Glide (API)

Glide is a 3D graphics API developed by 3dfx Interactive for their Voodoo Graphics 3D accelerator cards. It started as a proprietary API, and was later open sourced by 3dfx.^[2][3] It was dedicated to rendering performance, supporting geometry and texture mapping primarily, in data formats identical to those used internally in their cards.^[4][5] Wide adoption of 3Dfx led to Glide being extensively used in the late 1990s, but further refinement of Microsoft's Direct3D and the appearance of full OpenGL implementations from other graphics card vendors, in addition to growing diversity in 3D hardware, eventually caused it to become superfluous.^[5]

Glide

Original author(s)	3dfx Interactive
Stable release	3.10.00.30303 / September 2, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09-02)
Written in	Assembly, C
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	3D graphics API
License	GNU General Public License[citation needed] 3DFX GLIDE Source Code General Public License[1]
Website	sourceforge.net/projects/glide/

Glide wrappers and emulators

Glide emulator development has been in progress since the late 1990s. During 3dfx's lifetime, the company was aggressive at trying to stop these attempts to emulate their proprietary API, shutting down early emulation projects with legal threats.^[6] However, just before it ceased operations and had its assets purchased by Nvidia, 3dfx released the Glide API, along with the Voodoo 2 and Voodoo 3 specifications, under an open source license,^[7] which later evolved into an open source project.^[8]

See also

• Vulkan (API)
• 3dfx Interactive
• MiniGL
• Mantle (API) – another low-level API

References

1. "3DFX GLIDE Source Code General Public License". GitHub. 3dfx. 1999-12-06. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
2. "The 3DFX GLIDE Source Code General Public License". Archived from the original on 2009-02-10.
3. "3dfx Open Sources Glide API And Releases Hardware Specifications" (Press release). 3dfx. 1999-12-06. Archived from the original on 2000-03-03. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
4. MacLellan, Andrew (1995-11-06). "Startup 3Dfx Eyes 3D Graphics Arena". Electronic News. Vol. 41, no. 2090. p. 84. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
5. Ajami, Amer (1999-12-06). "3dfx Open Sources Glide". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
6. "3dfx wraps up wrapper Web sites". The Register. April 8, 1999. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
7. "3dfx open sources Glide, Voodoo 2 and 3 specs". The Register. Archived from the original on 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
8. "Glide for 3dfx hardware". 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2010.

External links

• Glide SourceForge Project Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
• GLIDE programming manual Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Glide Wrappers List Archived 2012-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
• OpenGL Documentation Archived 2012-01-15 at the Wayback Machine