GPU accelerated browsing
Direct2D and DirectWrite were implemented in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and are also available to Vista and Server 2008 users who install the relevant Platform Update.
Direct2D is a new 2D and vector graphics application programming interface (API) which is capable of using GPU hardware acceleration on DX10 compatible 3D cards. This new API is interoperable with Direct3D, and the legacy Graphics Device Interface (GDI/GDI+) API which is used to handle colour palettes, and screen oriented rendering for things such as lines, curves, and fonts.
The DirectWrite API was designed to ultimately replace the GDI/GDI+ and Uniscribe methods of screen oriented rendering. When used in conjunction with Direct2D, DirectWrite can render text using hardware acceleration. DirectWrite includes a number of advances, such as support for OpenType standards and interoperability with a number of application specific rendering technologies.
All of this means that certain 2D rendering tasks will soon be offloaded to capable GPUs, which are by design more adept at performing specific rendering calculations than their jack-of-all-trade CPU counterparts.
As most computer systems come with some kind of GPU – integrated or discrete – and with DX10 GPUs becoming commonplace, it appears sensible to make use of the available processing power which may often go unused in desktop applications.
First implementations
Windows 7 saw the implementation of the Windows Display Driver Model v1.1 (WDDM 1.1) which reintroduced 2D GUI hardware acceleration to the operating system, – a process which can now be handled by Direct2D/DirectWrite. As of November 2009, both ATI and Nvidia have released drivers supporting WDDM 1.1 on their DX10 GPUs.
At the recent Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft showed off Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), and its 2D rendering capability. With IE8 they achieved 14 frames per second (FPS) when rendering Bing maps. With IE9 and hardware acceleration turned on, they achieved 60 FPS.
Mozilla hasn’t been slouching in this area either, and have been working on their own implementation, posting some marked improvements in rendering times when using Direct2D. An alpha build is available for testing.
According to Mozilla developer Bas Schouten, Direct2D has been implemented in the backend of the Cairo API which is the basis for Mozilla’s Gecko layout engine. This means that in the future, Direct2D can be used by all Cairo based software, a development which should prove appealing for open source coders.
Only time will tell which browser will be available first, but according to Tom’s Hardware, Mozilla’s Chris Blizzard is willing to bet that Firefox beats IE to the punch.
GPU accelerated browsing – discussion
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