3D Engines List API: Own with 3D HW-support This list contains 8 rendering engines with api and own 3d hw-support.

02.02.2000 OpenGL

06.09.1995

OpenGLŪ is a software interface for applications to generate interactive 2D and 3D computer graphics. OpenGL is designed to be independent of operating system, window system, and hardware operations, and it is supported by many vendors. OpenGL is available on PCs, Macintosh and workstations.
OpenGL provides a wide range of graphics functions: from rendering a simple geometric point, line, or filled polygon, to texture mapping NURBS curved surfaces.

• Geometric primitives (points, lines, and polygons)
• Raster primitives (bitmaps and pixel rectangles)
• RGBA or color index mode
• Display list or immediate mode
• Viewing and modeling transformations
• Hidden Surface Removal (depth buffer)
• Alpha Blending (transparency)
• Antialiasing
• Texture Mapping
• Atmospheric Effects (fog, smoke, and haze)
• Polynomial Evaluators (to support Non-uniform rational B-splines)
• Pixel Operations (storing, transforming, mapping, zooming)
• Accumulation Buffer
• Stencil Planes
• Feedback, Selection, and Picking
• OpenSource

The OpenGL functions described are provided on every OpenGL implementation to make applications written with OpenGL easily portable between platforms. All licensed OpenGL implementations are required to pass the Conformance Tests, and come from a single specification and language binding document.
More information and the source of the sample implementation can be found on the OpenGL Sample Implementation Homepage.

22.04.1999 Mesa

01.01.1995

Mesa is a 3-D graphics library with an API which is very similar to that of OpenGL by Brian Paul (brianp@ssec.wisc.edu).

• Mesa works on X11-Windows based systems, Windows, Linux SVGA, NeXT, Macintosh, DOS, Amiga, VMS and OS/2. Mesa was written with portability in mind.
• Support for PC 3D hardware (3DFX chip).
• Smooth shading, accumulation buffer.
• Dithering
• Fog/depth cuing.
• Shaded perspective texture mapping.
• Gouraud shading .
• Support for NURBS patches.

More info and links to download the source can be found on the Mesa Homepage

12.01.1999 Java3D

12.01.1999

The Java 3DTM 1.1 API is a set of classes for writing three-dimensional graphics applications and 3D applets from Sun Microsystems.

• Uses OpenGL as rendering core, DirectX and QuickDraw3D versions will be available
• 2 and 3D textures, MIP-mapping
• Scene graph management
• Collision detection
• Interpolators
• Support for geometry compression
• LOD management
• Hierarchical objects
• 3D audio support
• 6 DOF input device support
• Behavior modeling
• Network support
• Support for Windows NT/95 or Solaris SPARC.
• Java API

More information, the library and documentaion can be found on the Java 3D Homepage.

07.08.1998 Direct3D

29.10.1996

D3D is part of Microsofts DirectX Programming API (DirectDraw, DirectSound, DirectPlay, Direct3D, DirectInput).

• Windows 95 / NT support.
• Support for PC 3D cards, software emulation for PCs without 3D card.
• Gouraud shaded, perspective and linear texure mapping.
• Bump mapping.
• Multiple texture mapping, lightmapping.
• Depth cueing, fogging.
• Multiple, movable, colored light sources.
• Spot, point, ambient, and directional light sources.
• Ramp and true color red, green, and blue (RGB) model.
• Color depths of 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits.
• Dithering.
• Vertex colors.
• Multiple viewports, devices, and cameras.
• Materials support.
• Bilinear, trilinear, anisotropic, MIP-mapped texture filtering.
• Full transparency, including alpha maps for texture.
• Environment (reflection) and motion video mapping.
• Texture compression.
• Real-time object deformation.
• Animated backgrounds with optional depth information.
• Full picking support for user interaction.
• Optional z-buffer rendering.
• Lens-Flares.
• 2D sprites.
• Projected shadows in retained mode.
• Complex-spline interpolated motion in retained mode.
• High-level API for manipulating 3D objects and managing 3D scenes.
• Low-level API with direct access to features of 3D hardware in a device-independent manner.
• Support for 3D sound.
• Support for Microsoft Visual C++ and Watcom C/C++.

You find lot more information, sample code and the DirectX 6 SDK (91 MB!) and enduser packages (4 MB) on the Microsoft DirectX Homepage.

07.04.1997 QuickDraw 3D

01.01.1995

QD3D is a cross-platform application program interface (API) for creating and rendering real-time, workstation-class 3D graphics from Apple.

• Support for hardware acceleration boards.
• 3DMF meta file format, with free available parser.
• Support for Level of Detail switching.
• Plug-in renders.
• Support for Power Macintosh hardware and Windows 95/NT on Pentium PCs.

More info and a demo can be found on the Quickdraw 3D Homepage.

05.11.1996 Reality Lab

01.01.1995

RL is a commercial 3D library by Microsoft RenderMorphics. The version 2.0 has the following features:

• Wire Frame, Flat, Gourad and Phong shading models.
• Perspective corrected texture mapping in any shading model.
• Environment and motion video mapping.
• Full transparency, including alpha maps for textures.
• Z-buffering.
• Animated backgrounds with optional depth information.
• Multiple, movable, coloured lightsources.
• 4, 8, 16, 24 bit colour depths in both ramp and RGB modes.
• SVGA and Windows 3.1/95/NT, X11-Windows on RS6000/SunSparc/SGI, System7 on Mac and PowerMac (both planned, no port yet), Sony PSX support.
• Multiple instancing of objects and hierarchies.
• Multiple viewports, devices and cameras.
• Bezier patches with subdivision on the fly.
• Depth cueing with atmospheric effects (e.g. fog, haze).
• Projected shadows.
• Stereoscopic capability.
• Free form deformation toolkit.
• Complex spline interpolated motion.
• Collision detection toolkit.
• Immediate mode allows low-level control over polygon lighting and rendering through direct access to vertices and normals.
• 70 pages documentation
• C-based API.
• Supports hardware accelerators like GLiNT, Matrox MGA Impression and 3D device standards like Intel 3DR, Microsoft 3DDDI.

Contact: Servan@Render.com (Servan Keondjian) or morph@microsoft.com.
The old RealityLab Homepage is currently not available - i already did a search on AltaVista and at MicroSoft to find a new homepage - there are recent microsoft products that use the RealityLab engine, but no reference to the engine itself.
There is a free Windows 3.1/95/NT VRML viewer from InterVista Software Inc, using the RealityLab libraries available at the WorldView Homepage.
Information about WIRL (another Windows 3.1/95/NT VRML viewer that combines the VR capabilties of the VREAM package with the Reality Lab rendering engine) is available via the VREAM Homepage.

22.05.1996 BRender

01.01.1995

BRender (Blazing Render) is a complete system with an applications interface, graphics libraries and device drivers by Argonaut Software.

• Z-buffer and scanline renderer
• Hierarchical, linked objects
• Gouraud shading
• Multiple cameras and lightsources
• Collision detection
• Sprite scaling and deformation effects
• 486PC, Apple Mac/PowerMac, OS/2, Windows could very easily be ported to the 3d0, Saturn, FM Towns or Jaguar
• BRender is a 32 bit library, there are versions for Watcom or MS Visual C.
• Supports hardware accelerators like GLiNT
• Planed: fog-effects, depth-cueing, anti-aliasing, and covered light-sources such as spot-lights
• 140 pages documentation.
• Non-commercial evaluation kit may be available if one asks via email.

Contact: Argonaut Software (paul@argonaut.com, rich@argonaut.com)
Information about BRender as taken from news and emails.
Move information and demos on the Brender Homepage .

18.01.1996 RenderWare

01.01.1995

RW is a portable 3D API for DOS, Windows, Mac and X11-Windows by Criterion Software Ltd.

• Z-buffer and scanline renderer
• Multiple colored lightsources (distant, point and spot lights)
• Multiple cameras.
• Gouraud lighted, dithered, transparent, perspective texturemapping.
• Animated textures and environment mapping.
• Object picking.
• Materials support.
• 3D sprites.
• Backdrop images.
• Depth cueing.
• Support for graphics accelerator cards like the GLINT chip.
• Support for stereo glasses and headsets.
• DFX, 3DS and VRML converters.
• 900 pages documentation

More info on the Criterion Software Ltd Homepage.
RenderWare FTP Some RW-Demos: ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de
A demo of Meme (Multitasking Extensible Messaging Environment) that uses the RenderWare API is available via the Immersive Systems Homepage.