Like DirectX, Metal is intended to provide games and applications, direct access to your Mac’s GPU, allowing improved rendering, frame rates, and other benefits. Metal was actually introduced in iOS 8, but with the recent announcement that it will be rolled into OS X, 10.11, El Capitan, graphic performance on Macs, particularly with regard to. If you’re running Snow Leopard (10.6.8) or Lion (10.7) and your Mac supports macOS High Sierra, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan first. Click here for instructions. Upgrading from OS X Leopard. If you’re running Leopard and would like to upgrade to macOS High Sierra, first you’ll need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard. Mac Hardware Requirements.
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Metal, Apple's optimized set of 3D tools for developers, first showed up on iOS last year in the form of a particularly beautiful Unreal Engine demo. it provided answers for serious problems that my development team faced when making cinematic games on the iPhone and iPad.![How To Get Metal For Mac How To Get Metal For Mac](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124893886/463461097.jpg)
But Metal for OS X? The particle effects on stage were less impressive than last year's iOS demo, and moreover, while watching the demo onstage, I couldn't help but note that Unreal Engine games barely exist for the Mac. There's Tomb Raider, the Borderlands trilogy, X-Com, and a handful of indie titles, but many major games like Mass Effect haven't been ported.
I worried that 'Metal' had become Apple's version of 'Blast Processing,' a catch phrase in the 90s for the Sega Genesis. In commercials, Sega would gloat that only the Genesis had 'Blast processing.' The only problem was, Blast Processing didn't really do anything that mattered.
But it turns out, I was wrong.
Metal for OS X is huge — and it's going to be a much bigger deal on the Mac than it is on your iPhone or iPad. If you use a Mac to produce professional content, chances are, Metal is about to drastically speed up the professional apps you use like Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk Maya.
Why Metal matters
Let's take a step back for a moment: Metal is a set of tools that Apple's third-party developers can use for 3D rendering. It bypasses the OpenGL framework — which on OS X is notoriously slow, dragging professional Mac apps down in comparison to their Windows counterparts.
To give you an example, Giant Spacekat has a Mac at our office with both Windows and OS X installed. When we use the Unreal editor on the Windows side, importing a spaceship and assembling its materials only takes 10 seconds. On the OS X side, this same operation takes almost 50 seconds. If you're a professional user, those kinds of render delays make a huge difference in what platform you want to use.
Instead, Metal lets developers use tools that run 'at the metal,' optimizing the framework on a per-device basis. Only Apple can do this, in part because — compared to the competition — the company has a much more limited set of hardware than Android or Microsoft.
During Monday's keynote, Apple showed operations in the Unreal editor that would have slowed my Retina MacBook Pro to a crawl. Using Unreal 4 on OS X is painfully slow — so slow I've considered buying a Mac Pro to compensate for the performance lag.
But if Metal is really as fast as it seems, I'm hoping I won't have to.
It's good for the game-makers
After Adobe's spotty track record with Flash, it's easy to be suspicious at the company's ability to produce applications optimized for Apple's hardware. But when the company stopped by Apple's State of the Union presentation to show off how Metal has improved both After Effects and Illustrator, I was really impressed: After Effects rendering in particular showed a drastic improvement.
Two of the most important companies making professional apps for 3D professionals have also committed to using Metal in their apps: Autodesk and The Foundry. That's huge. Any 3D professional knows that the faster your machine displays your changes, the more detailed your work can be. Autodesk Maya users, for example, might be able to look forward to leaving complex shaders active as they model and animate.
It's fantastic for Mac gamers
Metal for OS X is even better if you're an active gamer on the Mac. After all, the framework won't just be limited to the Unreal engine: All the major game engines are committed to working with Metal. This includes both Unity and companies with proprietary engines like Blizzard and 2K.
As such, not only will we see some great Unreal games on the Mac, but some of the most important game companies will be making applications for OS X.
Perhaps most exciting is the commitment to Metal from Aspyr, a company that specializes in Mac ports of Windows games like Civilization. As grateful as I am that Beyond Earth made it to Mac, it's hard to not grouse when these ports consistently run much worse than on Windows. With Metal, we may be able to look forward to equally fast games, no matter the platform.
Time to construct some Metal
The devil is obviously in the details, and we'll see how Metal holds up in the real world when El Capitan rolls out this year. But, from everything I've seen at WWDC so far, Metal is the biggest reason for creative professionals to be excited, and I can't wait to start developing for it.
WWDC 2015
Main
Apple ArcadeSTELA for Apple Arcade is a shallow, sadistic, totally fun game
Can you outrun killer dark shadows? Take leaps of faith into the unknown? Traverse a world where nothing is what it seems? STELA will test your mettle.
When you upgrade to macOS Catalina, you get more of everything you love about Mac. Experience dedicated apps for music, TV, and podcasts. Smart new features in the apps you use every day. And Sidecar, which lets you use iPad as a second Mac display. Best of all, upgrading is free and easy.
Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Catalina.
Mac computers with Metal-capable graphics processors (GPUs) can upgrade to macOS Catalina.
Make sure you’re ready to upgrade.
Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. Then, if your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Catalina.
Upgrading is free. And easier than you think.
Upgrading from macOS Mojave?
Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find the macOS Catalina upgrade. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions to begin your upgrade. If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.
Upgrading from an older version of macOS?
If you’re running High Sierra (10.13), Sierra (10.12), or El Capitan (10.11), upgrade to macOS Catalina from the App Store. If you’re running Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8), you will need to upgrade to El Capitan (10.11) first. If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.
- OS X 10.9 or later
- 4GB of memory
- 12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.
For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Catalina:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
Siri
Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Hey Siri
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- iMac Pro
Dictation, Voice Control, and Voice Memos
Requires a microphone (built-in or external).
Spotlight Suggestions
Requires a broadband internet connection.
Gestures
Requires a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse.
Force Touch gestures require a Force Touch trackpad.
VoiceOver gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, or Magic Trackpad.
Photo Booth
Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external), or USB video class (UVC) camera.
FaceTime
Audio calls require a microphone (built-in or external) and broadband internet connection.
Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), or a USB video class (UVC) camera; and broadband internet connection.
How To Get Metal On Your Mac
Apple TV
High Dynamic Range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2019) with Pro Display XDR
Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
Sidecar
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook (2016 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2016 or newer)
- Mac mini (2018 or newer)
- iMac (late 2015 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
- Mac Pro (2019)
Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
Continuity Camera
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 12 or later.
Continuity Sketch and Continuity Markup
Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or an iPad with iPadOS.
Handoff
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 8 or later.
Instant Hotspot
Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector, and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.
Universal Clipboard
How To Get Metal For Machine
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 10 or later.
Auto Unlock
Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.
Approve with Apple Watch
Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13.
Apple Pay on the Web
![How to get metal out of mac charger How to get metal out of mac charger](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124893886/454753375.jpg)
Requires MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.
Phone Calling
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.
SMS
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.
Home
Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.
AirDrop
AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 7 or later.
AirPlay
AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.
Time Machine
Requires an external storage device (sold separately).
Power Nap
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
Boot Camp
Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.
Exchange Support
Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.
Windows Migration
Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.
App Store
Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries and regions.
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