An exciting release of VKD3D-Proton has arrived! VKD3D-Proton 2.11 brings with it some big improvements for the Direct3D 12 to Vulkan translation layer used in Valve's Proton for Linux PC and Steam Deck.
First big change is that DXR is now enabled by default, no more needing to set "VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr" as that is the default. However they note a few special cases where it is not. Sampler feedback is also now supported through emulation, and thanks to this DX Ultimate (FL 12.2) is also now exposed by default on RDNA2+ and Turing+.
There's also various performance fixes, new workarounds for game issues and a few general bug fixes. All the rest available below in the full changelog:
Changelog, click me
Features
DXR enabled by default
VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr is default now, and no longer needed.
There are some special cases where DXR is not enabled by default. The only such current example is
"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" on Deck which force-enables DXR if it is supported, even on Deck.
New semantics are:
dxr: Force-enable DXR, even when it is considered unsafenodxr: Disable DXRdxr11: Removed.dxralready implied DXR 1.1 anyway
Sampler feedback
This feature was the last feature required for FL 12.2 and is implemented through emulation.
As demonstrated in the implementation docs, all
native implementations of this feature are fundamentally broken in some way.
There's also no known game that ships requiring this feature, so we just consider this a checkbox feature.
DX Ultimate (FL 12.2) now exposed by default
On RDNA2+ and Turing+ we can finally expose the DX Ultimate feature set!
Misc
- Implement a bunch of missing "Vulkan-on-D3D12" features
- IndependentFrontAndBackStencilRefMaskSupported
- TriangleFanSupported
- DynamicIndexBufferStripCutSupported
- DynamicDepthBiasSupported
- NonNormalizedCoordinateSamplersSupported
- MismatchingOutputDimensionsSupported
- PointSamplingAddressesNeverRoundUp
- RasterizerDesc2Supported
- Explicit line rasterization mode
- NarrowQuadrilateralLinesSupported
- AnisoFilterWithPointMipSupported
- Implement missing MSAD instruction in DXIL, allowing FSR3 to run
- Implement some esoteric DXR features
- Implement support for multiple mismatching global root signatures in DXR
- Fixes crash in Battlefield V
- Implement support for LOCAL_ON_EXTERNAL dependencies in DXR
- Fixes DXR in Warhammer: Darktide
- Implement support for multiple mismatching global root signatures in DXR
- Implement support for ExecuteIndirect + Mesh shaders with state changes
- Currently unused by games
Performance
- Improve performance of NV_device_generated_commands and NV_device_generated_commands_compute by
reordering and batching command preprocessing- We have observed 15% FPS gains in Halo Infinite on RADV
- 1-2% in Starfield in some test locations
- Needs pending Mesa work to land to take advantage of this improvement
- Tune memory allocation patterns for DGC preprocess buffers
- Avoids a lot of allocation churn
- Greatly reduces CPU overhead on NV
Workarounds
- Work around RADV bug causing GPU hang in RE4: Separate Ways DLC
- Work around RADV bug causing GPU hang in Lords of the Fallen
- Work around Witcher 3 bug causing broken shadows and GPU hangs when enabling DXR
- Work around Cyberpunk 2077 bug when RT is enabled, where game would cause spurious GPU hangs due to accessing descriptor heap out of bounds
- Work around Windjammers 2 bug causing random crashes on startup
- Add support for VK_EXT_image_compression_control to allow for more fine-grained workarounds for broken games running on RADV
- Enable NV_device_generated_commands_compute on latest NV beta drivers
- 545.x drivers are still disabled until a fix can be confirmed on shipping drivers
- Remove CURB_MEMORY_PSO_CACHE workaround on Mesa 23.2+
- Should reduce overhead in PSO creation
Fixes
- Misc dxil-spirv changes to fix various bugs in game shaders as usual
- Fix Jurassic World Evolution 2 crashing when enabling DXR
- Fix some deprecation warnings in Meson build system
- Some submodule locations moved, which may cause minor disruption
Full release notes here.
Amazing how far Direct3D to Vulkan translation has come. The power of open source right here! Helping to get tens of thousands of games running on Linux / Steam Deck.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Vasya Sovari Nov 26, 2023
Quoting: deathxxxThis ray-tracing is just useless. Heavy drop performance for what?
Are someone care about ray-tracing? If you play game, do you look at ray-tracing? Or look other things, like how to keep alive?
It depends overwhelmingly on the game. Control remains by far the best example I've seen where RT really does radically change how it feels to play, and the improvement is vast. I still enjoyed it with RT off, but on was frequently mind-blowing and 100% worth the performance hit (which eased considerably with each mesa-git release)
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Quoting: deathxxxThis ray-tracing is just useless. Heavy drop performance for what?I've always had a feeling it's really more of a developer thing. It seems like once you get it working, it would be a lot simpler to set up, with no need for tricks and workarounds--you just set up the light sources, and they shine.
Are someone care about ray-tracing? If you play game, do you look at ray-tracing? Or look other things, like how to keep alive?
2 Likes, Who?
BlackBloodRum Nov 26, 2023
I'll give it a few years until I can get GPU's that can use it without tanking performance, at least at reasonable price. 
(No, 1k+ for a new GPU each year is not a reasonable price.)
I know of one game which could use it, CP77. But I bet performance would tank on my old and cheap AMD 6700XT. Although, it's good enough to play the game on ultra without needing to enable FSR, which is the main thing for me
(No, 1k+ for a new GPU each year is not a reasonable price.)I know of one game which could use it, CP77. But I bet performance would tank on my old and cheap AMD 6700XT. Although, it's good enough to play the game on ultra without needing to enable FSR, which is the main thing for me
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: Purple Library GuyTo be fair, ray tracing can look a lot better and more realistic than the current smoke-and-mirrors trickery. Proper reflections and shadows etc. But in the end, this stuff doesn't make any real difference to my gaming experience, which is why I'm happy to let the tech mature.Quoting: deathxxxThis ray-tracing is just useless. Heavy drop performance for what?I've always had a feeling it's really more of a developer thing. It seems like once you get it working, it would be a lot simpler to set up, with no need for tricks and workarounds--you just set up the light sources, and they shine.
Are someone care about ray-tracing? If you play game, do you look at ray-tracing? Or look other things, like how to keep alive?
Wouldn't mind super realistic graphics in certain genres, like driving sims though.
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: BlackBloodRumBut I bet performance would tank on my old and cheap AMD 6700XT.
I didn't realize my 6700xt was old and cheap, especially considering when i bought it was not long ago and it was not that cheap. But that depends on the person i guess and what games / resolution they play at. They are still going for around 350' where i live, for a decent version and upto 400'
which is basically steam deck price for just one component of a PC.
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: ShmerlQuoting: mylkai do not have many RT games, but i tried it with lego builders journey on epic with heroic
still have to use "RADV_PERFTEST=rt", or i do not get the RT option
You must have old Mesa then. It shouldn't be necessary otherwise.
that could be the case. manjaro is still on mesa 23.1 and i think even the testing branch is still on this version.
it is a rolling release. so much for that
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Quoting: ShmerlQuoting: deathxxxThis ray-tracing is just useless. Heavy drop performance for what?
Are someone care about ray-tracing? If you play game, do you look at ray-tracing? Or look other things, like how to keep alive?
I'd agree about something like Cyberpunk 2077. Performance drop in it is just not worth it. But may be some lighter games can benefit more from it. Didn't something like Minecraft add ray tracing support? No idea how it works without Vulkan though.
Raytracing is good on older games like Minecraft and Quake. The problem is that I have already played these games - a lot. I can't bring myself to start another Minecraft world just to see all the rays. On newer games the performance hit is not worth it and in competetive game I would disable ray-tracing anyway. My brain can't handle more shining lights in Dota xD
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