“As part of its continued efforts to significantly raise the
standard for real-time 3D graphics, 3dfx Interactive(R) Inc.
(Nasdaq: TDFX) today announced it is making next-generation
graphics technology available to software and hardware developers
in a free, open-source format. 3dfx FXT1 texture compression
technology dramatically reduces the size of texture images with
little or no loss in visual quality, thus enhancing a game’s speed
and significantly improving the overall gaming experience. Software
developers can utilize the compression algorithm across multiple
platforms, marking the first time that the same texture compression
technology can be used on Windows(R), Macintosh(R), BeOS, Linux and
other platforms.”
“In a move that defies 3D technology licensing conventions, 3dfx
will provide tools and the source code for the FXT1 texture
compression free to the industry, encouraging developers and 3D
hardware vendors to adopt the technology as an industry standard.
Support for FXT1 texture compression will be included in the
Direct3D, Glide, and OpenGL(R) APIs and will be easy to integrate,
providing immediate benefits to developers. Advanced texture
compression technologies help game developers create games that
feature greater realism and more lifelike action.”
“Until now, developers and hardware vendors have been
subject to egregious licensing policies to gain access to
technology similar to the 3dfx FXT1 texture compression, but
ultimately they end up paying for lower-quality results,” said
Scott Sellers, co-founder and chief technology officer at 3dfx
Interactive, Inc. “By offering our high-quality, cross-platform
texture compression to the development community for free, 3dfx
again proves its commitment to raising the standard for graphics in
personal computing.”