Italian start-up Mazatech is offering the second technology preview of its commercial library for hardware-accelerated 2D vector graphics on small-screen embedded devices. The company's AmanithVG library implements the Khronos Group's entire OpenVG specification, using a pair of 3D APIs, also from the Khronos… Group.

According to Mazatech, the AmanithVG graphics library implements the OpenVG specifications “entirely on top of” a pair of open standard 3D graphics APIs — OpenGL 1.1 to 2.0, using extensions where available; and OpenGL ES (embedded subset) 1.1 and 2.0. The company claims that the use of 3D hardware to accelerate 2D graphics can produce quality comparable to software rasterizers, while achieving speeds many times faster or, in embedded systems, using far fewer processor cycles. A page of benchmark results comparing AmanithVG favorably to several software renderers, both in speed and quality, can be found here.

OpenVG is an open standard maintained by the Khronos Group. It defines a low-level API for vector graphics libraries, such as those associated with Macromedia Flash, or the W3C's SVG (scalable vector graphics) specification. OpenVG enables “fluidly interactive 2D performance” at very low power levels, Khronos says, and targets small-screen devices with user interfaces based on vector graphics.

Mazatech first previewed AmanithVG last month. The initial preview release implemented “most” of the OpenVG specification, whereas the second preview release implements the entire specification, the company says.

Mazatech plans to ship AmanithVG next month, after implementing the Khronos Group's Egl 1.x specification. EGL aims to interface rendering APIs such as OpenGL ES and OpenVG with the underlying native platform window system, the Khronos Group says.

Availability

AmanithVG is scheduled for general availability in October. Currently, a “second technology preview” release is available, with registration.

A video showing AmanithVG in action can be seen here.

 
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