{{Short description|3D software API for AmigaOS}} {{Infobox software | name=Warp3D | developer=Sam Jordan, Hans-Joerg Frieden, Thomas Frieden, Hans De Ruiter | latest release version=53.22 | latest release date= {{Start date and age|2013|05|22}} | operating system=AmigaOS | genre= API | license= Closed source | website= http://www.warp-3d.com }} {{Infobox software | name=Warp3D Nova | developer=Hans De Ruiter for A-EON Technology | latest release version=1.85 | latest release date= {{Start date and age|2021|06|13}} | operating system=AmigaOS | genre= API | license= Closed source | website= http://www.warp-3d.com }}
'''Warp3D''' was a project founded by Haage & Partner in 1998 that aimed to provide a standard API that would enable programmers to access, and therefore use, 3D hardware on the Amiga.<ref name="Warp3D2">{{cite web | title=What is Warp3D |url=http://www.amigahistory.plus.com/warp3d.html | year=2006 |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Ben|last=Vost|date=March 1999 |title=What's on your disc? At your fingertips, Go 3D|magazine=Amiga Format |publisher=Future Publishing|issn=0957-4867|issue=121|pages=98}}</ref>
Its design was similar to that of both the Picasso96 graphics card drivers and operated in a similar fashion to the 3dfx Glide API, which provided a uniform and standardised way for programmers to create software for the 3D graphics cards that were available at the time.<ref name="Warp3D2" />
It was hoped that the creation of this API would not only encourage the development and release of more 3D graphics cards, but also move away from the situation where a new piece of hardware had been developed with no software available to run on it. If the particular piece of software used the Warp3D API (enabled through a shared library), any current or newly developed hardware would be able to be used.<ref name="Warp3D2" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Šostý|first=Lumír |date=July 1999|title=Warp3D|language=cs|magazine=Amiga Review|publisher=Atlantida Publishing|issn=1211-1465|issue=46/47|pages=44}}</ref> Hyperion Entertainment developers created OpenGL subset called MiniGL sitting on top of Warp3D to ease porting of games such as Heretic II.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Ben|last=Vost|date=December 1999 |title=Previews, Heretic II|magazine=Amiga Format |publisher=Future Publishing|issn=0957-4867|issue=130|pages=28–29}}</ref>
At time of its release, Warp3D provided significant speed increase over software rendering.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Šostý|first=Lumír |date=July 1999|title=Warp 3D: ADescent - tentokráte srovnání verzí|language=cs|magazine=Amiga Review|publisher=Atlantida Publishing|issn=1211-1465|issue=46/47|pages=45}}</ref> Years later however, newer 3D APIs (e.g. TinyGL in MorphOS) offered better performance on the same hardware.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brunet|first=David|url=http://obligement.free.fr/articles/amigaos41_vs_morphos23.php |title=Comparatif : Performances entre AmigaOS 4.1 et MorphOS 2.3 sur Pegasos II|date=September 2009|language=fr|website=obligement.free.fr |access-date=September 25, 2016}}</ref>
In 2014, it was announced that Warp3D was now jointly owned by British company A-EON Technology Ltd.<ref>{{cite press release|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://www.a-eon.com/PDF/News_Release_Software_Content.pdf|title=A-EON Software Update|location=AmiWest 2014 (Sacramento)|publisher=A-Eon Technology|date=October 25, 2014|access-date=June 23, 2016|archive-date=August 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806001938/http://www.a-eon.com/PDF/News_Release_Software_Content.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 1, 2015, A-EON Technology subsequently released Warp3D for RadeonHD (Southern Islands chipset).<ref>{{cite press release|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://www.a-eon.com/PDF/News_Release_Warp3D_SI.pdf|title=New 3D drivers for AmigaOS 4.1|location=Cardiff|publisher=A-Eon Technology|date=April 1, 2015|access-date=June 23, 2016|archive-date=August 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805181701/http://www.a-eon.com/PDF/News_Release_Warp3D_SI.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In March 2016, A-EON Technology Ltd announced that they had developed the new '''Warp3D Nova''' featuring support for Shaders.<ref name=":0">{{cite press release |url = http://www.a-eon.com/PDF/News_Release_Warp3D_Nova.pdf | title = Introducing Warp3D Nova | location = Cardiff | publisher = A-EON Technology Ltd | date = March 22, 2016| access-date = March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Förster |first=Moritz |date=2016-03-24 |title=Alternative Betriebssysteme: Neues 3D-Treibersystem für AmigaOS 4 |url=https://www.heise.de/ix/meldung/Alternative-Betriebssysteme-Neues-3D-Treibersystem-fuer-AmigaOS-4-3151498.html |newspaper=iX magazine|language=de|access-date=2016-10-29 }}</ref> Warp3D Nova was originally mentioned as planned complete rewrite and Shader-centric design in the AmigaOS 4.0 Feature List more than decade earlier.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intuitionbase.com/os4features.pdf |title=AmigaOS 4.0 Feature List Revision 1.0 |date=January 7, 2003|website=intuitionbase.com |publisher=Hyperion Entertainment |pages=11–12|access-date=September 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Robert|last=Williams|date=Spring 2003 |title=AmigaOS 4 Update|magazine=Total Amiga |publisher=South Essex Amiga Link|issue=14|pages=15|url=http://www.totalamiga.org/pdf/totalamiga_14.pdf}}</ref> Development of the new release intentionally took some inspiration from this original Warp3D Nova plan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7687&start=40#97285|title=Introducing Warp3D Nova for OS4|publisher=Amigaworld.net|at=Post 59 by Hans|date=March 23, 2016|access-date=September 25, 2016}}</ref> The pre-release version 1.15 was published on 1 May 2016 in the Enhancer Software package for AmigaOS 4.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Enhancer Software Released On AMIStore (OS4)|url=http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7722 |location=Cardiff |publisher=A-EON Technology |agency=AmigaWorld.net |date=May 1, 2016|access-date=September 24, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?p=825230|title=Changelog|publisher=amiga.org|at=Amiga Kit|date=May 1, 2017|access-date=August 16, 2017}}</ref> Apart from its name and being related to 3D graphics, Warp3D Nova has nothing in common with the original Warp3D.
Also in March 2016 A-EON Technology Ltd announced that Daniel Müßener / GoldenCode.eu had been hired to create an OpenGL ES 2 implementation on top of Warp3D Nova.<ref name=":0" /> The first public version 1.4 was released on 31 August 2016 as part of the Enhancer Software package version 1.1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?p=814618|title=Enhancer Software v1.1 Released - Amiga.org|website=www.amiga.org|language=en|access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>
==Running Requirements== Warp3D requires the following in order to work properly * An AmigaOS compatible system with CyberGraphX or Picasso96, containing: ** At least a 68040 processor with FPU for AmigaOS versions predating 4.0 ** A PowerPC CPU for AmigaOS 4.0+ ** Optionally PowerPC supported on WarpOS<ref name="Warp3D2" /> ** Any of these graphics cards: *** CyberVision 3D *** CyberVision PPC *** BlizzardVision PPC<ref name="Warp3D">{{cite web | title=Warp3D 3.0 Read Me |url=http://download.haage-partner.de/Amiga/3DWorld/Warp3D/Warp3D-3.0.readme | date=27 March 2007 |access-date=12 June 2010}}</ref> *** Any 3Dfx Voodoo card *** ATI Radeon R100, R200 *** ATI RadeonHD Southern Islands graphics cards
It also requires 3D hardware to be present, and will not run with graphics cards that are 2D only, or AGA, ECS or OCS.<ref name="Warp3D(4)">{{cite web | title=Warp3D 4.2a Read Me |url=http://aminet.net/package/driver/video/Warp3D-4.2a | date=13 October 2002 |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref>
==Other implementations== Amiga 3D APIs
Alain Thellier created open source clone called ''Wazp3D''.<ref name="Wazp3D">{{cite web | title=Wazp3D | url=http://thellier.free.fr/Wazp3D.htm | access-date=17 July 2010}}</ref> MorphOS included a Warp3D implementation known as ''Goa3D Graphics Library'' developed by Nicolas Sallin.<ref name="Goa3D Graphics Library">{{cite web | title=Goa3D Graphics Library | url=http://www.biclodon.com/software/goa/ | access-date=17 July 2010}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite magazine |date=September 2001 |title=Active Gamer - Warp3D 4.2 for Voodoo3|magazine=Amiga Active |publisher=Pinprint Publishing|issn=1467-3533|issue=24|pages=50–}} * {{cite magazine |date=October 2001 |title=Warp Factor 3D!|magazine=Amiga Active |publisher=Pinprint Publishing|issn=1467-3533|issue=25|pages=46–}} * {{cite magazine |date=November 2001 |title=Warp3D Masterclass|magazine=Amiga Active |publisher=Pinprint Publishing|issn=1467-3533|issue=26|pages=48–}}
Category:Amiga Category:Amiga APIs Category:3D graphics APIs Category:Graphics libraries