Gaming Anti Aliasing types on the 3DS

[ferofax]

So that's why it's very heavy, it actually renders at a higher res? then i suppose the ones that RE:R and MK7 use are workarounds... maybe they can just work an algorithm for AA to apply it only to edges, or preferably, on jaggies.

That's the thing - as of today, "jaggies" are necessary for the 3D effect - thanks to them it is easy to assert what is in the foreground and what's the background.

If you were to AA them, they'd blend too much.

What needs to be done, more or less is:

1. Rendering the background, applying the 3D effect, AA the scene.
2. Rendering the models that are far away, applying the 3D effect, AA the background (second layer).
3. Rendering the models that are close, applying the 3D effect, AA the foregound (third layer).

...all in Real-Time, of course.

Effectively you need three times the resources to achieve the same effect while keeping the 3D intact. By proxy a developer will focus on the meritum of the game and if there are any resources left, they *may* fool around with that kind of thing, but usually it's too late in the development to implement such engine changes.

actually, the jaggies doesn't need that much AA, just a pixel width or two, just to soften up the lines, so it doesn't look like ladders or sawtooth. they'd still be pretty crisp looking but not so jagged.

 

[Eerpow]

So that's why it's very heavy, it actually renders at a higher res? then i suppose the ones that RE:R and MK7 use are workarounds... maybe they can just work an algorithm for AA to apply it only to edges, or preferably, on jaggies.

That's the thing - as of today, "jaggies" are necessary for the 3D effect - thanks to them it is easy to assert what is in the foreground and what's the background.

If you were to AA them, they'd blend too much.

What needs to be done, more or less is:

1. Rendering the background, applying the 3D effect, AA the scene.
2. Rendering the models that are far away, applying the 3D effect, AA the background (second layer).
3. Rendering the models that are close, applying the 3D effect, AA the foregound (third layer).

...all in Real-Time, of course.

Effectively you need three times the resources to achieve the same effect while keeping the 3D intact. By proxy a developer will focus on the meritum of the game and if there are any resources left, they *may* fool around with that kind of thing, but usually it's too late in the development to implement such engine changes.

The 3D effect works by rendering the character and environment models from two angles. Essentially using a double lens in game camera like the one on the 3DS.
There are no layers, unless you are playing a 3D layered 2D game like Mighty Switch Force or Mutant Mudds.
The only difference when applying AA to a 3D scene is that it takes double the processing power because of the two images.

What I'm not sure about is if 2x AA in 3D takes the same amount of power as 4x AA in 2D, in theory it should.


The in game cameras are also slightly angeled giving depth to the models, where in many 3D movies like Pirates of the Caribbean the cameras they use have lenses which are parallel in relation to each other,
making it seem like if the actors are flat cardboard cutouts positioned in a 3D space.
Imagine viewing a box with both of your eyes, you'll see that a little bit of both the right and left sides are visible giving you depth, your eyes aren't parallel when focusing.

 

[M[u]ddy]

Also remember there are many different kinds of AA such as FXAA, MLAA and SSAA etc. They are probably using one of the ones like FXAA which don't take many resources but the tradeoff is the image can be blurred at the edges.

FXAA and MLAA aren't real AA, but post processing filter that should imitate an anti aliased image. If the rumors are true, the 3DS uses FSAA (Full Scale Anti Aliasing) which renders the image at a higher resolution and then samples it down. This is the most resource intensive AA, but it also gives the best results and additional anisotropic filtering as a byproduct.

So that's why it's very heavy, it actually renders at a higher res? then i suppose the ones that RE:R and MK7 use are workarounds... maybe they can just work an algorithm for AA to apply it only to edges, or preferably, on jaggies.

What you mention is know as MSAA.
Pure MSAA only filters edges, Adaptive MSAA(AMD)/Transparency AA(nVidia) also filters transparent textures.
I don't know if it's possible to manually implement it.

 

[ferofax]

Also remember there are many different kinds of AA such as FXAA, MLAA and SSAA etc. They are probably using one of the ones like FXAA which don't take many resources but the tradeoff is the image can be blurred at the edges.

FXAA and MLAA aren't real AA, but post processing filter that should imitate an anti aliased image. If the rumors are true, the 3DS uses FSAA (Full Scale Anti Aliasing) which renders the image at a higher resolution and then samples it down. This is the most resource intensive AA, but it also gives the best results and additional anisotropic filtering as a byproduct.

So that's why it's very heavy, it actually renders at a higher res? then i suppose the ones that RE:R and MK7 use are workarounds... maybe they can just work an algorithm for AA to apply it only to edges, or preferably, on jaggies.

What you mention is know as MSAA.
Pure MSAA only filters edges, Adaptive MSAA(AMD)/Transparency AA(nVidia) also filters transparent textures.
I don't know if it's possible to manually implement it.

so that's what it is. new stuff for me, heh. it doesn't have to be strong AA, just a pixel or two should do, kinda like ClearTyping of fonts on LCD screens. it's the closest example i know, lol. or that sub-pixel rendering thingy with DS book reader apps.

 

[Deleted User]

Also remember there are many different kinds of AA such as FXAA, MLAA and SSAA etc. They are probably using one of the ones like FXAA which don't take many resources but the tradeoff is the image can be blurred at the edges.

FXAA and MLAA aren't real AA, but post processing filter that should imitate an anti aliased image.
If the rumors are true, the 3DS uses FSAA (Full Scale Anti Aliasing) which renders the image at a higher resolution and then samples it down. This is the most resource intensive AA, but it also gives the best results and additional anisotropic filtering as a byproduct.

Correct, FX and ML are a bluring type, its used on most console ports.