verite-gl - OpenGL implementation for the Rendition Verite V2x00

This project provides an implementation of OpenGL 1.2 (with a few extensions) for the Rendition Verite V2100/V2200 graphics cards on NetBSD. It is based on Mesa 6.2.2, with a hardware-accelerated verite driver added.

This is the userland half of the project, providing libGL library. It has no external dependencies, however it requires a NetBSD kernel built with veritefb(4) driver and the 3D microcode (v2000gl.uc) from the Windows driver package (latest beta recommended). The Mesa driver talks to the kernel driver via /dev/verite3d and the verite3dio.h ioctl ABI.

The driver does not require (or even support) the X Window System - an application using this OpenGL implementation always takes over the whole screen.

Build

Requires:

NetBSD toolchain (native, or cross-compiler built with the NetBSD build.sh).
GNU make (gmake).

Clone the repo:

git clone https://c0ff33.net/cgit/verite-gl

Building on the target NetBSD system:

gmake netbsd-verite

Cross-building from a different system:

gmake netbsd-verite \
    VERITE_CROSS=/path/to/tooldir/bin/ \
    VERITE_SYSROOT=/path/to/netbsd/sysroot

Successful build will create lib/libGL.a.

Build a program

See include/GL/gl.h for the OpenGL API and include/GL/vrmesa.h for the Verite-specific functions. Note that the second include is necessary since we are not using the usual GLX or WGL APIs to create a rendering context. See examples for usage.

libGL.a is self-contained:

cc -Iinclude your_app.c lib/libGL.a -lm -o your_app

The examples/ contain runnable programs. Build and run as the user with permissions to /dev/verite3d, point VERITE_UCODE environment variable at the v2000gl.uc 3D microcode.

If the /dev/verite3d does not exist on your system, despite running a kernel with veritefb(4) driver loaded, create it using MAKEDEV.

Reported strings: GL_VENDOR = Rendition, GL_RENDERER = Mesa Rendition Verite V2200, GL_VERSION = 1.2 Mesa 6.2.2.

What's where

src/mesa/drivers/verite/ - the driver, plus the rlgl and libv3d low level libraries, verite3dio.h ioctl ABI.
src/mesa/ppc/ - PowerPC 603e/e300 semi-optimized vertex ops (optional).
configs/netbsd-verite - the build config.
everything else - Mesa 6.2.2 with minor patches here and there.

Caveats

The driver only supports one visual, 16-bit RGB565, double buffered, with Z-buffer. Resolution depends on the kernel driver and Mesa will automatically switch color depth to 16-bit when context is created.

Performance is not stellar, but it is usable for simple 3D applications. The example programs run at v-sync rates (60 FPS) on a V2200 card with 640x480 resolution, on a PowerPC 603e CPU at 400 MHz.

GLQuake runs at around 18 FPS on the same machine. Hand-optimized Quake MiniGL driver (not included here) delivers 27 FPS on the same machine, so there is room for improvement.

The driver should work on any Rendition Verite V2100/V2200 card, and any architecture supported by NetBSD as long as it has functional PCI subsystem and working DMA (absolutely necessary), however it was tested only on PowerPC.