Optimising Specific Techniques

This section covers ways of optimising various techniques to improve application performance, especially when using PowerVR hardware.

• Using Multiple Render Targets Efficiently

  Pixel Local Storage on PowerVR can efficiently use render targets provided their size is not greater than the available on-chip memory.

• Preferred Lighting Solution

  The best lighting technique depends on the scene context.

• Preferred Shadowing Solution

  Stencil shadowing algorithms are well-suited to the PowerVR architecture.

• MSAA Performance

  Anti-aliasing can have a significant impact on performance.

• Preferred Analytical AA Solution

  The benefits of analytical anti-aliasing algorithms should be weighed against memory bandwidth cost.

• Screen Space Ambient Occlusion

  Hierarchical Z-buffer optimisation is suggested as the most efficient method of implementing SSAO.

• Ray-Marching

  Alternatives to expensive ray marching algorithms.

• Separable Kernels

  The trade-offs associated with single pass or multi-pass approaches.

• Efficient Sprite Rendering

  Sprites can have a significant impact on performance if handled incorrectly.

• On-Chip Memory Performance

  Making efficient use of PowerVR’s on-chip memory is vital to getting the best performance.

• Optimising Register Pressure on PowerVR

  Inefficient usage of register space can lead to register spilling and reduced performance.

• Optimal Depth Buffer Usage for Large-scale Games

  Changing the depth buffer mapping can help improve precision when using the standard D24S8 format.

• Balancing Workloads on PowerVR to Eliminate Bottlenecks

  Analysing workload distribution across GPU processing capabilities can help identify and eliminate performance bottlenecks.

• Optimal Particle Rendering on PowerVR

  Particle rendering can cause overdraw issues leading to performance bottlenecks.

• Physically-Based Rendering and Per-Pixel LOD - Rogue Performance

  Physically-based rendering can potentially better represent real-world light behaviour, but can cause significant performance bottlenecks in Rogue.