VectorC compiler. Wha'ts your thoughts?

#1 HArd to say there are soooo many of them, I am not sure why we need another ? :)

#2 Well this one claims to automatically (that's what i got from it) optomize your code to take advantage of each processer's version of MMX, 3dnow, and other technologies.

#3 Microsoft has made availibe a Processor Pack upgrade for Visual C++ 6.0 (SP4 & SP5). It gives it similar features to VectorC. I think VectorC is cool but I wouldn't spend the extra money on it unless I wasn't the poor student that I am. So for now I'll just stick with my patched MSVC. :-)

#4 The MSVC++ Processor Pack and VectorC are very different products.

The Processor pack is just Microsofts way of making you purchase the VC++ Professional so you can use MMX, 3DNow and SIMD assembly instructions (something every other compiler just gives you).

VectorC is a specialized C/C++ compiler that, with hints, sometimes lots of hints, generates highly optimized code using MMX, 3DNow and SIMD instructions.

I think VectorC is kinda cool. Might be useful to generate the first pass of some hand tweeked assembly routines.

--Rick

#5 "VectorC is a specialized C/C++ compiler that, with hints, sometimes lots of hints, generates highly optimized code using MMX, 3DNow and SIMD instructions."

Actually VectorC is capable of autovectorizing with no hints at all in many cases. However results generally get better with the addition of hints as you'd expect.

Vectorization is only one aspect (albiet the major one) of VectorC's performance. Memory optimizations and custom calling conventions passing values on SIMD registers are further examples.

If anyone has any further questions about VectorC and Codeplay I'd be delighted to answer them.

-Mat 'Lurks' Bettinson, Codeplay Ltd.

#6 It looks very promising after reviewing its features. To be able to optimize automatically for a given CPU and game platform make it worth pursuing. The price is ranged right as well for student and prof. versions.

#7 VectorC rocks! The Interactive Optimizer is particularly cool - for those who want to use it as a first pass for hand-tuned asm routines especially.

A version supporting C++ is due out in May (unless the release schedule changes). I'm looking forward to it.

The interactive demo Codeplay has for download is quite interesting. In almost every test, the code compiled with MSVC for a "generic" Pentium-class processor is much faster than the same code compiled with Intel's compiler, targeting a specific processor model. Same code compiled with VectorC is faster still. Definitely check it out for yourself before purchasing.

--Jeff

#8 I have been talking with the crew at CodePlay on and off for the last 6 months, great groupof guys. They have a copy of the Torque that they are using to test the C++ compiler against :) I have not heard from them for a little while (probably busy with game Developers Conference) so I'll try to give them a ping in the next few days and see 'Whazz Up'?

--Rick

#9 Hey Rick, "Whazz up?" :)

Let me fill you in on where we're at. We put the x86 compiler on the back burner for a bit so we could concentrate on getting our two PS2 compilers out the door. We need to pay the bills, you know how it is.

So unfortunately we've been a lot later with VectorC {PC} 2.0 than we anticipated.

The good news is that the C++ is getting thrashed out nicely as part of the PS2 EE compiler. Also the code generation has seen a substantial overhaul with a lot of work going on under the hood, much of that also the result of the work on the PS2 EE compiler.

Torque is definately being used in our test suite, so compiling that ought to be no problem! As for time frames on our compiler, it'll be after the PS2 EE compiler so anywhere from 4-8 weeks away I'd say.

My apologies for the optimistic release schedules earlier. Doh! Oh, the current state of play on our release stuff (on all platforms) as we know it is on this page;

http://www.codeplay.com/vectorc/index.html