3d Or Just Lines?!

[Sadako]

Hello, could someone tell me something..I was wondering, can the GP32 run 3D graphics? Like polygon things etc, because my freind said it couldnt and that Doom was just made up of lines to look 3D..someone please help?

 

[Drumaster]

There are different way to get 3D.
If there are x, y, z values, it's 3D, no doubt about it.

And YES GP32 can make real 3D.
The best example is ThunderZ 3D engine.
With this your friend will seem to be an idiot!

 

[Vimacs]

maybe he have misunderstood something, the gp32 have no 3d accelerator hardware, but you dont nead a 3d accelerator to have real 3d.

 

[Sadako]

Oh,so it is 3D, thank you! I will show him up for sure now..!

 

[Nitro]

You can tell your friend that 3D graphics cards are not required to produce 3d graphics It can be done in software too, like in the Yeti 3d engine.

As for Doom, i think it uses raycasting, which does build the image on screen using lines or strips. It's not thought of as true 3d as you cannot rotate around the Z axis in a raycasting engine.

 

[Sadako]

I don't quite understand..but I guess I do a little. I will whack my freind for bad mouthing the GP32!

 

[Sadako]

You said it can run 3D..(The GP32) , well, if it can only draw polygons in software mode, then would it not be very slow if you tried to run a graphics heavy program? I want to play Silent Hill on the GP32, but I highly doubt it is possible, unless the GP32 developers are hiding some weird chip that can emulate graphics like that! I thought the GP32 was more powerful than the Playstation..is that true?

 

[Charge]

You said it can run 3D..(The GP32) , well, if it can only draw polygons in software mode, then would it not be very slow if you tried to run a graphics heavy program? I want to play Silent Hill on the GP32, but I highly doubt it is possible, unless the GP32 developers are hiding some weird chip that can emulate graphics like that! I thought the GP32 was more powerful than the Playstation..is that true?

The power of a console can be measured in many different ways. So there is no straight answer to your question. For example, I believe that as the CPU of the GP32 runs up to 133Mhz - 166Mhz it is better for CPU intensive programs such as emulators (The PS1 CPU runs at 33.9Mhz).

However, the PS1 does have custom chips to help it with the processing and drawing of 3D graphics, and the GP32 does not. So a 3D game will look better on the Playstation than on the GP32.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sadako]

It does, thank you, although..I don't understand why the GP32 does not have 3D chips to match or even out-do the PS1, since the Ps1 is so old now..maybe it is because the GP32 is only currently available in Korea? Has anyone actually tried to insert a 3D chip into a GP32 and then program it to work? It might be possible, but maybe I am just day dreaming!

 

[Octavious]

dreaming
want 3d?
buy a next gen handheld

~Octavious

 

[Charge]

It does, thank you, although..I don't understand why the GP32 does not have 3D chips to match or even out-do the PS1, since the Ps1 is so old now..maybe it is because the GP32 is only currently available in Korea? Has anyone actually tried to insert a 3D chip into a GP32 and then program it to work? It might be possible, but maybe I am just day dreaming!

There are a few technical reasons why the GP32 doesn't have a 3D chip:

1.) The GP32 was released 2001 - 2002 (I think) and at that time it would have made the machine too expensive.

2.) the GP32s main rival at release was the GBA which is technically inferior to the GP32 so there was no reason to put in a 3D chip.

3.) The battery power would be greatly reduced with a 3D chip. The PS1 has the advantage of not being a mobile console and therefore not running off batteries.

4.) As the GP32 is a handheld console, the chips in it have to be very small and run at very very cool temperatures. 3D chips at the time of the GP32s creation were too big and too hot.

While I am sure that it is not technically impossible for an engineer to put a 3D chip into the GP32, it is not practical. Computer programs have to be specifically written to take advantage of any specific 3D chips that are available. Thus, if you put a 3D chip into your Gp32, no existing programs would use it, and no-one would write a program that would use it because you would be the only person in the world with a 3D chip in a Gp32.

 

[damaki]

I don't understand why the GP32 does not have 3D chips to match or even out-do the PS1

It's just because GP32 is not made particularly for 3D games. It was not gamepark's intention to put 3d hardware on his first console. In fact some years ago, when GP32 was created, miniaturized 3d chips where quite expensive and not really powerful so they did not put one in GP32. And to compare, neither Game Boy Advance does have a 3d accelerating device, it only has the mode 7, a thingy that simulates 3d with rotating planes.

 

[damaki]

About doom's 3d engine, the main trick is that near all surfaces in doom are vertical or horizontal, so that's far much easy to render. Furthermore is uses a uniform light by places, easier to manage. And transitions from one light type to another are using simple geometries.
However there are other engines to play doom, that supports full 3d : Doomsday.

 

[Sadako]

Oooh, I understand now~! I must be stupid, I thought GP32 was released quite recently! I guess not now, and I see what you mean, but I don't see how they would have thought GP32 would out-do GBA, because it is just in Korea, plus GBA is far much more popular. Popularity beats Strength most of the time I guess.. and I understand about the straight lines now, I guess there is not much point in putting a 3D chip in there unless you were a great game maker and made games just for yourself!