Warp3D
		The 3D lowlevel software

		Copyright © 1998 - 2001
		     by Hans-Joerg Frieden
			Thomas Frieden
			Sam Jordan


We are proud to present the third release of Warp3D. This file is only
a brief overview of Warp3D. Please refer to the file Docs/Warp3D_User.guide
for more detailed information. For more information on 3D hardware, refer
to docs/HWaccel.guide.


Purpose:

Warp3D is a lowlevel software, this means, that it doesn't provide high-
level functions, as other 3D-API's do (like OpenGL). The advantage of
this concept is the low overhead, or in other words, the high speed,
which can be achieved when directly programming the Warp3D API.


Features:

- Warp3D provides a unique API for any 3D hardware. This is done by
  using a driver system. Therefore ANY application which uses W3D
  for 3D graphics will work with ANY 3D hardware, as soon as an
  appropriate hardware driver is present. There is no need to create
  new versions of the software for every new 3D hardware.

- Warp3D is available for everyone, it's freeware (subject to a
  special license, see the file 'LEGAL').

- The Warp3D implementation is provided as shared libraries, which
  makes upgrading very easy. Applications using the W3D API don't
  have to be changed, if a new W3D version comes out.

- Warp3D acts very lowlevel, which reduces the overhead to a minimum.
  Applications directly accessing the Warp3D API can run with maximal
  performance. This might be very interesting for game developers.

- The Warp3D API can be used by 68K and PPC applications in future.
  The PPC shared libraries is in PowerOpen format (used by
  WarpUp applications).

- Warp3D will work with any graphics software system (CyberGFX,
  Picasso96 etc.). For every graphics software, a special W3D graphics
  driver has to be written, which benefits from the individual advantages
  of both graphics systems.

- Warp3D does not only work in fullscreen mode, it will also work in
  window mode. Even several applications with several windows will be
  able to share the 3D hardware resources (try running gears with the
  '-window' command line parameter, even multiple times).

- Warp3D supports CPU drivers, which would make it possible to execute
  W3D applications even if no 3D hardware is present (but only for chunky
  bitmaps). Such a CPU driver could be implemented much more efficiently
  as for example the software drivers of highlevel 3D implementations,
  such as OpenGL implementations. Unfortunately, no CPU driver has been
  released yet.

- Warp3D can be supported by 3D highlevel implementations. StormMesa is
  already ported. Also, there will be a lightweight OpenGL implemenation
  called 'MiniGL', which is aimed at game development on Amiga PPC systems.


Contacting the authors:

Hans-Joerg Frieden:     hfrieden@uni-trier.de
Thomas Frieden:         tfrieden@uni-trier.de
Sam Jordan:             s.jordan@haage-partner.com