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"VCQ2"
and "EMBM"
Matrox
always seems to have a few tricks up their sleeves and this time is
no exception. Environmental Mapped Bump Mapping is a feature that no
other Graphics Chipset in the industry supports currently. This
technology allows for the additon of all new, very immersive effects
on various image surfaces. For instance you can add animated or
motionless bumps on the surface of a 3D object. This gives you the
ability to implement ripple effects on water or turbulence on air in
the event of smoke or gasses. Also, many other enhancements can be
made to all sorts of textured surfaces with these bumps. In short,
this feature adds another level of detail and texture to almost any
surface. It is a feature that is built in to DirectX 6.1 and future
releases of the API. There are only a few games currently that
support this feature, like "Slave Zero", "Decent
III" and "Expendable", with more titles coming on
line every day. Here's an example taken from Rage Software's
"Expendable".
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EMBM
On
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No
EMBM
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| We
don't even have to go into detail on the differences here. A picture
says it all. The EMBM enabled shot on the left looks generations
ahead when compared to the shot on the right. The water effects are
amazing. Of course my precision "gibbing" of these Alien
Slimes in BOTH shots, looks damn sweet too! :-) |
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Now, VCQ2
is a little more of a subjective thing. It is the way the G400
renders images in full 32bit color from its 32bit frame buffer and
internal pipelines. The effect that is supposed to be produced a
rich, highly saturated 32bit color image with the most vibrant deep
colors available. We felt that the G400MAX lived up to its claims on
this. However, this again is a subjective area. You be the judge for
your own opinion.
Here are a
couple of High Res. 32bit Quake3 Arena shots... Click
'em
For
the bandwidth advantaged, get
your original TGAs here
and
here!
(right
click and then "save as" or just click if your browser
supports TGA format.)
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| If
you want our opinion (and let's face it, you are reading this, so
you must) the G400MAX has the image quality battle won HANDS DOWN
over ANY 3D graphics chipset on the market today! |
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But how does it
fair in the Framerate Department? We think you'll be pleasantly
surprised.
Page
3
---> Take a look! <---
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