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{{feature|anti-aliasing (AA)}}
 
{{feature|anti-aliasing (AA)}}
  
'''Anti-aliasing (AA)''' is a computer graphics technique that attempts to minimise the unwanted 'staircase' or jagged object outlines which occur due to the limited resolution in 3D-Renderers, essentially by 'smoothing' these lines. Enabling this graphics feature will also increase the texture quality in some cases.
+
'''Anti-Aliasing (AA)''' is a computer graphics technique that attempts to minimise the unwanted 'staircase' or jagged object outlines which occur due to the limited resolution in 3D-Renderers, essentially by 'smoothing' these lines.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Spatial anti-aliasing|Anti-aliasing article on Wikipedia]]</ref>
  
 
==Example of Anti-Aliasing==
 
==Example of Anti-Aliasing==
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
! No anti-aliasing !!16x anti-aliasing
+
! No Anti-Aliasing !!16x Anti-Aliasing
 
|-
 
|-
| [[Image:Not_antialiased_Cube.png‎|200px]] || [[Image:Antialiased_Cube.png|200px]]  
+
| [[Image:Not_antialiased_Cube.png‎|250px]] || [[Image:Antialiased_Cube.png|250px]]  
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==Types of Anti-Aliasing==
 
==Types of Anti-Aliasing==
There are a number of anti-aliasing techniques today but all of them are based on the same principle. They simply render multiple pixels per pixel of the final image.
+
There are a number of Anti-Aliasing techniques today but all of them are based on the same principle. They simply render multiple pixels per pixel of the final image.
  
 
The techniques only differ on two factors:
 
The techniques only differ on two factors:
Line 19: Line 19:
 
* How they "mix" the multiple rendered pixels to get the final pixel.
 
* How they "mix" the multiple rendered pixels to get the final pixel.
  
These algorithms are also variable on how many pixels they use to determine one final pixel. In video games this is represent by a simple number which is a power of 2 like 2x, 4x, 8x etcetera.
+
Those algorithms are also variable on how many pixels they use to determine one final pixel. In video games this is represented by a simple number which is a power of 2 like 2x, 4x, 8x etc.
  
There are several terms associated with anti-aliasing, most of which are derivatives on the standard anti-aliasing formula.
+
There are several terms associated with Anti-Aliasing, most of which are derivatives on the standard Anti-Aliasing formula.
  
=Traditional methods=
+
==Traditional methods==
{{++}} The result is much sharper and clearer than post-processing methods
+
{{++}} The result is much sharper and cleaner than post-processing methods
{{--}} Usually more taxing on resources
+
{{--}} Forcing isn't guaranteed to work in games utilizing deferred shading<ref>{{Refsnip|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_shading#Disadvantages|title=Deferred shading - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia|date=2016-6-14|snippet=One more rather important disadvantage is that, due to separating the lighting stage from the geometric stage, hardware anti-aliasing does not produce correct results anymore since interpolated subsamples would result in nonsensical position, normal, and tangent attributes.}}</ref>. This can be worked around by [[Glossary:Downsampling|Downsampling]], but with higher effect on performance
 +
{{--}} Usually quite taxing on resources. [[#Post-processing methods|Post-processing methods]] can be used as alternative for lesser performance hit
 +
{{ii}} Some methods are mixed with post-processing ones such as [[HSAA]]
  
===Multisample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)===
+
===Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA)===
{{ii}} Essentially a 'budget' version of supersampling
+
{{ii}} Also known as '''FullScreen Anti-Aliasing (FSAA)'''
{{++}} To reduce the stress that SSAA/FSAA puts on a system, Multisampling optimises the process by evaluating each pixel only once, with true supersampling only occurring at the edges of a rendered object, and to depth values. This results in a similar (but less drastic) improvement in visual quality whilst reducing the load put on the system to render and downscale such high resolutions.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multisample_anti-aliasing</ref>
+
{{ii}} Applies the general anti-aliasing formula to fullscreen images, reducing the "staircase effect".  When compared to a rendered image undergoing MSAA, a SSAA/FSAA image will appear smoother.
 +
{{--}} Has largely been replaced by MSAA due to the huge stress it puts on the GPU, but due to the better result that it provides, some games still adopt it as an option in the in-game settings.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Supersampling|Supersampling]]</ref>
  
===Coverage Sampling Antialiasing (CSAA)===
+
===Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
+
{{ii}} Essentially a "budget" version of Super-Sampling
{{ii}} GeForce 8-series and higher
+
{{++}} To reduce the stress that SSAA/FSAA puts on a system, multi-sampling optimizes the process by evaluating each pixel only once, with true super-sampling only occurring at the edges of a rendered object, and to depth values. This results in a similar (but less drastic) improvement in visual quality whilst reducing the load put on the system to render and downscale such high resolutions.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Multisample anti-aliasing|Multisample anti-aliasing]]</ref>
{{ii}} Aims to further reduce the additional stress that MSAA puts on the system, with nVidia claiming that a CSAA-rendered image will rival 8x-16x MSAA whilst only putting a load on the system comparable to 4x MSAA. It does this by reducing the number of settings each sample determines (by creating a new sample for coverage) whilst increasing the overall number of samples.
+
{{--}} Primarily clears up aliasing on geometry; aliasing from shader effects, textures and transparencies will not be affected.<ref>[[https://www.beyond3d.com/content/articles/122/6 Diving into Aliasing - Beyond3D]] - last accessed on 2016-6-19</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Coverage Sampling Anti-Aliasing (CSAA)===
 +
{{ii}} '''QCSAA''' variant is supposed to increase the quality even further
 +
{{ii}} Nvidia GeForce 8000 Series and higher<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.nvidia.com/object/coverage-sampled-aa.html|title=CSAA (Coverage Sampling Antialiasing) article - Nvidia.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
{{--}} Maxwell based GPUs such as GTX 750 Ti and GTX 800M/900 series removed the support<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://forums.realhardwarereviews.com/news/new-nvidia-maxwell-chips-do-not-support-fast-csaa/|title=New nVidia Maxwell chips do not support fast CSAA - Real Hardware Reviews|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
{{++}} Aims to further reduce the additional stress that MSAA puts on the system, with Nvidia claiming that a CSAA-rendered image will rival 8x-16x MSAA whilst only putting a load on the system comparable to 4x MSAA. It does this by reducing the number of settings each sample determines (by creating a new sample for coverage) whilst increasing the overall number of samples.
  
 
===Quincunx Super Anti-Aliasing (QSAA)===
 
===Quincunx Super Anti-Aliasing (QSAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
+
{{ii}} Nvidia exclusive
{{++}} Improves on standard MSAA somewhat. For example, 2x QSAA roughly equates to 3x MSAA in terms of quality.<ref>http://www.overclock.net/t/206755/msaa-and-qsaa</ref>
+
{{++}} Improves on standard MSAA somewhat. For example, 2x QSAA roughly equates to 3x MSAA in terms of quality.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.overclock.net/t/206755/msaa-and-qsaa|title=MSAA and QSAA thread - Overclockers|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Enhanced Quality Anti-Aliasing (EQAA)===
 +
{{ii}} AMD Radeon HD 6900 series and higher<ref name=EQAA>{{Refurl|url=https://developer.amd.com/wordpress/media/2012/10/EQAA%2520Modes%2520for%2520AMD%2520HD%25206900%2520Series%2520Cards.pdf|title=EQAA Modes for AMD 6900 Series Graphics Cards (PDF document)|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
{{++}} AMD claims it offers enhanced AA quality over standard Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing modes by adding more coverage samples per pixel but keeping the same number of color/depth/stencil samples to achieve better AA quality than standard MSAA modes.<ref name=EQAA></ref>
 +
 
 +
===Hybrid Sampling Anti-Aliasing (HSAA)===
 +
{{ii}} Combination of MSAA and SGSSAA
 +
 
 +
===Sparse Grid Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SGSSAA)===
 +
{{ii}} Nvidia exclusive
 +
{{++}} Modern version of SSAA, possessing superior quality to other anti-aliasing methods at a steep performance cost.
 +
{{ii}} Comes in two forms: FSSGSSAA (Full Scene Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing) and TRSGSSAA (Transparency Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing).<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://naturalviolence.webs.com/sgssaa.htm|title=SGSSAA - Natural Opinions|date=2016-6-14}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA)===
 +
{{++}} Not confined to a particular manufacturer
 +
{{++}} Seeks to reduce or remove the effects of temporal aliasing<ref>[[Wikipedia:Temporal anti-aliasing|Temporal anti-aliasing]]</ref>
  
 
===Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TXAA)===
 
===Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TXAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
+
{{ii}} Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series and higher<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/txaa/supported-gpus|title= TXAA supported GPUs on GeForce.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{ii}} GeForce 600 series and higher (Nvidia exclusive)
+
{{++}} Film–style technique designed specifically to reduce temporal aliasing (crawling and flickering seen in motion when playing games)
{{ii}} Film–style technique designed specifically to reduce temporal aliasing (crawling and flickering seen in motion when playing games)
+
{{ii}} Combines the raw power of MSAA with sophisticated resolve filters similar to those employed in CG films to produce a smooth image.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/txaa/technology|title=TXAA Technology on GeForce.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{ii}} Combines the raw power of MSAA with sophisticated resolve filters similar to those employed in CG films to produce a smooth image.
+
 
 +
===Hybrid Reconstruction Anti-Aliasing (HRAA)===
 +
{{ii}} Hybrid solution of hardware sampling, postprocessing, temporal and analysis<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://michaldrobot.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/hraa.pptx|title=HRAA Siggraph 2014 (PPT document)|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Temporal Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (TSSAA)===
 +
{{ii}} Also known as '''TMAA'''
 +
{{++}} Applies anti-aliasing not only to the current frame but also to some frames that were rendered before, restoring the old positions of pixels by using their velocity. This creates smoother and more cinematic images in the game, while only slightly increasing the load on your video card.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://worldoftanks.eu/en/news/pc-browser/46/update-99-graphic-changes/|title=Update 9.9: Graphics Changes - World of Tanks|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
  
 
===Multi-Frame Anti-Aliasing (MFAA)===
 
===Multi-Frame Anti-Aliasing (MFAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
+
{{ii}} Nvidia GeForce GTX 900 series and higher<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/mfaa/supported-gpus|title=MFAA supported GPUs on GeForce.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{ii}} GeForce GTX 900 series and higher (Nvidia exclusive)<ref>http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/mfaa/supported-gpus</ref>
+
{{++}} According to Nvidia it reduces performance cost while used with high resolutions and is more flexible to needs of different game engines due to its programmability.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/mfaa/technology|title=Technology of MFAA on GeForce.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{ii}} According to nVidia it reduces performance cost while used with high resolutions and is more flexible to needs of different game engines due to its programmability.<ref>http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/mfaa/technology</ref>
+
{{--}} One note of importance is that MFAA doesn't function properly below 40FPS. Below that threshold, MFAA causes smearing and blurring in motion.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=5137412&postcount=3109|title=NVidia Anti-Aliasing Guide (updated) thread - Guru3D|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{--}} One note of importance is that MFAA doesn't function properly below 40FPS. Below that threshold, MFAA causes smearing and blurring in motion.<ref>http://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=5137412&postcount=3109</ref>
 
 
 
===Supersampling (SSAA)===
 
Also known as '''Fullscreen Anti-Aliasing (FSAA)''', this option applies the general anti-aliasing formula to fullscreen images, reducing the 'staircase effect' mentioned above. This type of anti-aliasing has largely been replaced by MSAA however, due to the huge stress SSAA/FSAA puts on the GPU. When compared to a rendered image undergoing MSAA, a SSAA/FSAA image will appear smoother and most likely more realistic. Due to the better result that FSAA provides, some games still adopt it as an option in the in-game settings.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-aliasing#Super_sampling_.2F_full-scene_anti-aliasing</ref>
 
  
===Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (SGSSAA)===
+
==Post-processing methods==
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
 
{{ii}} Modern version of SSAA, possessing superior quality to other anti-aliasing methods at a steep performance cost.
 
{{ii}} Comes in two forms: FSSGSSAA (Full Scene Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing) and TRSGSSAA (Transparency Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing). More information can be found [http://naturalviolence.webs.com/sgssaa.htm here].
 
=Post-processing methods=
 
 
{{++}} Less taxing on resources than traditional methods
 
{{++}} Less taxing on resources than traditional methods
{{--}} In most cases the image quality can be worse/blurry
+
{{++}} Applied after the image is rendered, unlike traditional methods. This means they are virtually compatible with every game, video or even still picture possible.
{{ii}} Applied after the image is rendered unlike more traditional methods. This means that many titles which are DirectX 9 and later and which did not previously support anti-aliasing can be forced
+
{{--}} Due to this, the image (textures in particular) can become blurry sometimes, so much as overall quality will become worse than original with worst implementations.
  
 
===Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA)===
 
===Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Nvidia
+
{{++}} Does not require large amounts of computing power. It achieves this by smoothing jagged edges ("jaggies")<ref name=jaggies>{{Refurl|url=http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-680-gpu#fxaa|title=FXAA: Anti-Aliasing at Warp Speed - GeForce.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref> according to how they appear on screen as pixels, rather than analyzing the 3D models itself as in conventional anti-aliasing
{{++}} Does not require large amounts of computing power. It achieves this by smoothing jagged edges ("jaggies")<ref name=jaggies>{{cite web|last=Wang|first=James| date=March 19, 2012 | url=http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-680-gpu#fxaa | title=FXAA: Anti-Aliasing at Warp Speed | publisher=NVIDIA | accessdate=January 3, 2013}}</ref> according to how they appear on screen as pixels, rather than analyzing the 3D models itself as in conventional anti-aliasing
+
{{--}} However, the image quality improvement it provides is significantly less impressive than traditional AA methods such as MSAA.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/12/fast-approximate-anti-aliasing-fxaa.html|title=Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA) - Coding Horror|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
{{--}} However, the image quality improvement it provides is significantly less impressive than traditional AA methods such as MSAA.<ref>http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2011/12/fast-approximate-anti-aliasing-fxaa.html</ref>
 
  
 
===Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA)===
 
===Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by Intel<ref>http://visual-computing.intel-research.net/publications/papers/2009/mlaa/mlaa.pdf</ref>
+
{{ii}} AMD claims it outperforms FXAA at comparable settings{{CN|please :p}}. SMAA is an upgraded form of it.
{{ii}} AMD claim it outperforms FXAA at comparable settings. SMAA is an upgraded form of it.
 
  
 
===Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing (SMAA)===
 
===Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing (SMAA)===
{{ii}} Developed by [[Company:Crytek|Crytek]]
+
{{ii}} Image quality varies from game to game due to differing implementations, but it is arguably better than FXAA or MLAA<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://www.iryoku.com/smaa/|title=SMAA: Enhanced Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing|date=2016-6-14}}</ref>
{{ii}} Image quality varies from game to game due to differing implementations, but it is arguably better than FXAA or MLAA. You can find pictures, videos and a demo from the [http://www.iryoku.com/smaa/ developer's site.]
 
  
==Impact on Graphical Quality==
+
===Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing (CMAA)===
Anti-aliasing improves the general graphics quality but lowers the frame rate quite significantly. Lowering or disabling the anti-aliasing effect is a good way to improve the overall frame-rate. An anti-aliasing setting is present in most PC games. If its not available in a specific title, it is usually possible to force it via the graphics card driver or a mod/hack. For '''ATI''' cards, anti-aliasing can be forced via the '''Catalyst Control Centre (CCC)''', and for '''nVidia''' cards it can be forced via the '''Control Panel'''.
+
{{++}} CMAA is positioned between FXAA and SMAA 1x in computation cost (1.0-1.2x the cost of default FXAA 3.8 and 0.55-0.75x the cost of SMAA 1x). Compared to FXAA 3.8, CMAA provides significantly better image quality and temporal stability as it correctly handles edge lines up to 64 pixels long and is based on an algorithm that only handles symmetrical discontinuities in order to avoid unwanted blurring (thus being more conservative<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/conservative-morphological-anti-aliasing-cmaa|title=Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing (CMAA) - Intel.com|date=2016-4-29}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Quality comparisions==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! [[Call of Duty: Ghosts]] !! [[Elite: Dangerous]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[Image:Anti-Aliasing comparision - Call of Duty Ghosts.png|500px]] || [[Image:Anti-Aliasing comparision - Elite Dangerous.png|500px]]
 +
|-
 +
|-
 +
! [[Far Cry 4]] !! [[Shadow Warrior (2013)]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[Image:Anti-Aliasing comparision - Far Cry 4.png|500px]] || [[Image:Anti-Aliasing comparision - Shadow Warrior (2013).png|500px]]
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
For lower-end systems, prioritise post-process anti-aliasing types such as FXAA and MLAA, as these will result in a much lower reduction in frame rates. If your system is up to it, however, use more traditional anti-aliasing methods such as MSAA to drastically improve overall image quality.
+
==Forcing Anti-Aliasing==
 +
{{Standard table|Program|Available AAs|content=
 +
{{Standard table/row|[[AMD Catalyst Control Center]]|[[MLAA]], [[SSAA]], [[MSAA]], [[EQAA]]}}
 +
{{Standard table/row|[http://mrhaandi.blogspot.com/p/injectsmaa.html injectSMAA]|[[SMAA]]}}
 +
{{Standard table/row|[[NVIDIA Control Panel|Nvidia Control Panel]]|[[FXAA]], [[MSAA]], [[CSAA]], [[MFAA]]}}
 +
{{Standard table/row|[[Nvidia Profile Inspector]]|[[FXAA]], [[SSAA]], [[MSAA]], [[CSAA]], [[QSAA]], [[SGSSAA]], [[MFAA]]}}
 +
{{Standard table/row|[http://www.radeonpro.info/ RadeonPro]|[[FXAA]], [[SMAA]]}}
 +
{{Standard table/row|[http://reshade.me/sweetfx SweetFX]|[[FXAA]], [[SMAA]]}}
 +
}}
  
==External links==
 
* [[Wikipedia:Spatial anti-aliasing|Anti-aliasing article on Wikipedia]]
 
* [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AnHpuYHx21sjdENRSHg1ZkhndWF5R05tQjhCbTFNUVE Nvidia Anti-Aliasing Compatibility Flags]
 
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}

Latest revision as of 01:33, 21 January 2023

For a list of games, see List of games that support anti-aliasing (AA).


Anti-Aliasing (AA) is a computer graphics technique that attempts to minimise the unwanted 'staircase' or jagged object outlines which occur due to the limited resolution in 3D-Renderers, essentially by 'smoothing' these lines.[1]

Example of Anti-Aliasing

No Anti-Aliasing 16x Anti-Aliasing
Not antialiased Cube.png Antialiased Cube.png

Types of Anti-Aliasing

There are a number of Anti-Aliasing techniques today but all of them are based on the same principle. They simply render multiple pixels per pixel of the final image.

The techniques only differ on two factors:

  • How they determine which pixels are aliased.
  • How they "mix" the multiple rendered pixels to get the final pixel.

Those algorithms are also variable on how many pixels they use to determine one final pixel. In video games this is represented by a simple number which is a power of 2 like 2x, 4x, 8x etc.

There are several terms associated with Anti-Aliasing, most of which are derivatives on the standard Anti-Aliasing formula.

Traditional methods

The result is much sharper and cleaner than post-processing methods
Forcing isn't guaranteed to work in games utilizing deferred shading[2]. This can be worked around by Downsampling, but with higher effect on performance
Usually quite taxing on resources. Post-processing methods can be used as alternative for lesser performance hit
Some methods are mixed with post-processing ones such as HSAA

Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA)

Also known as FullScreen Anti-Aliasing (FSAA)
Applies the general anti-aliasing formula to fullscreen images, reducing the "staircase effect". When compared to a rendered image undergoing MSAA, a SSAA/FSAA image will appear smoother.
Has largely been replaced by MSAA due to the huge stress it puts on the GPU, but due to the better result that it provides, some games still adopt it as an option in the in-game settings.[3]

Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing (MSAA)

Essentially a "budget" version of Super-Sampling
To reduce the stress that SSAA/FSAA puts on a system, multi-sampling optimizes the process by evaluating each pixel only once, with true super-sampling only occurring at the edges of a rendered object, and to depth values. This results in a similar (but less drastic) improvement in visual quality whilst reducing the load put on the system to render and downscale such high resolutions.[4]
Primarily clears up aliasing on geometry; aliasing from shader effects, textures and transparencies will not be affected.[5]

Coverage Sampling Anti-Aliasing (CSAA)

QCSAA variant is supposed to increase the quality even further
Nvidia GeForce 8000 Series and higher[6]
Maxwell based GPUs such as GTX 750 Ti and GTX 800M/900 series removed the support[7]
Aims to further reduce the additional stress that MSAA puts on the system, with Nvidia claiming that a CSAA-rendered image will rival 8x-16x MSAA whilst only putting a load on the system comparable to 4x MSAA. It does this by reducing the number of settings each sample determines (by creating a new sample for coverage) whilst increasing the overall number of samples.

Quincunx Super Anti-Aliasing (QSAA)

Nvidia exclusive
Improves on standard MSAA somewhat. For example, 2x QSAA roughly equates to 3x MSAA in terms of quality.[8]

Enhanced Quality Anti-Aliasing (EQAA)

AMD Radeon HD 6900 series and higher[9]
AMD claims it offers enhanced AA quality over standard Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing modes by adding more coverage samples per pixel but keeping the same number of color/depth/stencil samples to achieve better AA quality than standard MSAA modes.[9]

Hybrid Sampling Anti-Aliasing (HSAA)

Combination of MSAA and SGSSAA

Sparse Grid Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SGSSAA)

Nvidia exclusive
Modern version of SSAA, possessing superior quality to other anti-aliasing methods at a steep performance cost.
Comes in two forms: FSSGSSAA (Full Scene Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing) and TRSGSSAA (Transparency Sparse Grid Supersampling Anti-Aliasing).[10]

Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TAA)

Not confined to a particular manufacturer
Seeks to reduce or remove the effects of temporal aliasing[11]

Temporal Anti-Aliasing (TXAA)

Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series and higher[12]
Film–style technique designed specifically to reduce temporal aliasing (crawling and flickering seen in motion when playing games)
Combines the raw power of MSAA with sophisticated resolve filters similar to those employed in CG films to produce a smooth image.[13]

Hybrid Reconstruction Anti-Aliasing (HRAA)

Hybrid solution of hardware sampling, postprocessing, temporal and analysis[14]

Temporal Super-Sampling Anti-Aliasing (TSSAA)

Also known as TMAA
Applies anti-aliasing not only to the current frame but also to some frames that were rendered before, restoring the old positions of pixels by using their velocity. This creates smoother and more cinematic images in the game, while only slightly increasing the load on your video card.[15]

Multi-Frame Anti-Aliasing (MFAA)

Nvidia GeForce GTX 900 series and higher[16]
According to Nvidia it reduces performance cost while used with high resolutions and is more flexible to needs of different game engines due to its programmability.[17]
One note of importance is that MFAA doesn't function properly below 40FPS. Below that threshold, MFAA causes smearing and blurring in motion.[18]

Post-processing methods

Less taxing on resources than traditional methods
Applied after the image is rendered, unlike traditional methods. This means they are virtually compatible with every game, video or even still picture possible.
Due to this, the image (textures in particular) can become blurry sometimes, so much as overall quality will become worse than original with worst implementations.

Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA)

Does not require large amounts of computing power. It achieves this by smoothing jagged edges ("jaggies")[19] according to how they appear on screen as pixels, rather than analyzing the 3D models itself as in conventional anti-aliasing
However, the image quality improvement it provides is significantly less impressive than traditional AA methods such as MSAA.[20]

Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA)

AMD claims it outperforms FXAA at comparable settings[citation needed]. SMAA is an upgraded form of it.

Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing (SMAA)

Image quality varies from game to game due to differing implementations, but it is arguably better than FXAA or MLAA[21]

Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing (CMAA)

CMAA is positioned between FXAA and SMAA 1x in computation cost (1.0-1.2x the cost of default FXAA 3.8 and 0.55-0.75x the cost of SMAA 1x). Compared to FXAA 3.8, CMAA provides significantly better image quality and temporal stability as it correctly handles edge lines up to 64 pixels long and is based on an algorithm that only handles symmetrical discontinuities in order to avoid unwanted blurring (thus being more conservative[22]

Quality comparisions

Call of Duty: Ghosts Elite: Dangerous
Anti-Aliasing comparision - Call of Duty Ghosts.png Anti-Aliasing comparision - Elite Dangerous.png
Far Cry 4 Shadow Warrior (2013)
Anti-Aliasing comparision - Far Cry 4.png Anti-Aliasing comparision - Shadow Warrior (2013).png

Forcing Anti-Aliasing


References

  1. Anti-aliasing article on Wikipedia
  2. Deferred shading - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - last accessed on 2016-6-14
    "One more rather important disadvantage is that, due to separating the lighting stage from the geometric stage, hardware anti-aliasing does not produce correct results anymore since interpolated subsamples would result in nonsensical position, normal, and tangent attributes."
  3. Supersampling
  4. Multisample anti-aliasing
  5. [Diving into Aliasing - Beyond3D] - last accessed on 2016-6-19
  6. CSAA (Coverage Sampling Antialiasing) article - Nvidia.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  7. New nVidia Maxwell chips do not support fast CSAA - Real Hardware Reviews - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  8. MSAA and QSAA thread - Overclockers - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  9. 9.0 9.1 EQAA Modes for AMD 6900 Series Graphics Cards (PDF document) - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  10. SGSSAA - Natural Opinions - last accessed on 2016-6-14
  11. Temporal anti-aliasing
  12. TXAA supported GPUs on GeForce.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  13. TXAA Technology on GeForce.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  14. HRAA Siggraph 2014 (PPT document) - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  15. Update 9.9: Graphics Changes - World of Tanks - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  16. MFAA supported GPUs on GeForce.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  17. Technology of MFAA on GeForce.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  18. NVidia Anti-Aliasing Guide (updated) thread - Guru3D - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  19. FXAA: Anti-Aliasing at Warp Speed - GeForce.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  20. Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing (FXAA) - Coding Horror - last accessed on 2016-4-29
  21. SMAA: Enhanced Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing - last accessed on 2016-6-14
  22. Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing (CMAA) - Intel.com - last accessed on 2016-4-29