Latest News
Things Your Dev Team Can Learn from a Zombie
Check out how developers at Zombie Studios used Intel® tools to optimize the experience of their most heart-poundingly authentic game yet.
Device Review: Ultrabook™
The Intel® Visual Adrenaline team spoke with David Lam, project manager at ArcSoft, about the various ways software developers use the Ultrabook device. Watch the video to see his review of the Ultrabook device and his recommendations to developers interested in this new technology.
Photorealistic 3D Graphics
To create a photorealistic game, the hard work of game design and development must be complemented by an excellent rendering process. Juan Canada of Next Limit Technologies gave the Intel® Visual Adrenaline team a demo of Maxwell Render at SIGGRAPH. Can you tell the photograph from the digital visualization?
Real-time Results for 3D Designers and Developers
3D Game Designers and Developers, start your engines. Thomas Teger from Luxion uses an image of a racecar to demo KeyShot*, the only rendering engine certified by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). KeyShot is a great tool for designers of all skill levels.
Watch the video for a demo of this rendering engine.
Image Processing Power
Attention, 3D game designers and developers: Intel revealed the next generation of the Intel® Xeon® processor E5 at #SC11. And it’s an image-processing powerhouse.
Watch the video to see the Intel Xeon processor easily create a 3D image from 100,000 2D images from Flickr.
Advanced Video-Editing Tools Utilize Intel® Quick Sync Video
Intel® Quick Sync Video and Intel® multi-core processors work together with ArcSoft ShowBiz* 5 for a powerful, advanced video-editing experience. David Lam of ArcSoft demonstrates how the hardware and the software come together for professional-level video editing.
Fast Video-Editing
In this video, David Lam from ArcSoft demonstrates the tools available with ArcSoft ShowBiz 5, including color adjustment, the anti-shaking tool, audio-editing and text effects, and narration. This tool also works with Intel Quick Sync Video for fast video editing and sharing. Watch the video to see it in action.
Reduced Encoding Time with Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology and ArcSoft
Intel® Quick Sync Video technology reduces the encoding time while reserving high-quality output for high definition. How does it work? ArcSoft’s Vincent Hsu demonstrates with ArcSoft’s MediaImpression 5* on the Ultrabook™ device.
Optimize for Silicon
When Intel® tools and technological advances coalesce, media-editing products from ArcSoft and Corel enable non-stop creativity for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Syncing Mobile with Multimedia
Intel software development products assist many types of applications, including converting multimedia to be universally compatible. ArcSoft MediaConverter* 7.5 converts video and audio media using Intel® Quick Sync Video technology for the hardware encoding and Intel® multi-core architecture for processing, efficiently increasing the processor’s usage performance.
Backface Culling
For triangles with linear vertex motion, common practice is to backface cull a triangle if it is backfacing at both the start and end of the motion. However, this is not conservative. Download this white paper to read more about the results of tests on backface culling for motion blur and depth of field.
Analyze and Optimize
Check out how 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ family of processors using Intel® Quick Sync Video technology and Intel® Media SDK provides developers with a standard application programming interface (API) to create high-performance video solutions for consumer and professional uses based on Intel® Quick Sync Video technology.
The Ultrabook™ Device
Intel engineers have created the next big thing in mobile computing: the Ultrabook™ device. Built on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5, and Core™ i7 processors (and on the networking and sensory inputs that have come before) this platform brings a new level of self-awareness, enabling users to be at their most powerful and most creative.
Intel Threading Building Blocks: Ready for Non-Uniform Memory Access Platforms
Maintaining performance between hardware and software is a challenge. But Intel® Threading Building Blocks can make it easier, particularly for non-uniform memory access (NUMA) platforms, including the Intel® Nehalem platform. Learn the challenges and performance gains of NUMA platforms over symmetric multiprocessor platforms.
Intel® GPA Increases Performance of Section 8: Prejudice
This case study demonstrates how the performance of Section 8: Prejudice was increased 1.17x, from 24FPS to 28FPS on 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor family.
Consolidation of a Performance-Sensitive Application: Virtualizing Electronic Sports League’s Gaming Infrastructure
The Question: Can we virtualize every server application? The Answer: Probably. In this case study, Electronic Sports League preserved game QoS on virtualized game servers when using the latest technologies including Intel® Xeon® processor-based servers. Game servers previously believed to be non-virtualizeableâ actually achieved 18:1 consolidation ratios and saved almost 90% on power consumption.
A Glimpse of Infinite Reality Gaming with Microvision’s Gun Projector/Controller
Interested in finding out what’s next in PC gaming? Then you’ve got to see this. At the NY Comic Con 2010, Microvision shows off an infinite reality gaming device, which communicates with a PC using an Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition that lets you extend your gaming world through the wall into infinity. Watch and see how it works.
3D Warfare, 3D Intensity, 3D Survival
Survival mode, progressive ranking, battles in the New York Harbor, and covert operations with the British SAS in London describe just a few of the elements that gamers will experience in Call of Duty*: Modern Warfare* 3. Listen to what Robert Bowling, creative strategist at Infinity Ward, says about the outrageously realistic gameplay and the stunning 3D environment.
Real-Time Deep Ocean Simulation on Multi-Threaded Architectures
When designing immersive visual experiences, graphicists want environments that look and feel like the real world. This article offers a real-time demonstration of creating compelling, deep ocean waves. To improve performance, a multi-threaded workload is used on a multi-core machine.
Threaded Game Engine Helps Create New World In EA BioWare's Dragon Age*: Origins
Five years after the initial tease, the launch of Dragon Age: Origins is finally happening. Read how BioWare’s strategy of redefining development paradigms, engines, and processes paid off, maximizing the RPG for the multi-core world and generating market-building buzz.
Advanced Video-Editing Tools Utilize Intel® Quick Sync Video
Intel® Quick Sync Video and Intel® multi-core processors work together with ArcSoft ShowBiz* 5 for a powerful, advanced video-editing experience. David Lam of ArcSoft demonstrates how the hardware and the software come together for professional-level video editing.
Fast Video-Editing
In this video, David Lam from ArcSoft demonstrates the tools available with ArcSoft ShowBiz 5, including color adjustment, the anti-shaking tool, audio-editing and text effects, and narration. This tool also works with Intel Quick Sync Video for fast video editing and sharing. Watch the video to see it in action.
Reduced Encoding Time with Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology and ArcSoft
Intel® Quick Sync Video technology reduces the encoding time while reserving high-quality output for high definition. How does it work? ArcSoft’s Vincent Hsu demonstrates with ArcSoft’s MediaImpression 5* on the Ultrabook™ device.
Unlocking the Potential of Graphics Processing: Technology Transfer at Its Finest
How do visual computing innovations take flight and become real? What does it take to capture the imaginations of students and researchers, spurring them to explore the capabilities of computer graphics architectures? Intel CG specialist, Randi Rost, discusses how Intel is doing its part to keep the momentum going.
An Interview with Havok's Jeff Yates
Havok tools are included in over 200 video games, and more middleware and plug-ins are on the way. Havok VP, Jeff Yates, talks about the trends and challenges in developing digital content creation tools. Read now: (PDF | 1.5 MB)
Backface Culling
For triangles with linear vertex motion, common practice is to backface cull a triangle if it is backfacing at both the start and end of the motion. However, this is not conservative. Download this white paper to read more about the results of tests on backface culling for motion blur and depth of field.
How to Start a Multi-threading Relationship
Building an efficient multi-threading model involves developing trust and establishing good communication habits. Sound familiar? Author Tommy Refenes compares effective software programming to building a solid relationship.
Enabling 3D Moviemaking: Autodesk® Retools Maya
Enabling moviemaking in S3D requires rethinking many cinematic conventions, and then building tools and processes that help storytellers exercise their craft. With Maya 2009, Autodesk has done just that.
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Developer's Guide
Intel’s new software development tool, Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator, can maximize your 3D graphics performance on systems with integrated graphics. Get in-depth instructions to ensure your customers have a great experience playing your video games. Read more: (PDF | 3.1MB)
Debugging Threaded Applications
Parallel programming has a reputation for being difficult because, well … it is. Multiple execution threads must be run in parallel, and every thread has to have an effect on at least one other thread. What could possibly go wrong? This article examines where threading defects lurk, how to find them, and — better yet — how to avoid them.
Things Your Dev Team Can Learn from a Zombie
Check out how developers at Zombie Studios used Intel® tools to optimize the experience of their most heart-poundingly authentic game yet.
Device Review: Ultrabook™
The Intel® Visual Adrenaline team spoke with David Lam, project manager at ArcSoft, about the various ways software developers use the Ultrabook device. Watch the video to see his review of the Ultrabook device and his recommendations to developers interested in this new technology.
Photorealistic 3D Graphics
To create a photorealistic game, the hard work of game design and development must be complemented by an excellent rendering process. Juan Canada of Next Limit Technologies gave the Intel® Visual Adrenaline team a demo of Maxwell Render at SIGGRAPH. Can you tell the photograph from the digital visualization?
Real-time Results for 3D Designers and Developers
3D Game Designers and Developers, start your engines. Thomas Teger from Luxion uses an image of a racecar to demo KeyShot*, the only rendering engine certified by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). KeyShot is a great tool for designers of all skill levels.
Watch the video for a demo of this rendering engine.
Image Processing Power
Attention, 3D game designers and developers: Intel revealed the next generation of the Intel® Xeon® processor E5 at #SC11. And it’s an image-processing powerhouse.
Watch the video to see the Intel Xeon processor easily create a 3D image from 100,000 2D images from Flickr.
Gaming Like a Pro: From the Floor of #NYCC featuring Josh “Jatt” Leeson
Dream of being a pro gamer? The Intel® Visual Adrenaline team headed to New York Comic-Con to find out from gaming pros, developers, and fans what gamers look for in an optimal gaming experience.
Watch the video to hear from more game pros and to see awesome gaming action from New York Comic-Con.
Flexible Game Architecture Design
Katrina Archer of Radical Entertainment explains how smart developers can keep in mind the brawny specs of today's PCs, with all their cores and processors, yet still publish a title that performs well on the aging Microsoft* Xbox 360* and Sony* PlayStation* 3 platforms. Here's a hint - learn fine-grained parallelism to load balance your threads.
World of Warcraft*, StarCraft*, Diablo* Legends Talk BlizzCon 2011 with Intel® Visual Adrenaline
Legends Dave Kosak, lead quest designer for World of Warcraft*, Chris Sigaty production designer for StarCraft II* and Julian Love, lead technical artist for Diablo III, tell Intel® Visual Adrenaline how BlizzCon is a leading platform for game announcements, new technologies, and non-stop gaming action.
From Gamers to Intel® Visual Adrenaline Dance Legends
From behind the BlizzCon 2011 gaming scene to the center stage of the Intel® Visual Adrenaline Dance Contest, gamers and developers set aside their discussions of game creator tools, design programs, and graphics optimization to face off for a battle of the best moves. These gamers did not disappoint. Jay Mohr announced the rug-cutting winners. Take a look!
Razer* Hydra Demo with John Bays from Sixense
PC Gamers jumped, rolled and danced for joy thanks to the Razer Hydra, the first PC gaming-grade motion sensing controllers. At #IDF2011, one of the brains behind the Razer Hydra, Josh Bays from Sixense demoed the Razer Hyrda’s astonishing motion gaming capabilities.
Watch the video for a demo of the Razer Hydra with all new Portal 2 content.
Cutting Edge and Classic: An Inside Look at Heroes* VI with Ubisoft
Ubisoft took its inspiration for Heroes* VI, its PC-exclusive title, from classic storylines in Greek tragedies and Shakespeare's plays but when it came to the game design and development, it wanted to take advantage of a strong graphics engine and online elements for social interactions between users.
Watch the video for a glimpse inside Heroes VI and for more insight from Ubisoft.
1C Company's Approach to Game Analysis Tools
At gamescom 2011, The Intel® Visual Adrenaline team asked Darryl Still, international publishing director of 1C Company, about achieving a global market. Check out this viceo to learn how 1C Company works with Intel on game performance analysis and graphics optimization to make sure their games run smoothly on all systems.
Racing Games for the PC Platform
Eutechnyx knew it wanted it's next PC racing game to provide users access to the social features they're used to and to also have the graphics optimization and stunning gameplay users love. At gamescom 2011, Eutechnyx debuted Auto Club Revolution*—check out this video to see more details on their new game.
Pro Perspectives from gamescom 2011
Game developers and creators from all over the world gathered together to check out the hottest pre-release games at gamescom 2011. Intel® Visual Adrenaline asked top game developers from ArenaNet (Guild Wars*) and Ubisoft (TrackMania*) for their perspectives on game developer software, graphics optimization, and game creator tools. Watch the video to hear more from these pros.
Race, Create, Share: Intel® Visual Adrenaline Drops into the Canyon with Ubisoft at gamescom 2011
When the pros at Ubisoft began developing TrackMania 2, they knew they wanted the game to run on every PC in the world. But they also wanted to appeal to their core audience of racing game aficionados. The Intel® VA team caught up with Edouard Beauchemin at Ubisoft to hear how the developers used Intel tools to create a realistic racing game environment, a powerful editing tool, and an elegant gameplay for every PC.
Rocksteady Studios at gamescom 2011
When Rocksteady studios developed Batman*:Arkham City with a footprint five times larger than Arkham Island, it gave Batman more room to play, but how did it handle the increased gaming possibilities? Join Paul Crocker, narrative designer at Rocksteady Studios, for a look inside Arkham City.
Inside the PC Game Design and Development Process with ArenaNet at gamescom 2011
How is PC gaming changing with advances in graphics optimization and graphics performance software? At gamescom 2011, the Intel® Visual Adrenaline team caught up with Mike Zadorojny from ArenaNet. Check out the video for an insider's look at ArenaNet's game design and development process and the exciting additions to Guild Wars 2.
The PC Game Industry: Booming or Waning?
Four gaming-industry leaders explore where the PC will land among the other platforms borne from recent technological breakthroughs. The PC has a unique place among other devices and has played an incredible role for 20 years . . . is it possible for that role to increase? Will the PC continue to reign as king in the MMO world? Listen to what the experts say and let us know what you think.
Complex Worlds, Mainstream Graphics
Get details on how Codemasters created Operation Flashpoint* 3: Red River*, and managed to create their best-looking game yet, without increasing the spec.
Sharing the Load in Total War*: Shogun 2
Creative Assembly shares details of the evolution of the Total War* series, and we explore how technological advances spur development.
One Bright Idea Leads to Another
Take a look at how Entertainment Arts continues to expand the “builder” genre of video games and inspire creativity in players of all ages.
DARKNESS BE GONE: Graphics Optimization Reveals Darkspore* Creatures in Their Best Light
Examine the world of Darkspore* and learn how Intel® Graphic Performance Analyzers helped Maxis simplify the complexity of their graphics for better performance on any machine.
Talking Tech Tactics with Football Manager* 2011
Visual Adrenaline sucked on a half-time orange with Sports Interactive, the London-based developer of the multi-million-selling PC simulation series Football Manager*, and talked multi-thread optimization, integrated graphics, and just a little bit of football.
Advanced Video-Editing Tools Utilize Intel® Quick Sync Video
Intel® Quick Sync Video and Intel® multi-core processors work together with ArcSoft ShowBiz* 5 for a powerful, advanced video-editing experience. David Lam of ArcSoft demonstrates how the hardware and the software come together for professional-level video editing.
Fast Video-Editing
In this video, David Lam from ArcSoft demonstrates the tools available with ArcSoft ShowBiz 5, including color adjustment, the anti-shaking tool, audio-editing and text effects, and narration. This tool also works with Intel Quick Sync Video for fast video editing and sharing. Watch the video to see it in action.
Reduced Encoding Time with Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology and ArcSoft
Intel® Quick Sync Video technology reduces the encoding time while reserving high-quality output for high definition. How does it work? ArcSoft’s Vincent Hsu demonstrates with ArcSoft’s MediaImpression 5* on the Ultrabook™ device.
Optimize for Silicon
When Intel® tools and technological advances coalesce, media-editing products from ArcSoft and Corel enable non-stop creativity for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Syncing Mobile with Multimedia
Intel software development products assist many types of applications, including converting multimedia to be universally compatible. ArcSoft MediaConverter* 7.5 converts video and audio media using Intel® Quick Sync Video technology for the hardware encoding and Intel® multi-core architecture for processing, efficiently increasing the processor’s usage performance.
New Graphics Developer Software: Autodesk Softimage*
Autodesk is making 3D game design and development easier with Softimage*, a high-performance 3D character animation and visual effects application.
Watch the video to see how an Intel® processor complements this game graphics software and how it could benefit any game creator toolkit.
Intel Corporation and OurStage.com Launch Music Competition
Intel Corporation and OurStage.com, along with sponsors Cakewalk, Orange Amps, Gibson Guitars, and Blue Microphones, have come together to launch an exciting competition for emerging artists. More than $35,000 in prizes featuring Orange OPCs based on the Intel® Core™ processor, Cakewalk SONAR X1 Production Suite, Gibson Guitars, Blue Microphones, and much more will be awarded!
Intel and Powerhouse Channel Partners Create PCs for Professional Digital Creatives
Intel recently launched the Intel® Digital Media “Creators” program with three powerhouse integrators to meet the needs of artistic pros who rely on PCs to deliver exceptionally high performance and reliability. Tune in to what Intel and this special breed of channel partners are doing for today’s audio, video, and photography creators.
Get Your Groove On
Learn how Sonic's video conversion software uses the power of the 2nd Generation Intel Core processor to make video importing and conversions fast and easy.
Audio for Games Reimagined
Listen in as several composers share their experiences with Cakewalk’s Sonar* X1, a streamlined, next-generation workspace for digital audio professionals.
The Consumer Video-Editing Revolution
The latest video editing software applications provide more capabilities than ever for the moviemaker in you, when powered by Intel® multi-core processors.
Animation Evolution: A Biopic Through the Eyes of Shrek
Through four animated films over ten years, DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek has broken new ground in computer-generated imagery with each and every film.
The Ultrabook™ Device
Intel engineers have created the next big thing in mobile computing: the Ultrabook™ device. Built on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, Core™ i5, and Core™ i7 processors (and on the networking and sensory inputs that have come before) this platform brings a new level of self-awareness, enabling users to be at their most powerful and most creative.
Intel® GPA Increases Performance of Section 8: Prejudice
This case study demonstrates how the performance of Section 8: Prejudice was increased 1.17x, from 24FPS to 28FPS on 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processor family.
Nik Software Increases Rendering Speed of HDR by 1.3x with Intel® Parallel Studio XE
By optimizing its software for Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), Nik Software used Intel® Parallel Studio XE to identify hotspots 10x faster, and enable end users to render high dynamic range (HDR) imagery 1.3x faster.
Dare to be Digital, A Premier Game Design and Development Competition
Students from all over the world gathered in Scotland for Dare to be Digital, a top student game design and development competition. To improve the performance of their games, student developers used the free Intel® Graphics Performance Analyzers (Intel® GPA) tool from Intel® Visual Adrenaline. The team that best utilized this tool won the Intel® Visual Adrenaline award.
Mobility Plus Lightning-Fast Processing Power
With the release of the Intel® Core™ i7 processor for mobile users, Intel energizes and enables power-craving gamers-on-the-go with a whole new level of performance.
Transformational Force Meets Threaded Objects
Anyone can be a developer thanks to the Unity* Engine 3.0!
Intel® GPA: Helping Global Playgroups Save the Universe One LEGO® Brick at a Time
Read about how developer NetDevil optimized performance of LEGO® Universe*, a game for an audience of eight-year-olds playing on legacy machines.
Aaron Davies Reviews Sandy Bridge and Intel® GPA 4.0 Features
Aaron discusses PC vs console gaming trends and new features in GPA 4.0 that allow developers to analyze system loads produced by their games, share this information inside and outside their team, run shader experiments in real time, optimize for the new Sandy Bridge architecture, and much more.
Avatar: Collaboration Leaps into the Third Dimension
Ubisoft’s acclaimed Montreal studio, makers of best-selling games such as Assassin’s Creed* and Prince of Persia*: The Sands of Time, has spent the past two-plus years collaborating with James Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment to create three original video game prequels for the epic 3D movie, Avatar*.
Intel® Threading Building Blocks: Ready for Non-Uniform Memory Access Platforms
Maintaining performance between hardware and software is a challenge. But Intel® Threading Building Blocks can make it easier, particularly for non-uniform memory access (NUMA) platforms, including the Intel® Nehalem platform. Learn the challenges and performance gains of NUMA platforms over symmetric multiprocessor platforms.
Planting Seeds for the Next Gaming Breakthrough
Havok plans to mobilize up-and-coming game developers by giving away Havok* Complete software for free. David O'Meara, the managing director of Havok, sat down for a quick Q&A about it's future and talked about spreading the software tool to universities.
Real-Time Parametric Shallow Wave Simulation
The simulation of ocean waves provides a significant challenge to computer graphics. Offline rendering yields phenomenal results, but the computational cost is high. See an implementation of a real-time shallow ocean wave simulation using Microsoft DirectX* 10. It produces a variety of wave shapes and allows real-time tuning of wave parameters.
Approximating Dynamic Global Illumination in Image Space
Providing realistic illumination at high frame rates is commonly achieved through approximations known as screen space ambient occlusion (SSAO). This paper discusses a related method called screen space directional occlusion (SSDO), which handles light angles better, includes at least one bounce of indirect light, works with global illumination, and requires only slightly more computational overhead.
Using Unsupported Color Formats with the Intel® Media Software Development Kit
What happens if a user has different types of input color formats and they want to take advantage of the Intel® Media SDK to enhance the VPP phase? Learn how to use the Intel® Integrated Primitive Performance (Intel® IPP) to convert common types of color formats (RGB, RGBA, BGR and BGRA) into those recognized by the Intel® Media SDK.
Creating Ocean Fog Using Direct3D* 10
Rendering realistic scenes is a perpetual challenge, made even more complex when trying to achieve reasonable frame rates on both low- and high-cost graphics solutions. Using an ocean with fog effects, this white paper investigates how to effectively render the scene on differing graphics solutions using Direct3D* 10.
The Guild Master: Ross Borden of NCsoft
Arti Gupta talks to Ross Borden of NCsoft about City of Heroes, Guild Wars 2, and innovating in the world of massively multiplayer online games.
Solitude and Zombies: Waking up to a New Gaming Industry
The PC Renaissance is changing the gaming landscape, and benefitting those that are paying attention.
Citizen Directors, The Masters Envy You!
Today's digital filmmakers have the computing advantage to share their stories with little barriers.
Real-Time Filmmaking: Writer Becomes Animator
Using Reallusion tools, with Intel's hardware is making real-time filmmaking possible.
What’s in the Future for Slates, Tablets and iPads?
Matt Ployhar takes a look at the future of the slate form factor and its potential impact on everything from console gaming to Windows 8.
Using the UMC:MP4 Splitter with the Intel® Media SDK
This tutorial gives step by step instruction on using the UMC::MP4Splitter to get compressed video to pass to the decoder.
