WizMark ======= WizMark is a 3D performance benchmark created by 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. that measures the performance of Microsoft's Direct3D(tm) and 3D hardware accelerators. The benchmark utilizes essential 3D rendering features which provide enhanced visual realism. These features include: Gouraud shading, perspective correct texture-mapping, Gouraud modulated texture mapping, texture bilinear filtering, texture LOD mip mapping, alpha-blending, and Z-buffering. WizMark is based on models and artwork from 3Dfx's "Wizard's Tower," a first person perspective walk through of a series of connected rooms. WizMark is much more accurate at measuring sustainable 3D performance than other synthetic 3D benchmarks (like the infamous spinning teapot) because it is derived from an actual real-world application. It is also designed to stress both triangle and fill rate limits of the graphics accelerator. WizMark records the time it takes a given Direct3D hardware accelerator to render each frame as the camera navigates a predefined path through a typical Wizard's Tower room. The resulting WizMark score is a scaled average of the framerate measured while rendering each of the 3D scenes. Minimum system requirements: ============================ 16 MB system memory, 1 MB texture memory, 2 MB display memory and Z-buffer support WizMark has been tested on the following 3D boards: =================================================== - 3Dfx Interactive reference board (Voodoo Graphics(tm) chipset) - Diamond Monster3D(tm) (3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Graphics chipset) - Orchid Righteous 3D(tm) (3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Graphics chipset) - Canopus Total3D(tm) (Rendition(r) Verite'(tm) chipset - Creative Labs 3D Blaster(tm) (Rendition Verite' chipset) - Intergraph(r) Reactor 3D (Rendition Verite' chipset) - Sierra Screamin' 3D(tm) (Rendition Verite' chipset) - Symmetric GLyder Accelerator (3DLabs Permedia(tm) and Delta(tm) chipset) - Matrox Mystique(r) (Matrox chipset) - VideoLogic Apocolypse3D (tm) board (NEC/Video Logic PowerVR chipset) - ATI 3D Xpression+ PC2TV(tm) (ATI 3D Rage(r) II chipset) Note: These boards were tested on an HP Pavilion 7170 (P5-166) system and an HP Vectra (P6 200). How to use WizMark: =================== WizMark should be executed via a DOS command line. Since there are only very few 3D graphics accelerators available in the market today that can support advanced features, we found the necessity to add command line options for WizMark. These options allow users to have an "apples to apples" performance comparison between full featured 3D products like Voodoo Graphics from 3Dfx Interactive and those products that can only support a minimal subset. Currently, only the Verite', Rage II and Voodoo Graphics chipsets are able to run WizMark in "full" mode. All of the other 3D graphics accelerators have to run WizMark in "lite" mode because they fail to support one or more of the key 3D features required for fully immersive and interactive 3D gaming environments. Using these advanced features will have an effect in the performance of most product offerings. The Voodoo Graphics chipset from 3Dfx Interactive offers full 3D features at the highest performance, NO COMPROMISES!!! The following WizMark options are available: 1) WizMark (no options) Executes only if the graphics accelerators supports all of the advanced features. 2) WizMark -lite Executes the benchmark without lighting (meaning no lighting maps and no Gouraud modulated texturing). Allows users to compare full-featured boards with those boards that have only a subset of the 3D features required for realistic and high impact visual effects. 3) WizMark -lite -front Executes "lite" test but renders to the front buffer only (not flipping of back-to-front). This basically elimates v-sync and gives you the true raw performance of the 3D graphics accelerator. Obviously the visual effects will not be very good, but again, this provides a user with a very good test of baseline performance. 4) WizMark -software Executes the test of the software subsystem. Hardware acceleration is not used. Results: ======== Note that it is important not to compare the WizMark "full" mode result against the WizMark "lite" results. The WizMark "full" mode has been setup to use models and scenes that contain a lot more triangles than the "lite" version. To that end, the results obtained from WizMark "full" mode will be on a different scale than the results from WizMark "lite". Please check out the results that we found. Please refer to the WizMark V2.0 Results document that is included with the WizMark V2.0 distribution. Copyright (C) 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Voodoo Graphics is a trademark of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. All other trademarks and/or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.