DirectX 12 “Won’t Have Any Effect” on Umbra’s Occlusion Culling Tech, “Faster CPUs Help”

Umbra Software's techniques aren't directly influenced by DirectX 12 (of course).

Posted By | On 14th, Apr. 2014

Umbra Software

If you didn’t know already, Umbra Software is a middleware company that specializes in providing occlusion culling solutions for video game developers. Their solutions have been utilized to speed up rendering for scenes in video games, with occlusion culling deciding which objects to render based on their visibility to the player. The company was present at this year’s GDC and they explained how Umbra 3 will be utilized in CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, along with its use in Oculus Rift for averaging 120 FPS easily. Interested readers can click here to know more.

We followed up with Umbra regarding DirectX 12 and how it would help the middleware’s occlusion techniques. “We haven’t really looked at DX12, but no, it won’t have any effect on our tech. Faster CPU’s help,” an Umbra representative said to GamingBolt.

That seems about in line with developer reactions to Stardock CEO’s Brad Wardell article about DirectX 12 effectively doubling Xbox One GPU speed (the API will be releasing next year for both the PC and the console). DirectX has always served as more of a communication interface between the hardware and game, thus allowing for increased efficiency in performance rather than physically changing the CPU/GPU speed in any way. As it stands, faster hardware indeed does help but DirectX 12 is helping to unlock the potential that said hardware brings. It is interesting to note that it won’t have any effect on techniques such as Umbra’s occlusion culling though but that’s a given.

We’re still very interested to see what Umbra 3 is capable of. If The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has told us anything till now, it’s that we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Umbra Software’s occlusion culling techniques are capable of. What are your thoughts on DirectX 12 having no effect on the tech? And how do you feel about Umbra in general? Let us know in the comments.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty Have Generated Roughly $750 Million in Revenue

Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty Have Generated Roughly $750 Million in Revenue

In 2023, the action RPG and its expansion raked in roughly $206 million in revenue, CD Projekt has revealed.

The Witcher 4 Has Over 400 Developers Working on it, Still in Pre-Production

The Witcher 4 Has Over 400 Developers Working on it, Still in Pre-Production

Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2 and Fool's Theory remake of the first Witcher are both in the concept stage of producti...

Predator: Hunting Grounds is Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in Late 2024

Predator: Hunting Grounds is Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in Late 2024

Developer IllFonic has taken over publishing for the title, with a new update next month and additional Predat...

Helldivers 2 Patch Fixes Freezes From Arc-Based Weapons and Stratagems

Helldivers 2 Patch Fixes Freezes From Arc-Based Weapons and Stratagems

The new patch ensures the Arc-12 Blitzer, Arc Thrower, and Tesla Tower will no longer cause players' games to ...

Like a Dragon, Judgment Developer is Seemingly Teasing an “Important Announcement” for Monday

Like a Dragon, Judgment Developer is Seemingly Teasing an “Important Announcement” for Monday

But Monday is April Fool's Day, so it could be a whole lot of nothing. Then again, it could be Judgment 3.

Princess Peach: Showtime! Beats Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin to Top Weekly Japanese Charts

Princess Peach: Showtime! Beats Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin to Top Weekly Japanese Charts

Princess Peach steals the spotlight from both massive, new open world action RPGs in the latest sales charts f...