Introduction to Shader Programming with Cg 3.1

NVIDIA Cg

NVIDIA Cg

In this article I will introduce the reader to shader programming using the Cg shader programming language. I will use OpenGL graphics API to communicate with the Cg shaders. This article does not explain how use OpenGL. If you require an introduction to OpenGL, you can follow my previous article titled Introduction to OpenGL.

Continue reading

CUDA Case Study – N-Body Simulation

CUDA N-Body Simulation

CUDA N-Body Simulation

In this post, I will analyze the CUDA implementation of the N-Body simulation. The implementation that I will be using as a reference for this article is provided with the CUDA GPU Computing SDK 10.2. The source code for this implementation is available in the “%NVCUDASAMPLES_ROOT%\5_Simulations\nbody” in the GPU Computing SDK 10.2 samples base folder.

I assume the reader has a good understanding of the CUDA programming API.

Continue reading

OpenGL Interoperability with CUDA

Postprocess Effect

Postprocess Effect

In this article I will discuss how you can use OpenGL textures and buffers in a CUDA kernel. I will demonstrate a simple post-process effect that can be applied to off-screen textures and then rendered to the screen using a full-screen quad. I will assume the reader has some basic knowledge of C/C++ programming, OpenGL, and CUDA. If you lack OpenGL knowledge, you can refer to my previous article titled Introduction to OpenGL or if you have never done anything with CUDA, you can follow my previous article titled Introduction to CUDA.

Continue reading

CUDA Memory Model

CUDA Memory Model

CUDA Memory Model

In this article, I will introduce the different types of memory your CUDA program has access to. I will talk about the pros and cons for using each type of memory and I will also introduce a method to maximize your performance by taking advantage of the different kinds of memory.
I will assume that the reader already knows how to setup a project in Microsoft Visual Studio that takes advantage of the CUDA programming API. If you don’t know how to setup a project in Visual Studio that uses CUDA, I recommend you follow my previous article titled [Introduction to CUDA]
Continue reading

Introduction to CUDA using Visual Studio 2008

NVIDIA CUDA

NVIDIA CUDA

In this article, I will give a brief introduction to using NVIDIA’s CUDA programming API to perform General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit Programming (or just GPGPU Programming). I will also show how to setup a project in Visual Studio that uses the CUDA runtime API to create a simple CUDA program.
Continue reading

GPU Skinning of MD5 Models in OpenGL and Cg

Bob with Lamp (GPU Skinning)

Bob with Lamp (GPU Skinning)

This tutorial builds upon the previous article titled [Loading and Animating MD5 Models with OpenGL]. It is highly recommended that you read the previous article before following this one. In this tutorial, I will extend the MD5 model rendering to provide support for GPU skinning. I will also provide an example shader that will perform the vertex skinning in the vertex shader and do per-fragment lighting on the model using a single point light. For a complete discussion on lighting in CgFX, you can refer to my previous article titled [Transformation and Lighting in Cg].
Continue reading

Introduction to DirectX 9 for Game Programmers

DirectX

DirectX

In this article I will give a quick introduction to DirectX.  I will use Visual Studio 2008 as a development environment for this tutorial and I will start by showing how to install DirectX and configure Visual Studio 2008 to start developing DirectX applications.  I assume that the reader has basic programming knowledge in C++.  If you require a math refresher, you can refer to my “3D Math Primer” articles on Coordinate Spaces, Vector Operations, and Matrices.

Continue reading