AMD Stream: Is it used? (Games/apps)

After my pointless endeavor in obtaining an Ageia Physx card which turned out to be dead, i'm interested if there are games and/or apps which are using AMD Stream. I can't think of anything that uses it. Is F@H using it? I know it is CUDA supported.

I know that there are a few AMD Stream supported apps on the AMD page, like PowerDVD, a RAR password cracker, AVIVO, Froblins and some other stuff no one is interested in.

Are there any interesting apps or games using it or not?

(c)Legitreviews

 

No games sadly, AMD dont have an equivalent to PhysX that runs on hardware.
AMD cards use the software version of PhysX and other software physics engines running on CPU.
Software PhysX is a lot slower so its not feasible to use the higher settings.

 

AFAIK AMD Stream is using an AMD GPU to run. It is hardware based.

AMD Stream is AMD's answer to Nvidia's Physx/CUDA, but it seems no one is using it.

 

AMD Stream isnt a physics API, it is the equivalent of CUDA not PhysX.
There is no hardware physics API for AMD.
They showcased one years ago but didnt release it.

 

Supposedly they were working with Havok for gpu physics but i have yet to see something that came out of that.

I hope they do something, TES 5 Skyrim will have a lot of havok middleware (havok physics, havok behaviour).

 

But after Intel acquired Havok, didn't Intel kill development of it?

 

hm i though its Bullet, well yea its still in bandages but still :nerd:

 

Development of that joint work? Sure. I dont think that AMD could work freely with Havok after that. But i do wish that some phisics GPU implementation appears from them. Since nobody uses Intel GPUs to game, and run havok on CUDA would imply brain damage, their only choise is, keep havok in the CPU (wont live long, but maybe thats what intel wants) or make it work with everything (using OpenCL or Direct Compute 5).

But Havok still exists for licencing after Intel take over. And they keep developing new tech like Havok Behaviour. So maybe Intel plans to keep them on low profile, updating tech, instead of making "ground breaking" middleware with new features like Ageia.

And i dont see Bullet taking off either...

 

Ummm....Bullet has taken off....

http://bulletphysics.org/wordpress/

Bullet has a wide range of applications outside of gaming.

Bullet Physics API was used in creating the movies MegaMind, Shrek 4 (Shrek Ever After), and How to Train Your Dragon.

 

Its looking good.
I cant find much information on which parts of the API can use the GPU.

 

there are some applications
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=58195

 

you can add "2012" , "Hancok" physic effect, and many many more..

For the game bullet have been used allready in different games, PC, xbox and PS3... GTAIV ( not a reference for physic, but well it's developper. it's not reflect the engine ) ... Red dead redemption, and many other.

For appliccations and softwares: Bullet + DMM2 engine is a package made by AMD ( Digital Material matter engine (physic using mass and molecular level from Pixelux)...It is now compatible and can be used on all Autodesk product ( 3Dmax, maya, etc ) + Cinema 4D and other different 3D creation content and movies creation content.

And now AMD have send this "package" ( Bullet + DMM2 ) to a lot of game developpers ( it's not like PhysX, you can take what you want, modify it, include it in your graphic engine, or use it as it is.. all is possible with it. ) The point is to bring physic as a mainstream features, usable by all whatever is the hardware.

For OpenCL streamSDK. or APP SDK,they are used too in a lot of different project, but it's mainly professional softwares ( movies creation, editing, scientific computation, medical appliccations and imagery, design etc etc ). without saying AMD GPU's CPU's APP SDK are too used for computing and work as they are free to use for developper, they create their own computing environnement and are allready used around the world since a long time in many real appliccations. ( as Tesla/cuda )

For professionnal environnement, it's needed to differenciate Stream accelerated or GPU accelerated environnement, and OpenCL ... ATI Stream exist since the X1800XTX when OpenCL is a new standard in charge of Khronos group, who is developped in collaboration ( like HTML5 ) with nearly all the actor of the Hardware and software ( Intel, microsoft, Apple, AMD, Nvidia, IBM etc etc ).

Peoples tend to make a misunderstood too of CUDA and PhysX .. PhysX is an API ( created by Ageia ) who have been ported and limited to be used on CUDA gpu based ... CUDA is not PhysX .. and PhysX is not CUDA ...

 

powerdvd 9/10 claim to support amd/ati stream. however, there is a certain file within the amd/ati display driver that can cause a conflict with powerdvd9/10 on some systems. on my old 1090t system, powerdvd9/10 would autocrash everytime i opened it. gpus were 5850 and 6850.

runs fine with cuda though. didnt have any issues with a 580 or a 560 running cuda in powerdvd9./10.

adobe cs5 supports amd stream for certain things, like rendering in photoshop, or previewing in premiere iirc. the cuda equivalents seem to work better though.

cyberlink espresso supports stream.

 

Thanks for the info, i didnt know that. But i was reffering to something that i do care. Some nice gpu accelerated physics effects on games.

Of course, if thats effective enough. If it ****s the gpu, then it doesnt matter.

 

The problem is CUDA has been in existence for about a whole year longer than Stream and Nvidia also spent more money to encourage software developers to start using CUDA.

Scientists always need extra maths power for their research projects to stay on budget and it's a known fact scientists are typically very familiar with the C programming language, so Nvidia had decided to make it as easy as possible for C programmers to learn CUDA programming. This is how it became very popular so quickly.

 

Short answer NO

long answer there are a few apps that can make use of stream. F@H will be putting out an updated version to take advantage of openCL on ATI 4,5,6xxx GPU's, AVIVO is rubbish it lacks support for a wide range of file types and doesn't do as good a job as the slower CPU bound Handbrake, power director and espresso can both use stream or cuda neither of which makes that much of a difference and you limited to m2ts file types for saving..... 3Dmark11 uses an form of GPU physics on ATI Dx11 supported GPUs (via Bullet i think)

 

Wiki says Stream SDK exists since 2007, Cuda didnt came out that year too? The recent major update included OpenCL support, and then is when Bullet came.

nVidia just entered that marketing stomping on everything it seems...

 

But NVIDIA has bought Ageia in 2008 and so acquiring Physx tech and implemented CUDA as well. Ageia cards were around since 2005.

 

this applications used stream:

ArcSoft MediaConverter 4
ArcSoft MediaConverter 7
A's Video Converter
ATI Transcode Converter
ATI XCoder
Corel VideoStudio Pro X3
Cyberlink MediaEspresso 6
CyberLink PowerProducer 5
Roxio Creator 2010
Microsoft Expression Encoder 3
ElcomSoft Password Recovery
Elcomsoft Wireless Security Auditor
RAR GPU Password Recovery v0.5
PhotoShop CS4
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9
Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso 5
Arcsoft Totalmedia Theatre SimHD plugin
Accent ZIP Password Recovery
Elcomsoft iPhone Password Breaker
BarsWF
DenoiseMyImage Professional
Pyrit
Accent OFFICE Password Recovery 5

opencl:

HDR Expose
Dolphin: Nintendo Wii/GC Emulator
ImageMagick
Phaseone Capture One 6.0
CyberLink PowerDirector 9

and there are still some ...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_8_series