The Competition

In conjunction with our recent ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 256MB Review we are launching the Beyond3D and ATI Shader DirectX 9 Shader competition. The basic premise of the competition is to submit a working Shader demonstration, which would only be capable on DX9 class hardware.

We'll be looking for Shaders in two different areas: Those that are visually impressive and those that display best coding practices/are innovative and could potentially be used in future gaming titles. We'll accept full, custom written demos to Shader code that can operate on an already existing engine (such as ATI's "Sushi" demo engine) and if you want to include a benchmarking mode that could certainly be seen as a plus!

As stated, the Shader code must be of DirectX9 PS/VS2.0 level and can be written in either DX assembly or via HLSL. From the entrants submitted we will narrow down a shortlist of entries and ATI's Software Engineering will pick those that they feel show "Best Practice" in terms of coding.

Of course, no competition is complete without something to win and so ATI are generously providing the following prizes for the top 5 entrants:

  • A fully loaded Shuttle PC with a Radeon 256MB Graphics board for the winner
  • A Radeon 9800 PRO 256MB Graphics card
  • A Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB Graphics card for the next three runners up

If you feel like you want to try your hand at grabbing one of these prizes then first read the full rules of the competition and then register your interest at the E-mail address competition@beyond3d.com. You'll have until 15 September 2003 to submit your working demo and source code to us, before we decide the winners. We'll also post up some of the best demos on the site once they come through.

Rules For Entry

  • The Demonstration must be of DX9 level and must operate on publicly available, WHQL certified drivers on DX9 class hardware.
  • Code must be an original entry, not one that has been submitted to other competitions or taken from another source.
  • The Shader code can be generated by either hand written DX9 Assembly or HLSL.
  • We will accept fully written custom demo environments to Shaders that will run on already existing engines.
  • You agree to send Beyond3D the demo in both a run able form and source code from which it was generated from (where applicable) and that all code will be unlicensed and open source.
  • With the submitted entry a description of the Shader, what it does and how it is achieved should be submitted.
  • Only one entry per person will be allowed.
  • Employees of Beyond3D or ATI may not enter!
  • You agree that Beyond3D and ATI will judge the entries.
  • Interest in the competition should be registered at competition@beyond3d.com and submission of the final working demo should be made by 15 September 2003.

With the registration email please provide the following details:

  • Full name
  • E-mail address
  • Occupation
  • Country of Residence

If you have any questions prior to registering your intention to participate, please forward them to competition@beyond3d.com or to Dave Baumann (wavey@beyond3d.com) or Reverend (reverend@beyond3d.com), or you can voice them in the comments forum of this competition's announcement, the latter of which is preferred since questions and answers there may be what you're looking for.

Get Coding and Good Luck!


The results!