to put up a new file, which basically includes GLExcess
v1.1a and high quality sound pack in a single download...
As usual, grab it from FILES
PAGE.
Thanks a lot for your support and interest! |
Done! |
Posted by Bustard |
10/18/2001 |
21:15
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This time it's true :) GL Excess v1.1a
is finally done. Again, here's a list of the changes:
- Automatic VSYNC management (where possible)
- Command line arguments added
- Multiple benchmarks: XSscript scripting utility added
- HTML documentation and FAQ's
- New installer
- Bug fixes
Grab it from FILES
PAGE.
Mirroring
offers are welcome!
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Wow... |
Posted by Bustard |
09/21/2001 |
01:48
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Well, it's been a while since my last post, but believe me I'm
very busy at the moment, so I'm left with very little time for
OpenGL :( Anyway, you must admit that each time I post there's
something good lying behind :) So here's the news:
- GLExcess v1.1a is on its way, you
can now run batch of benchmarks in a very easy way; here's a
list of the changes:
- Automatic VSYNC management (where
possible)
- Command line arguments added
- XSscript scripting utility added
- HTML documentation and FAQ's
- New installer
- Bug fixes
Before I release it I need to know if everything is working
fine, so I guess I'd better contact some of the beta-testers.
Anyway it should be ready in a week or so.
- Since I'm going to write some articles about
OpenGL for an Italian programming magazine, GLExcess will go
open sorce in a short while, one scene at time.
- Some good news for
Matrox users (this is what I got from James Crowson - GL Excess
user):
Matrox has come out with the 5.71
beta drivers for win2k. These drivers fix many of the bugs that
have plagued GlExcess on Matrox cards in the past, however,
the most annoying bug is way worse. Also they appear to be quite
a bit slower. In the Facescape scene, polygons no longer disappear
except at very close range (near the bottom of the screen).
In older drivers polygons would randomly disappear from all
over. In Crypt, the bump-mapped circle at the end is no longer
overbright. In Shiny Waters, the shininess no longer disappears
in square patches in the distance - it now looks like the screenshots
on your site. Also, the bilinear filtering bug has been fixed.
The bug that has gotten worse is flickering polygons. In most
scenes some polygon or another flickers on and off quickly.
These are beta drivers, so maybe the remaining problems will
be fixed soon.
Thanks James!
Again I would like to thank all the people who love and support
GL Excess, you guys are amazing. See you in a short while
(promise!).
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ASP galore... |
Posted by Bustard |
06/09/2001 |
00:39
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Woah! I hope I won't have to shut this down in
a couple of days... Anyway, as you can see you can finally browse
and compare your XSMark results, simply click on XSMark icon
and read instructions carefully (at least once, PLEASE!).
As usual, should you experience any trouble, please feel free
to contact
me. Enjoy!!!
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Good news
:) |
Posted by Bustard |
06/05/2001 |
00:17
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An ONLINE RESULT BROWSER is on its way, hope to
be done with it by the end of this week. Apart from this, GLExcess
v1.1 is being downloaded like mad! Thanks to all the people who
have sent in some feedback :) Later!
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GL Excess/XSMark
v1.1 |
Posted by Bustard |
06/02/2001 |
17:07
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GL Excess/XSMark v1.1 is now available
for download, and it comes in two flavors: a standalone
version and a patch
for GLExcess/XSMark v1.0 users. Here's a list of the changes from
version 1.0:
- Auto detection of suitable video resolutions
- Demo and benchmark modes all in one single
program
- More accurate benchmarking
- Benchmark mode generates detailed reports in
HTML format
- User configurable benchmark tests
- Benchmark tests run faster for quick performance
reports
If you intend to compare your results to other
user's I recommend you run the default quick bench (i.e. scenes
1,2,3,4) or full bench (i.e. all scenes) at 1024x768@32bpp.
If you find this version hangs on your system right before
showing off results page, please be patient I'm still looking
into the problem, though this doesn't seem to have any logic explanation...
And now for the best part of this info bit: CREDITS!
Though I'm almost speechless, you guys are definitely amazing,
I love your support and dedication (alphabetical order!):
Pascal Binggeli, Sebastian Buntin, Bernie
Cavanagh, James Crowson, Marcus "Fritschy" Fritzsch,
Robin Gawenda, Stephan Matthias Günther, Mitch Impey, Marko "Laza"
Lazarevic, Eugene Lee, Florian "x13y7" Müssig, Martin "Laxrom"
Nilsson, Chad Olson, Roberto "Megabob" Pirani, Stefan
Pop-Lazic, Marco Remondino, Henning Schulz, Chris 'TML' Smith
(show all your friends it isn't some coincidence :), Steven Thomas,
Max Tucher, Stanislav Vavilov, Anthony Walsh, Andrew Wilchak,
George
Ziniewicz (nice OpenGL stuff over there :).
Once again, thanks a bunch, you are my brothers... Later!
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Update |
Posted by Bustard |
05/27/2001 |
00:04
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Beta testing applications are now closed, thanks
to all the people who have sent in some feedback :) GLExcess 1.1
will be out as soon as possible. Later!
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Still alive... |
Posted by Bustard |
05/06/2001 |
22:13
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Whoa! Sorry for the very late update, but
I wanted to come out with some useful. GLExcess v1.1 is
on its way, but now I need someone who wants to apply as betatester
before I release it. If you feel this is your case please feel
free to contact me at the following email address: bustard@glexcess.com.
What I can offer to all appliants is just a mention on the site,
sorry :( Before I go I would like to thank my friend Adam Mahnk
for hosting some GLExcess files on his server, nice work man!
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Site update |
Posted by Bustard |
03/26/2001 |
02:34
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10k downloads?!? This definitely drives
me crazy!!! Anyway thanks a bunch to all the people who sent in
some amazing feedback, I've also received some nice job offers...
:) In other news a tutorial on how to install a working OpenGL
driver has been added to Known
Issues section (thanks to my friend Luca Rizzuti
for this one); I've also put my hands back on the forum and added
some more mirrors in the Files
page. For the people who keep asking for a screensaver I've added
a link to Strange
Saver in the Links
page. Hope to be back soon!!! BYE! :)
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Fixed! |
Posted by Bustard |
03/13/2001 |
12:55
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Ok, XSMark is now bug free and fully functional
(at least I hope so...), just go to files
section and start downloading XSMark1.0b.
Please bear in mind this is not a stand-alone file, it's actually
just a short patch which REQUIRES GL Excess or XSMark1.0 alpha
version. Beta-testing credits and my sincere thanks go to:
Marco Ruzzi, Alessandro Rocca, Michael L. Miracle, Stephen Cant,
Mike Potts, Mick Blackmore, Ulrich Mueller, Russ Harland. Your
dedication was awesome!!!
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Need your
help :) |
Posted by Bustard |
03/12/2001 |
23:49
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I guess I've found and solved the bug that prevented
XSMark to run on some machines, but this time before I put it
online I'd rather be sure that this version is definitely bug
free. That's why I'm going to contact a few of you who sent bug
reports in order to test this file. All applicants will be mentioned
on this page for their dedication :) Later!
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Maintenance
news... |
Posted by Bustard |
03/12/2001 |
03:35
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Lots of news this time:
1) Sound pack - I guess there
was some misunderstanding between me and guys over at Tweakfiles,
when you download the "sound pack" they're talking about
you actually get GL Excess demo with high quality music and sounds.
Unfortunately this file does not include any XSMark file. What
you have to do to get the fps and bench stuff is go to
files section and download GLXSmark.exe
(less than 600KB), unzip it into demo's folder and run xsmark.exe
file. Hope this makes sense...
2) XSmark bug - XS Many people
are sending in bug reports saying they get an error when benchmark
finishes or is stopped by user, so that no result file is generated.
Thanks for your dedication, I'm looking into the problem and hope
to put up a patch on this site soon :)
3) New mirror - Thanks to
the guys at Tweakfiles,
XSMark1a.exe and GLXShsnd.exe files can now be downloaded from
one more mirror site, just go to files
section and you'll notice that.
4) Audio clips updated - I've
finally finished uploading all mp3 files from the demo, just go
to Audio clips section and you'll
be able to download full tracks, high quality.
5) Mail crashes (#@!!@##) -
Something funny has happened with my mailbox, a bunch of messages
have disappeared, and I'm afraid I won't be able to rescue them,
so if you've sent some feedback in the last few hours, please
do it again because I could not even read your emails :(
6) T H A N K S - And last
but not least I still want to say T H A N K S to all the
people who downloaded GL Excess and XSmark. You
guys are sending in some amazing feedback, thanks a lot for your
support and dedication, this site would be nothing without you
:)
As a final note, Known issues and Future plans sections
will be updated soon, and remember to use
the FORUMS to discuss about the results you're
getting with XSMark (obviously if it works for ya ^_^)
L8r, Bustard...
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(not so)
New file posted |
Posted by Bustard |
03/10/2001 |
16:05
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I've added "XSmark1a.exe"
to files section. This small download
(2.37 megs) is actually intended for new users since it's basically
a GL Excess light version (no sounds) with XSmark included.
So if you're new to GL Excess and want to test your system, please
go
for this particular file (though you're loosing
50% of GL Excess: music is an integral part of this demo ^_^).
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XS saver? |
Posted by Bustard |
03/09/2001 |
23:24
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Wow this is definitely nice: you can now make
GL Excess your default screensaver with "strangesaver"
utility. Just point the program to glexcess.exe file and you're
done :) Kewl... Many thanks to Ed Massuda for this one.
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FPS Counter
and XSMark |
Posted by Bustard |
03/09/2001 |
02:21
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Here it is, with some sort of benchmark stuff
attached :) CLICK
HERE to grab it and feel free to discuss about
performance in the FORUM,
performance section (obviously ^_^). Hope you like it, later!
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As you requested... |
Posted by Bustard |
03/08/2001 |
12:25
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The FPS stuff will be available for download
later tonite... Stay tuned!
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Matrox
good news |
Posted by Bustard |
03/07/2001 |
01:45
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This comes from MuLuX:
I found a new
driver at matrox homepage (v 6.50) and I just wanted to tell you
it fixes almost every bug, the flare scene problems and the blending
looks much better, thou there's still some problems w/ the scene
w/ water and the heightmap scene. Still very slow on wireframe
rendering, else all other scenes ran very well.
John adds that there's
a way to display those scenes correctly:
I run an older
driver set, but a new OGL ICD. Pain in the a** to set up. Ya gotta
install PowerDesk(Matrox driver set) 6.10, save the G400icd.dll,
uninstall (with matrox uninstall to make sure you get rid of it
all) re-boot, set up default drivers 640x480x16colours, like in
safe mode. Then you install powerdesk 5.52 and copy over your
saved 6.10 ICD to your windows/system dir. 5.52 is a lot faster
in D3D than 6.xx. But if only OGL is your concern, then just uninstall
whatever driver you have now, (with matrox's uninstaller) and
install latest powerdesk.
I do hope this helps :) Anyway
I'll be putting this info in the Issues
page soon.
But before I go, please let me thank all those guys who are
sending in some amazing feedback, sorry for the late replies
I still got 55 emails to answer tonite!
Later!
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Errata corrige...
:) |
Posted by Bustard |
03/07/2001 |
01:04
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I'm afraid I misunderstood what's happening at
Tranzmit...
First of all this wondeful site is run by ONE (!) only talented
fellow, who responds to the name of Ben Locke... Truly
amazing, I almost get shocked when I learned the news!
And as for download stats, here's what my friend Ben says about
it:
Well done....although
I would be inclined to multiply your figure of 1000 many times
over :) Heres why......
3rd March - Tranzmit received 69046 hits
4th March - Tranzmit received 58942 hits
5th March - Tranzmit received 51090 hits
Total - over 180000 hits! (busiest 3 consecutive days ever I think)
I'd say that over that 3 day period there were 3 main categories
of visitor....
1. regular bookmarks
2. people wanting GLExcess
3. people wanting VulpineGL
There is a strong chance that visitor type 2 ended up being a
visitor 3 as well and vice versa. Visitor type 1 would almost
certainly have download GLExcess too. I have no means of counting
individual downloads at the moment, but if I had to have a guess,
I'd say perhaps a minimum of 10000 downloads of GLExcess! (that
is only an educated guess of course - feel free to draw your own
conclusions from the traffic I've mentioned).
Wow, if he's going right, this
could be some terrific result!
A HUGE thank to all you guys who downloaded GL Excess!
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1000+ downloads!!! |
Posted by Bustard |
03/05/2001 |
22:25
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All I can say is WOW! Over a thousand people have
downloaded Gl Excess so far! This is simply amazing if we consider
that the most dowloaded file weighs 18 megs! I can hardly say
how grateful I am, your feedback is worth months of hard coding,
really! In other news GL Excess seem to run fine on Ati and Voodoo3
video cards and soon I'll be releasing some short patch to add
a frame counter, as many of you requested :) Signing off... Later!
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One more
mirror |
Posted by Bustard |
03/04/2001 |
18:15
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One more mirror has been added to the files
page: the guys at Tranzmit,
Ben Locke in particular, are truly amazing... Thanks a bunch Ben,
you are my brother! Please go visit Tranzmit
if you're looking for awesome 3D demos :)
As for other news, I'm still trying to answer to all the wonderful
emails I'm receiving, I DO LOVE YOU, I wish I had a 'heart-shaped'
key on my keyboard, really. Just one request to my visitors: please
before sending emails asking about my future plans or about the
techniques and tools I've been using to code GL Excess, visit
Future plans, About
GLXS and Screenshots sections
of the site :)
Thank you! See you later :)
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THANK YOU |
Posted by Bustard |
03/04/2001 |
04:05
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You guys are AMAZING!
I'm literally blown away by the amount of feedback I am receiving...
my mailbox is flooded, my fingers are getting burned and my keyboard
is praying for mercy, but I swear I'll write back to everyone
:) I'm glad to hear many of you love GL Excess' music too, I guess
I'll be releasing a new record soon (just kidding eheh...).
Once again, THANKS A BUNCH, you would all deserve to be mentioned
in the end credits, but then GL Excess would become 30 mins long
:)
L8r!
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Mirror added |
Posted by Bustard |
03/03/2001 |
20:26
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I've added a mirror in the files
section where you can download GL Excess from. A huge
thank to my friends at Hardware
Zone!
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GL-Excess
is DONE!!! |
Posted by Bustard |
03/01/2001 |
23:22
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Man, it took me so long to get this finished that
I still can't believe it! Err... I meant, welcome to GL Excess
official website. Please take your time and use the menus above
to visit all the sections in this site; I guess they're quite
self-explicative so I won't bother you with a complete description
of each of the links above. Please just remember to register as
member of the GL Excess discussion forum,
I hope this will become a useful resource for all you 3D freaks
out there.
Just in case you wanted to know, the downloads page is listed
as 'Files' in the 'Media' menu :-) I hope I'll be adding soon
some faster mirrors where you can download this demo from, but
at the moment this is all I can do, sorry... Just remeber to send
some feedback if you like this demo (even if you don't,
obviously, but if this is the case, please don't be too hard ok?
^_^). And please refer to this page for the latest news about
GL Excess.
L8r!
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