6.0.2

Configuring 3D Rendering on Windows 7 or Later Desktops
When you create or edit a Windows 7 or later desktop pool, you can configure 3D graphics rendering for
your desktops. Desktops can take advantage of Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration (vSGA) and Virtual
Dedicated Graphics Acceleration (vDGA), which are vSphere features that use physical graphics cards
installed on the ESXi hosts and manage the graphics processing unit (GPU) resources among the virtual
machines.
When you select the 3D Renderer hardware-based options, users can take advantage of 3D applications for
design, modeling, and multimedia, which typically require GPU hardware to perform well. The 3D
Renderer setting also offers a software option, which provides graphics enhancements that can support less
demanding applications such as Windows AERO, Microsoft Office, and Google Earth.
Requirements for 3D Rendering
To enable hardware or software 3D graphics rendering, your pool deployment must meet the following
requirements:
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The virtual machines must be Windows 7 or later
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The pool must use the PCoIP as the default display protocol
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Users must not be allowed to choose their own protocol
To support hardware-based 3D rendering, a pool must meet these additional requirements:
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To use vSGA, the virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.1 or later hosts and be managed by vCenter
Server 5.1 or later software. This feature allows multiple virtual machines to share the physical GPUs on
ESXi hosts. You can use 3D applications for design, modeling, and multimedia.
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To use vDGA, the virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.5 or later hosts, be hardware version 9 or later,
and be managed by vCenter Server 5.5 or later software. This feature dedicates a single physical GPU
(graphical processing unit) on an ESXi host to a single virtual machine. Use this feature if you require
high-end, hardware-accelerated workstation graphics.
To use vDGA, you must enable GPU pass-through on the ESXi hosts and configure the individual
virtual machines to use dedicated PCI devices after the desktop pool is created in View. You cannot
configure the parent virtual machine or template for vDGA and then create a desktop pool, because the
same physical GPU would be dedicated to every virtual machine in the pool. See "vDGA Installation" in
the VMware white paper about graphics acceleration.
For linked-clone virtual machines, vDGA settings are preserved after refresh, recompose, and rebalance
operations.
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GPU graphics cards and the associated vSphere Installation Bundles (VIBs) must be installed on the
ESXi hosts. For a list of supported GPU hardware, see the VMware Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.
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Windows 7 machines must be virtual hardware version 8 or later. Windows 8 machines must be virtual
hardware version 9 or later.
To support software 3D rendering, a pool must meet these additional requirements:
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The virtual machines must run on ESXi 5.0 or later hosts and be managed by vCenter Server 5.0 or later
software.
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The machines must be virtual hardware version 8 or later.
When you configure or edit the 3D Renderer setting, you must power off existing virtual machines, verify
that the machines are reconfigured in vCenter Server, and power on the machines to cause the new setting
to take effect. Restarting a virtual machine does not cause the new setting to take effect.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
120 VMware, Inc.