14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 8 brings to the table an evolved iteration of the Windows Display Driver Model, version 1.2.
Early adopters can already test the new WDDM in the Developer Preview of Windows 8, Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) which has been available for download since mid-September 2011.
It’s extremely simple to get insight into just what enhancements WDDM 1.2 sports in Windows 8. Customers need only download a whitepaper made available by the Redmond company on the new Windows Dev Center.
Dubbed ‘Windows Display Driver Model Enhancements in Windows Developer Preview,’ the resource is available free of charge.
“This document provides information about the various enhancements to the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) for Windows 8 operating systems. WDDM for Windows 8 is referred to as “WDDM v1.2”,” the software giant notes.
“This document provides an overview of the Windows 8 features that are only enabled by a WDDM v1.2 driver. To take advantage of these features and provide the best experience, WDDM v1.2 is required by all systems shipped with Windows 8.”
In addition to providing a great deal of information on WDDM in Windows 8, the resource also focuses on additional topics, including Direct3D features and requirements, Graphics INF requirements, installation scenarios, and WDDM 1.2 driver enforcement guidelines.
“The WDDM v1.2 feature set includes several new enhancements that improve performance, reliability, and the overall end user experience. Each of these features requires special support from 3rd-party WDDM v1.2 drivers. This section elaborates on what constitutes the WDDM v1.2 feature set,” the company added.
“WDDM v1.2 has both mandatory and optional features. The driver must implement all the mandatory features to claim itself as a “WDDM v1.2 driver”, while the driver can implement any combination (or none) of the optional features. A non WDDM v1.2 driver must report none of the WDDM v1.2 features.”
Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.