3DMark
From Free net encyclopedia
3DMark is a computer benchmark by Futuremark (formerly MadOnion) to determine the DirectX performance of graphics cards.
The measurement unit 3DMark is intended to give a normalized mean for comparing different visual processing units, which proponents assert is indicative of end-user performance capabilities. Detractors counter by insisting that it is not a reliable measure of real-world performance.
There are six different versions of 3DMark:
- 3DMark99
- 3DMark2000
- 3DMark2001
- 3DMark03
- 3DMark05
- 3DMark06
Each correspond with the year that it was produced; scores for each subsequent year will be lower, as each new version measures new and innovative developments in the graphics field, such as DirectX enhancements like Pixel Shader 3.0.
3DMark06
The following is shown in the screenshot below.
- HDR rendering.
- Complex HDR post processing.
- Dynamic soft shadows for all objects.
- Water shader with HDR refraction, HDR reflection, depth fog and Gerstner wave functions.
- Heterogeneous fog.
- Atmospheric light scattering.
- Realistic sky model with cloud blending.
- Strauss lighting model for most materials.
- Subsurface scattering shader for some objects (not visible in the shot).
- Texture & normal map sizes: 1024 x 1024 to 2048 x 2048.
- Approximately 5.4 million triangles and 8.8 million vertices.
Image: 
Beyond3D Interview Part 1: http://www.beyond3d.com/interviews/fm05/p1/
Beyond3D Interview Part 2: http://www.beyond3d.com/interviews/fm05/p2/