Knowledge to teach you about Linux configuration graphics

This article is provided by E Mentor Network

The Linux system comes with drivers that only include Nvidia 2D acceleration, and if you need to get better 3D acceleration, you need to install the Nvidia dedicated driver software toolkit. 3D hardware acceleration is invaluable when you need to draw three-degree space objects, such as games, three-dimensional CAD, and 3D imaging.

First, the preparatory work

Before you configure Nvidia graphics cards, you need to know the following information about the system you are installing: Display specifications, the chip type of the display card, the memory capacity of the display card, the display's specifications are X11 used to determine the resolution and refresh rate of the display. These specifications can usually be found in the documentation that is in the display, as well as from the manufacturer's website. Need to know two number ranges: vertical refresh rate and horizontal refresh rate. The chip type of the display card determines what module X11 uses to drive the graphics hardware. The vast majority of hardware can be automatically detected, but it is useful to know when it is automatically detected in error. The memory size of the display card determines the resolution and color depth supported by the system. It is important to understand these limitations. Because installing the driver may need to be compiled with the core, the kernel source code is used, and the compiler (compiler) help is required, so first determine that the following software exists in your Linux system: Kernel-source, kernel, GCC, Make To open a terminal, use the command check:

Second, Linux 3D graphics related knowledge

The XFree86 Project

XFREE86 is a system developed by X11R6 that was originally dedicated to the X window used by the Intel X86 Fabric PC. Then XFREE86 developed into an X Window System for almost all UNIX-like operating systems. XFree86 is an open-source, X11-based desktop infrastructure. The X Window System used in Red Hat 9 is XFree86 4.3. XFREE86 no longer complies with the GPL license release from version 4.4 released in 2004, but follows the new XFREE86 1.1 license. Since XFREE86 no longer complies with the GPL license release, many release suites are no longer using XFREE86 and use xorg instead.

· The XOrg Foundation (x.org)

Xorg is an X service implemented by the open source X Window system issued by the X.Org Foundation. Xorg complies with the GPL license release. Xorg is based on XFree86 4.4rc2 and x11r6.6 code. The X.Org Foundation released its x11r6.7 in April 2004. The x11r6.8.2 was released in February 2005. The first version of the xorg server x11r6.7.0 from XFree86 4.4 RC2 and added some changes to x11r6.6 due to disagreement over the new license issue with the XFree86 4.4 final version. Many of the original XFREE86 developers joined the project that was more open than XFree86. Xorg servers are becoming popular in open-source UNIX-style operating systems. It is used in lieu of Xfree86:gentoo Linux, Fedora Core, Slackware, SUSE, Mandrake Linux, Ubuntu Linux, etc. in the following releases. Basic features: Basic and XFree86. has become mainstream, support is very much. 7.0 Modular implementation. 7.0 support the use of XGL module, can achieve desktop 3d effect, very good. Using the two organizations in the Linux drive can achieve 3D acceleration, since KP and authorized modification events, XFREE86 's support is straightforward to fall down the trough, the major distributions have turned to xorg. The later of this document shall prevail.

3D API

API is the abbreviation for Application programming interface, Is the meaning of the application interface, while the 3D API refers to the interface between the video card and the application directly. The 3D API allows programmers to design 3D software as long as the program within its API call, so that the API automatic and hardware driver communication, start the 3D chip in the powerful 3D graphics processing function, thereby greatly improving the design efficiency of the 3D program.

If there is no 3D API in the development process, programmers must understand all the graphics features in order to write an exact match with the graphics program, to play the full graphics performance. And with the 3D API, the graphics card and the direct interface of the software, programmers only need to write code that conforms to the interface, you can fully play the graphics card without having to understand the specific performance and parameters of the hardware, which greatly simplifies the efficiency of program development. Similarly, the display chip manufacturers design their own hardware products according to the standard, to achieve better performance when the API calls hardware resources. With the 3D API, you can achieve the maximum range of hardware and software compatibility for different manufacturers. For example, in the game that best embodies the 3D API, game designers do not have to consider the characteristics of a particular graphics card, but only according to the interface standard of the 3D API to develop the game, when the game runs directly through the 3D API to call the graphics card hardware resources. Currently, the main applications of 3D APIs in personal computers are DirectX and OpenGL. DirectX is now the mainstream of the game, and most of the mainstream games sold in the market are based on DirectX, such as "Empire 3", "Far Cry", "Call of Duty 2", "Half Life2" and other popular excellent games. And OpenGL is mainly used in the professional graphics workstation, in the game history has been and DirectX rival, produced a large number of excellent games, such as "Quake3", "Half Life", "Medal of Honor" of the previous several, "Counter-Strike" and so on, Now, with the step-by-step advanced on of DirectX, there are fewer games using OpenGL, but there are also classic masterpieces, such as "DOOM3" based on OpenGL and "Quake4" with DOOM3 engine, and so on, in the past and now, OpenGL's main player in the game is the famous id software.

Opengl

Following DirectX, OpenGL is the next most popular 3D API. In fact, OpenGL exists longer than DirectX, and OpenGL can be applied to many different operating systems, compared to DirectX only on Microsoft's platform. Currently, most 3D accelerated games in Linux use OpenGL, so for Nvidia's newest drivers, only minor changes can be made to fit most games. The 3D API under Linux is based on OpenGL. OpenGL is a professional 3D program interface, is a powerful, easy to call the bottom 3D graphics library. OpenGL was formerly the Iris GL developed by SGI for its graphics workstation. Iris GL is an industry-standard 3D graphics software interface that is powerful but poorly ported, and SGI has developed OpenGL on the basis of IRIS GL.

OpenGL's English name is "Open Graphics Library", as its name implies, OpenGL is the "opening graphics program interface." Although DirectX is a leader in the home market, OpenGL is not a major player in the professional high-end mapping field. OpenGL is a hardware-independent software interface that can be ported between different platforms such as Windows 95, Windows NT, Unix, Linux, MacOS, and OS/2. As a result, OpenGL-enabled software is well-ported and can be used for a wide range of applications. Since OpenGL is the underlying graphics library for 3D graphics, no geometry entity entities are provided and cannot be used to describe the scene directly. However, with some conversion programs, it is easy to convert DFX and 3DS model files made by AutoCAD, 3DS and other graphic design software into OpenGL vertex arrays.

opengl is not free software, its copyrights, trademarks (OpenGL name) are owned by SGI company. But there is a replacement for OpenGL under Linux: Mesa. Mesa provides an almost identical interface to OpenGL, and for those programming with the OpenGL API, almost no difference is felt. Mesa is free software that adheres to the GPL (partially following the LGPL protocol) and, thanks to the freedom of Mesa, it surpasses OpenGL in terms of support for new hardware. Mesa can be obtained from www.mesa3d.org. The most common tool for developing OpenGL programs under Linux is glut (the OpenGL Utility Toolkit). It can create one or more OpenGL windows, respond, handle user interaction, a simple pop-up menu, and some built-in drawing and font processing capabilities. Like OpenGL, glut can be ported to multiple platforms. Due to its good performance, it has now become one of the standard packages released by Mesa.

DRI, the full name Direct Rendering Infrastructure, is a framework in the X window system that allows applications to directly access display devices in a safe and efficient manner. It includes changes to the x server, some x client libraries, and the kernel. The first major application of DRI is the creation of a fast OpenGL implementation. DRI is part of the XFree86 4.x and subsequent x.org, and is an open source implementation of the Mesa-OpenGL API. Some 3D acceleration drives are written in accordance with the DRI standard, including ati,matrox,3dfx and Intel. DRI was originally developed by Precision Insight, Inc. (PI), with the cooperation and partial support of Red Hat Inc. and SGI. DRI is now being maintained by Tungsten Graphics Inc. as PI is acquired by VA Linux and later VA Linux exits the Linux domain. The company was created by some DRI developers at the PI company. Tungsten Graphics is currently the focus of all DRI development, and many open source developers continue to contribute code to DRI through the DRI project on SourceForge.

This article is from the "wood-wood Litter" blog, please be sure to keep this source http://jimzhmumu.blog.51cto.com/9239295/1539076