3dfx Glide

+**3dfx Glide** was a proprietary [graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API) developed by [3dfx](/wiki/3dfx) that revolutionized 3D acceleration for personal computers. It offered a direct path to the hardware, delivering unprecedented visual fidelity and performance to a generation of PC [video games](/wiki/Video_game). Glide became synonymous with 3dfx's [Voodoo](/wiki/Voodoo) line of [graphics cards](/wiki/Graphics_card), allowing developers to directly control the hardware for optimal performance, contrasting with more generalized APIs like [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX) and [OpenGL](/wiki/OpenGL) which were gaining traction. This direct access was a key factor in the early success of 3dfx in the nascent 3D gaming market.

+## Code Example (Conceptual)

+Below is a simplified conceptual example demonstrating typical Glide API calls for initialization and basic frame rendering. This snippet illustrates the direct, low-level approach characteristic of Glide programming.

+```c

+// Initialize Glide window context

+**3dfx Glide** was a proprietary [graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API) developed by [3dfx](/wiki/3dfx) that revolutionized 3D acceleration for personal computers. It offered a direct path to the hardware, delivering unprecedented visual fidelity and performance to a generation of PC [video games](/wiki/Video_game).

+## See also

+- [Voodoo](/wiki/Voodoo)

+- [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX)

+- [OpenGL](/wiki/OpenGL)