openchrome - basic 3d starts?

[Kristaps1]

Latest openchrome svn version with special EXA configuration makes composit managers working. Does it means that basic 3d is on the way and with next openchrome release (0.2.904?), we will get working chrome9 graphics with some OpenGL features?

[Zajec]

Originally Posted by Kristaps1

Latest openchrome svn version with special EXA configuration makes composit managers working. Does it means that basic 3d is on the way and with next openchrome release (0.2.904?), we will get working chrome9 graphics with some OpenGL features?

You messed 2D/3D/drm drivers/modules.

openChrome which you refference to (http://openchrome.org/) is just a DDX driver and it's responible for managing modes (resolution, refresh rate), displays (CRTCs, PLLs, etc.) and 2D plus Xv acceleration. It contains some single 3D bits, but it's not responsible for rendering anything.

For 3D acceleration you need:
1) single bits in DDX driver
2) DRM module
3) Mesa 3D driver (may be Gallium)

Situation for pre-Chrome 9:
1) We have working DRM module (called via) and Mesa 3D driver (called unichrome) but both are in poor state. 3D applications works but not really stable and feature-complete.
2) Thomas is working on new DRM module (openchrome) and new Mesa 3D driver (also called openchrome for now). It's already usable but AFAIK still needs some little work before going mainline.

Situation for Chrome 9:
VIA submitted patches to kernel to add support for Chrome 9 in old "via" kernel DRM module. As we have now better "openchrome" DRM module it would be nice to port VIA patches to this new openchrome DRM module.
If my knowledge is up to date, there is not 3D Mesa driver for Chrome 9. I can found two messages referencing to that:
1) http://wiki.openchrome.org/pipermail...ry/000172.html
2) http://wiki.openchrome.org/pipermail...ry/000176.html

following would be needed:
(...)
3) A new chrome9 3D driver. Preferrably based on gallium. I don't think
anybody in the open source community is working on this. Is VIA doing
any efforts in this direction?

and reply to this:

We prefer the G3D for Chrome9 too but we have few information about G3D. Based on your full experience, it will be appreciated if you can give us the guideline for the developing.

P.S.
EXA acceleration (one supporting RENDER) let you use some nice (composite) 2D effects. It doesn't mean any 3D support and you won't get 3D effects working with just EXA (you need Mesa 3D driver).

[hmmm]

Looks like Harald Welte has been hacking away on openchrome and viafb
Quote from http://laforge.gnumonks.org/weblog/2009/05/11/:

Today I've managed to work on bits and pieces on the minimal support for VX855 graphics such as ensuring the viafb driver works on x86_64 builds as well as a preliminary patch to get VX855 supported by viafb.

I've also played a bit with openchrome and got it to the point where it can display X11 at various resolutions on a CRT (analog VGA out) including hardware accelerated cursor support. The patch is not yet posted, but I hope I'll soon find time to complete this.

[Adarion]

Awesome to see Harald himself hacking on the drivers. So I still can hope to see my CLE266 and CN700 doing fine some day. I guess I should get myself an actualized version of the svn dir from them and compile (and hope it'll work).

[Tommy666]

Hello, Somebody could explain me what is currently going on with openchrome ? Developers currently working on something or not ?

I askin because I dont know what to do with my laptop. Waiting for support vn896 chipset or put this via crap into trash :/

[Adarion]

Originally Posted by Tommy666

Developers currently working on something or not ?
I askin because I dont know what to do with my laptop. Waiting for support vn896 chipset or put this via crap into trash :/

Seems to be moving. Sloooowly. At least there seems to be activity in svn, I check out stuff from there from time to time for my CLE266. I don't expect much 3d stuff to happen (that's require mesa stuff also) but 2d side seems to work again. I use my notebook's CLE266 nearly daily at work so... Now that specs are out things can happen but then there is not much further support from VIA and developers interested in VIA's stuff may be few. On the other hand my R600 based chips also still have to wait for some releases in kernel, xorg and mesa/gallium side and they already waited for a long time so I'm used to have incomplete HW features