NVIDIA emulation journey, part 1: RIVA 128 / NV3 architecture history and basic overview

NVIDIA's RIVA 128 (NV3) was their first commercially successful GPU in 1997, featuring DirectX 5 support and competing with 3dfx's Voodoo Graphics. The architecture introduced key innovations in graphics processing while marking NVIDIA's shift from proprietary APIs to standard ones like Direct3D, ultimately helping launch the company's success in the GPU market.