Instructions for use

Since the 11i (2024) version, SuperMap iDesktopX supports the 3D Scene rendering engine V1 based on OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) and the 3D Scene rendering engine V2 based on Vulkan.

Originally developed by SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc.) And now maintained by Khronos Group, OpenGL is cross-platform, widely supported, mature and stable, and feature-rich. As a follow-up, the Khronos Group launched Vulkan. Vulkan features lower CPU overhead, efficient memory management, multithreading support, cross-platform compatibility, direct hardware control, and improved rendering performance and quality for building high-performance graphics applications.

To use the 3D Scene rendering engine V1, the following conditions must be met:

• The graphics card and operating system configuration of the local computer shall support OpenGL 3.0 and above;
• The local computer's graphics card and operating system configuration need to support shader syntax below GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language, OpenGL Shader Language) 1.30;
• The video memory of the local computer should be greater than 1GB.

To use the 3D Scene rendering engine V2, the following conditions must be met:

• The local computer graphics card and operating system configuration shall support OpenGL 3.3 or above and Vulkan 1.2.148 or above;
• The video memory of the local computer should be larger than 2GB.

Version switching

Function entrance

• File tab-> Options -> Environment -> Scene rendering engine

Operation steps

1. When you open SuperMap iDesktopX, Click File tab-> Options -> Environment -> Scene Rendering Engine
2. Select the scene rendering engine as V1 or V2 as needed.
   • V1 represents the OpenGL-based 3D Scene rendering engine V1.
   • V2 stands for the Vulkan-based 3D Scene rendering engine V2.