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Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!apollo.hp.com!lf.hp.com!news.dtc.hp.com!col.hp.com!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!usenet.cis.ufl.edu!purdue!lerc.nasa.gov!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!news.cs.columbia.edu!news.cs.columbia.edu!news-not-for-mail From: bm@cs.columbia.edu (Blair MacIntyre) Newsgroups: comp.graphics.api.opengl,alt.3d,comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.graphics,comp.cad.pro-engineer,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video,comp.graphics.animation,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.misc,comp.answers,alt.answers,news.answers Subject: PC 3D Graphics Accelerators FAQ (Part 2 of 2) Supersedes: <pc-3dgraphics-cards-2-830070482@cs.columbia.edu> Followup-To: comp.graphics.api.opengl Date: 7 May 1996 03:08:12 -0400 Organization: Columbia University CS Department, Graphics and UI Lab Lines: 1641 Sender: bm@news.cs.columbia.edu Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Distribution: world Expires: Mon, 10 June 1996 00:00:00 GMT Message-ID: <pc-3dgraphics-cards-2-831452882@cs.columbia.edu> References: <pc-3dgraphics-cards-1-831452882@cs.columbia.edu> Reply-To: bm@cs.columbia.edu (Blair MacIntyre) NNTP-Posting-Host: roadkill.cs.columbia.edu Summary: The FAQ is about 3D Graphics Accelerators for PC-compatible computers. X-Posting-Frequency: posted on the 7th and 21st of each month X-Content-Currency: This FAQ changes regularly. When a saved or printed copy is over 2 months old, please obtain a new one. Instructions at the beginning of Part 1 indicate where to find it via WWW, FTP, and e-mail. Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.graphics.api.opengl:4746 alt.3d:23384 comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.graphics:13613 comp.cad.pro-engineer:9339 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video:69895 comp.graphics.animation:34236 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.misc:127309 comp.answers:18591 alt.answers:17603 news.answers:71269 Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2 Archive-name: pc-hardware-faq/3dgraphics-cards/part2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section V: Other boards [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B01) AccelGraphics AG300 and AG500 The AG300 and AG500 are very similar. I'll describe the AG300 first and then outline the differences. Both support a dual screen configuration with two of the same card. ACCELGRAPHICS AG300 Accelgraphics is a spinoff of Kubota Graphics, which was Kubota Pacific before that. They made the Denali graphics subsystem for DEC's Alpha-based workstation (they were a partner with DEC). Features * PCI option card (short form factor) * Accelerates OpenGL under Windows NT * 24-bit true color and 16-bit Z buffering * 32 color planes with 16-bit double buffering * 1280 x 1024 @ 60-74 Hz, non-interlaced Performance * 1 Million 2D vectors per second (10 pixel, 24-bit) * 1 Million 3D vectors per second (10 x 1 pixels, smooth shaded, Z buffered) * 205k 3D triangles/sec (50 pixels, smooth shaded mesh, lit, Z buffered) Benefits * Performance of a US$25k+ Unix workstation for under US$10,000. * Standard applications with Windows NT (including Windows 3.1 applications compiled for Intel cpu). * Scalable architecture delivers increased graphics performance with higher performance host cpu. Hardware Features * Scalable architecture efficiently leverages the system CPU; a faster CPU yields faster graphics * 7.5 MB of total RAM o 5 MB VRAM used as a 32 plane frame buffer, supporting: + resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 pixels with up to 16.7 million colors (24 bit true color) + 16 bit double buffering + 8 bit color index o 2.5 MB DRAM used as a 16 bit Z-buffer * Rectangle clipping, Alpha blending and Dithering Graphics application programming interfaces * Open GL * HOOPS and 3DR planned for early 1995 Supported Operating System Environments * DOS 6.0 or later, Windows 3.1 or later, Windows 95 (Chicago), Windows NT 3.5 with Open GL (Daytona) Supported Applications * Pro/ENGINEER and Pro/JR. from Parametric Technology Corporation * AutoCAD Release 11, 12, and 13 from Autodesk * MicroStation version 4 and 5 from Bentley Systems (including MOGLE) * Any OpenGL application Platforms supported: Intel, Alpha, MIPS, & PowerPC platforms System requirements * One free PCI slot * VGA or SVGA compatible graphics adapter ACCELGRAPHICS AG500 Similar to the AG300. However, it has 12.5M Memory on board and a list price 3,495. The extra ram adds 8 GL Stencil planes and a 24bit Z-buffer. The AG500 also has 4 hardware "lookup tables", including: * two 256 x 24 tables for color index * one 256 x 24 table for single-buffered overlay * one 16 x 24 table for double-buffered overlay Contact Information: Corporate Headquarters: AccelGraphics, Inc. 1942 Zanker Road San Jose, CA 95112 408-441-1556 408-441-1599 fax Western Region: Kim Rawlings 714-589-2453 714-589-2483 fax Kim_Rawlings@ag3d.com Central Region: Dan Vitale 513-858-1400 513-858-2905 fax Dan_Vitale@ag3d.com Southern Region: John Caravello 407-834-7275 407-834-9052 fax John_Caravello@ag3d.com Europe: David Holman 011-44-1635-40122 011-44-1635-551-147 fax davidh@perform.hiway.co.uk [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B02) ISC PowerGL The PowerGL card is the Accelgraphics AG300 being sold OEM by ISC, which is described above. Since the AG300 and the PowerGL are the exact same card, I won't repeat the specs here. Talk to both companies, see which one better suits your needs. CONTACT INFORMATION: International Software Corporation (ISC) Suite 275 433 Park Point Drive Golden, CO 80401 Orders: 1-800-488-4721 Fax: 303-526-0581 E-mail: 76516.2544@compuserve.com [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B03) Evans & Sutherland Freedom PRESS RELEASE: EVANS & SUTHERLAND BRINGS 3D GRAPHICS EXPERTISE TO THE PERSONAL COMPUTER SALT LAKE CITY, March 2, 1995 Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation (NASDAQ: ESCC) today announced Freedom Graphics(tm) for the Personal Computer. Freedom Graphics is the first product to bring the 3D graphics technology of E&S to the personal computing environment. Freedom Graphics is an implementation of the specialized features that 3D graphics applications require for smooth, fast execution. Users can produce impressive realistic images with the product's rich feature set and high-performance graphics for Windows/NT(r) applications. The graphics card supports the OpenGL(r) software application programming interface and is designed to accelerate OpenGL in the PC environment. Freedom Graphics is a PCI bus-based card that incorporates the same technology as the Freedom Series graphics accelerators which supply high-end graphics for the world's largest workstation vendors. Ideal markets to take advantage of the extensive feature set of Freedom Graphics are CAD, Industrial Design, Simulation, Visualization, Animation, Entertainment and Game Development. Supported PC processors include MIPS(tm), Pentium(r) and Power PC(tm). "The interest being generated by Freedom Graphics is extraordinary," said Jim Oyler, President and CEO of Evans & Sutherland. "Freedom Graphics allows a low-cost PC-based system to achieve the performance of a much more expensive workstation. This is going to be an explosive market in the very near future." Evans & Sutherland is the only 3D graphics vendor with a product line that spans the entire computing industry from the personal computer up to multi-million dollar flight simulators and location-based entertainment systems. "We are pleased that Evans & Sutherland has applied their knowledge and experience in high-performance real-time 3D graphics to the PC marketplace," said Tom Coull, President of Sense8 Corporation. "WorldToolKit and Freedom Graphics will offer a definitive hardware-accelerated solution for texture-mapped virtual reality applications." Freedom Graphics' feature set includes real-time 3D graphics rendering and animation, hardware based 24-bit texture acceleration, scalable texture memory up to 16 MBytes, bi-linear and tri-linear MIP-mapping, specular highlights, fast set-up calculations, full scene antialiasing, transparency and depth cueing. The additional experience of E&S with OpenGL will also result in significant performance advantages for applications using the OpenGL library from E&S. According to Ian Reid, Vice-President of Marketing at Advanced Visual Systems, "Freedom Graphics offers a new level of capability for the PC user and AVS/Express allows any PC developer to take immediate advantage of features such as hardware texture-mapping and transparency. It's the ideal combination." Freedom Graphics performance under Windows/NT and OpenGL is 300,000 triangles/second. The card will list price at US$2450 with second quarter availability through OEMs and VARs. Freedom Graphics was first shown at Fall Comdex '94 in Las Vegas. The significance of Freedom Graphics lies in its delivery of a graphics feature set at unsurpassed performance levels. Advanced features such as texture mapping are still unavailable from any other vendor for under US$10,000. Freedom Graphics also provides performance not yet seen in the 3D PC graphics market. Nearest competitors for performance provide minimal feature sets and are only available at much higher prices. Evans & Sutherland is a leader in advanced 3D graphics and visualization systems for science, industry, education, and entertainment. The Graphics Systems Division provides graphics hardware and software solutions that are sold and supported by DEC, HP, IBM, and Sun Microsystems. Evans & Sutherland was founded in 1968 and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Freedom Graphics, and Freedom Series are trademarks of Evans & Sutherland. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Freedom Graphics(tm) for the Personal Computer High-Speed Realism from Evans & Sutherland Evans & Sutherland pioneered the computer graphics industry over 25 years ago. Since then our graphics know-how has been engineered into everything from multi-million dollar flight simulators to high-end graphics accelerators for workstations. Now, the same technology used in those high-end workstations is available for the personal computer with Freedom Graphics. Freedom Graphics is a 3D graphics card that delivers high-performance, workstation-class 3D graphics for your Windows NT applications. Freedom Graphics is a masterful implementation of the specialized features that 3D graphics applications require for smooth, fast execution. Users will be impressed by the realistic images they can produce with the well-crafted feature set. Freedom Graphic Advantages * Real time 3D graphics rendering and animation * 24 bit texture acceleration * Perspective acceleration of colors & textures * Bi-linear & tri-linear MIP-mapping * Color modulation * Fast set-up calculations * Antialiased vectors and polygons * High resolution support * Programmable antialiasing filter * Hardware window clipping * Transparency & Depth cueing * Hardware cursor support * Line-slope intensity correction Software Programming Environment Freedom Graphics supports the OpenGL(tm) software application programming interface and was designed to accelerate OpenGL in the personal computing environment." FROM THE SPEC SHEET: Technical Specifications * 3D Graphics Engine by Evans & Sutherland * Display Memory - 4MByte of VRAM * Z buffer Memory - 4MByte of DRAM * Texture Memory (optional) * 1, 4 or 16 MByte user installable SIMM 3D Resolutions (1280x1024, 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480) * Display Colors - 8, 12, 24 bit color support * Maximum Vertical Refresh Rates of 72Hz non-interlaced at all supported resolutions * PCI local bus * Physical dimensions 12.28" Length x 4.2" Height (PCI Full Length Compliant) * CPU Support: Power PC, MIPS, Pentium Software Support - 2D/3D Drivers * Windows NT 3.5, OpenGL, DDI (Windows95/OpenGL when available) Monitor Video timing supports any monitor capable of displaying the listed resolutions in non-interlaced mode. 15 pin D-shell VGA connector Availability The Freedom Graphics product will be initially sold through OEM's and Value-Added Resellers, who will be announced along with the product. The product will be available on the product announcement date. Freedom Graphics is a trademark of Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT INFORMATION: Jennifer Hughes Evans & Sutherland jhughes@dsd.es.com Phone: 1-800-367-7460 Facsimile: (801) 582-0524 [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B04) Matrox Impression Plus FROM THE SPEC SHEET: Windows Features: * 40 million Winmarks * 175 MHz DAC or optional 220 MHz DAC * 1600 x 1200 in 256 and 65K colors * 1280 x 1024 in 16.7m colors * 110 Hz refresh at 1280 x 1024 resolution * 120 Hz refresh at 1024 x 768 resolution * Windows resolution and colours: (* requires 4Mb WRAM) o 1600 x 1200 256, 65k* o 1280 x 1024 256, 65k*, 16.7m* o 1152 x 882 256, 65k, 16.7m* o 1024 x 768 256, 65k, 16.7m* o 800 x 600 256, 65k, 16.7m o 640 x 480 256, 65k, 16.7m Multimedia Features: * Microsoft DCI software video acceleration (Indeo, Cinepak, Video for Windows) * 24 frames per second playback MGA Video XL Upgrade Module: (Q1 95) * Support for VESA Media Channel (VM Channel) video expansion standard and PowerPlay64 * 32 bit connector for increased video datapath (100 Mb/second) * Accepts up to 15 video peripherals * Support for multiple live video windows * VideoLogic PowerPlay64 add-on module for smooth, video playback at 1280 x 1024 at 30 frames/second * resolution scaling using Pixel Interpolation * color space conversion from YUV to RGB Real-Time 2D and 3D Features: * Accelerated 3D Gouraud shaed displays at 1152 x 882 in 65K colors, and 800x600 in 16.7 m colors * 150,000 Gouraud shaded polygons per second * Accelerated double buffering and z-buffering * Support for industry standard 3D API's : 3DR, OpenGL, HOOP's and VAGI * DynaView 2D and 3D Drivers for AutoCAD and Microstation under Windows and DOS * Realtime 3D Wireframe Resolutions and Color Depths: (*requires 4Mb WRAM) o 1600 x 1200 256* o 1280 x 1024 256* o 1152 x 882 256, 65k* o 1024 x 768 256, 65k* o 800 x 600 256, 65k, 16.7m* o 640 x 480 256, 65k, 16.7m* * Realtime 3D Gouraud Shaded Resolutions and Color Depths: (*requires 4Mb WRAM) o 1600 x 1200 o 1280 x 1024 o 1152 x 882 256* o 1024 x 768 256* o 800 x 600 256, 65k* o 640 x 480 256, 65k* Models Available: MGA-IMP+/P: PCI Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 1600 x 1200 in 256 colors 800 x 600 in 16.7m colors VM Channel upgradable MGA-IMP+/V: VL Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 1600 x 1200 in 256 colors 800 x 600 in 16.7m colors VM Channel upgradable MGA-IMP+/A: AT Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 1600 x 1200 in 256 colors 800 x 600 in 16.7m colors VM Channel upgradable MGA-IMP+/P/220: PCI Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 220 MHz DAC for 85Hz @1600x1200 Other specifications same as MGA-IMP+/P MGA-IMP+/V/220: VL Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 220 MHz DAC for 85Hz @1600x1200 Other specifications same as MGA-IMP+/V MGA-IMP+/A/220: AT Bus 2 Mb WRAM upgradable to 4 Mb 220 MHz DAC for 85Hz @1600x1200 Other specifications same as MGA-IMP+/A MGA-MOD/2Mb/1 2Mb upgrade for MGA Impression Plus 1600x1200 in 256 and 65K colors 1280x1024 in 16.7m colors MGA-MOD/VMC VideoLogic PowerPlay64 video accelerator chip 1280 x 1024 at 30 frames per second MGA-MOD/VMC/2MB 2 Mb upgrade for MGA Impression Plus and VideoLogic PowerPlay64 video accelerator chip for 1280 x 1024 at 30 frames per second. CONTACT INFORMATION: Telephone 1-800-361-1408 Matrox Graphics Inc. 1055 St Regis Blvd Dorval, Quebec Canada H9P 2T4 Telephone: 514.685.2630 Facsimile: 514.685.2853 COMMENT: From Chris Hinch (chris@dcc.govt.nz): I heard comments on comp.sys.opengl that, at the moment, the Impression Plus doesn't have "true" OpenGL support under Windows NT. I don't know if this is correct or not. From Blair MacIntyre: This is partially true. Someone from Microsoft posted saying that NT 3.51 will include the appropriate driver for OpenGL for this card. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B05) Oki TrianGL More information on Oki and their products can be found on their web page (www.oki.com) or by sending email to triangl@oki.com The information here was extracted from the page http://www.oki.com/products/TrianGL.html Oki's TrianGL is aimed at 3D applications using the OpenGL graphics API. At the heart of the TrianGL is a custom, high-performance rendering ASIC--a drawing engine which provides both 2D and 3D acceleration. The chip interfaces directly to multiple banks of video RAM via a 80-bit data bus, boosting overall drawing performance. The four banks of VRAM, 10 MBytes in all, each operate independently to maximize the performance efficiency of the rendering ASIC. For many drawing primitives, all the banks can operate in parallel. However, for certain primitives, such as vector drawing or triangle drawing, address and color values are sent from the ASIC to the appropriate memory banks in a pipelined, serial fashion. TrianGL's use of triangle drawing primitives gives the board a major performance advantage over other products which use simpler span primitives. Two separate RGB buffers allow true hardware double buffering for smooth, artifact-free animation. An independent 24-bit Z buffer is dedicated for hidden surface removal during 3D object rendering. And finally, eight utility planes support board-specific video options such as overlays, window types and RGB double buffering. In order to support VGA compatibility, a VESA standard VGA passthrough interface is included on the board. Accelerated Drawing Operations * Solid Rectangle Fill - 266 M pixels/second * Pattern Rectangle Fill - 66 M pixels/second (8-bit), 33 M pixels/second (24-bit) * Screen to Screen Copy - 33 M pixels/second (8-bit), 16 M pixels/second (24-bit) * Raster Operations - 33 M pixels/second * Line (2D) - 33 M pixels/second, 1.4 M 10-pixel lines/ second, random orientation * Triangles (3D Gouraud shaded) - 22 M pixels/second, 250K 50-pixel triangles/second, random orientation TrianGL Features * Enables Workstation-class 3D performance on PCs * Accelerates OpenGL API compatible graphics under Windows NT for 2-D and 3D applications * Allows fully configured 3D systems for under US$10,000 (TrianGL pricing has not been set, but it should be around US$2500) * True 24-bit graphics * Fully double-buffered 24-bit VRAM buffers * 24-bit hardware Z-buffer * 8 bits of hardware utility planes * Large 8 kbyte FIFO allows independent host operation * Fast internal RAM for storing patterns,line styles, and intermediate data * 64 x 64 hardware cursor * Host to Screen Copy * Screen to Host Copy * Color Expansion * Color Interpolation * Linear Frame Buffer Support Specifications * Dimensions - Full-length VLbus/ISA board 13.5" length x 5" height * Power Dissipation - 15 Watts typical (20 Watts maximum) * Bus Interface - VESA VLbus Local Bus Standard, Rev. 1.1 Local Bus Target, 32-bit data path * VGA Support - VESA Standard VGA passthrough * Monitor Support - Software-programmable 1024 x 768, non-interlaced, vertical refresh rates from 60 to 76 Hz * Frame Buffers - Two 24-bit, 1024 x 768 RGB * ZBuffer - 24-bit, 1024 x 768 * Memory - 10 Mbytes VRAM, 512 bytes internal RAM * FIFO - 8k x 32-bit for graphics commands and data Software Support Oki supports TrianGL on PC and RISC PC platforms with host software drivers for Windows NT 3.5. OpenGL and DDI support are available for Intel and Mips platforms. Other popular APIs, including AutoCAD, will be supported in future software releases. Look for future TrianGL versions with higher resolution, and a PCI bus interface. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B06) Intergraph GLZ Series The GLZ series accelerates OpenGL[tm] graphics on Intergraph Computer Systems' TDZ workstations. GLZs let you manipulate Gouraud-shaded 3D models by adding realistic effects such as lighting, translucency, and textured surfaces; and performing spectacular flythroughs, walkthroughs, and animations -- all in real time, at high resolutions, and in true color. By performing shading and geometry operations in dedicated hardware, GLZs ease the load on the TDZ's Pentium[tm] processor(s) and cut down traffic on the PCI bus, which results in dramatic improvements in graphics performance. The GLZ family supports Intergraph's 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors and 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors at resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,280 pixels. The GLZs support dual screens and are ready for stereoscopic display on any stereo-ready monitor. (LCD shutter glasses and emitter modules are required and are available from Intergraph Computer Systems.) The GLZ family offers a selection of 34, 24, or 12 megabytes of VRAM. 24 megabytes of VRAM supports resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,280 with 16.8 million colors (true color). 12 megabytes of VRAM suppots true color at a maximum resolution of 1,152 x 854. 34 megabytes of VRAM supports a 32-bit Z buffer, double-buffered true color, and display capabilities such as translucency and overlay at resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,280. Intergraph Computer Systems offers six different GLZ configurations. GLZ6 The top of our 3D graphics accelerator line -- offers shading acceleration, geometry acceleration, and texture-processing for fast, real-time rendering of complex and detailed designs. Product highlights * 34 MB of high-speed VRAM for 126 bit planes of video memory at all display resolutions, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 32-bit Z buffer o 8-bit, double-buffered o 8-bit alpha buffer o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * Texture processing fully supported in hardware with 8 megatextels of texture memory (32 MB of DRAM) for full trilinear interpolation of mip-mapped images * Geometry acceleration to speed up lighting and transforms * Support for the OpenGL industry-standard graphics library * Full hardware support for Gouraud and flat shading of 3D triangle meshes * Anti-aliased vector support to eliminate anomalies of standard raster displays * Industry-standard PCI bus interface with high-speed DMA engine * Genlock support for dual screens, eliminating the visual beat frequency effect that can occur when two monitors are placed close together * Support for Intergraph Computer Systems' 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors and 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors * Stereo-ready display for 3D viewing, which enhances cartographic applications and design visualization * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 pixels to 1,600 x 1,280 pixels * Eight hardware color tables, allowing multiple windows to simultaneously display using independent color palettes for instantaneous color refinement in demanding imaging applications (see p.11) * 10-bit gamma correction using state-of-the-art, 10-bit digital-to-analog converters, enabling user control of gamma values with no loss of color resolution GLZ5 Our GLZ5 offers the same high-performance shading and geometry acceleration as does GLZ6. With 12 MB of VRAM, GLZ5 supports resolutions up to 1,152 x 864. Two megatexels (8 megabytes of texture memory) provide more than enough texture storage for adding patterns to furniture, waves to water, or trees to parks and forests. GLZ5's low price may even tempt you to invest in dual screens and LCD shutter glasses for a stereoscopic adventure into virtual reality! Product highlights (same as the GLZ6, except where noted) * 12 MB of high-speed VRAM for 92 bit planes of video memory at resolutions up to 1,152 x 864, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 24-bit Z buffer o 1-bit, double-buffered overlay o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * Texture processing fully supported in hardware with 2 megatextels of texture memory (8 MB of DRAM) for full trilinear interpolation of mip-mapped images * Support for Intergraph Computer Systems' 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 pixels to 1,152 x 864 GLZ4 and GLZ3 GLZ4 and GLZ3 support both shading and geometry acceleration. If you need fast, accurate rendering of complex solid models but don't normally require realtime texture processing for photorealism, GLZ4 (24 MB of VRAM) or GLZ3 (12 MB of VRAM) will give you performance that more than meets your expectations. Don't worry if you occasionally need to render a textured image. Thanks to OpenGL, texture processing is fully supported in software. Product highlights * 24 MB (GLZ4) of high-speed VRAM for 92 bit planes of video memory at all display resolutions, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 24-bit Z buffer o 1-bit, double-buffered overlay o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * 12 MB (GLZ3) of high-speed VRAM for 92 bit planes of video memory at resolutions up to 1,152 x 864, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 24-bit Z buffer o 1-bit, double-buffered overlay o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * Geometry acceleration to speed up lighting and transforms * Support for the OpenGL industry-standard graphics library * Full hardware support for Gouraud and flat shading of 3D triangle meshes * Anti-aliased vector support * Industry-standard PCI bus interface with high-speed DMA engine * Genlock support for dual screens * Support for the following Intergraph Computer Systems' monitors: 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors (GLZ3 and GLZ4) 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors (GLZ4) * Stereo-ready display for 3D viewing * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 to 1,600 x 1,280 pixels (GLZ4) * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 to 1,152 x 864 pixels (GLZ3) * Eight hardware color tables, allowing multiple windows to simultaneously display using independent color palettes * 10-bit gamma correction GLZ2 and GLZ1 Product highlights * 24 MB (GLZ2) of high-speed VRAM for 92 bit planes of video memory at all display resolutions, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 24-bit Z buffer o 1-bit, double-buffered overlay o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * 12 MB (GLZ1) of high-speed VRAM for 92 bit planes of video memory at resolutions up to 1,152 x 864, providing: o 24-bit, double-buffered image planes o 24-bit Z buffer o 1-bit, double-buffered overlay o Other planes for additional features and further acceleration * Support for the OpenGL industry-standard graphics library * Full hardware support for Gouraud and flat shading of 3D triangle meshes * Anti-aliased vector support * Industry-standard PCI bus interface with high-speed DMA engine * Genlock support for dual screens * Support for the following Intergraph Computer Systems' monitors: o 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors (GLZ1 and GLZ2) o 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors (GLZ2) * Stereo-ready display for 3D viewing * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 to 1,600 x 1,280 pixels (GLZ2) * Multiple video resolution support for resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 to 1,152 x 864 pixels (GLZ1) * Eight hardware color tables, allowing multiple windows to simultaneously display using independent color palettes * 10-bit gamma correction GLZ1T This card has the same features as the GLZ1 card, accept that it adds 8 MB of texture memory and supports hardware processing like the GLZ5 and GLZ6. GLZ configurations at a glance GLZ Hardware Hardware Hardware Texture Frame Max model rendering geometry texture DRAM buffer resolution accel accel processing VRAM (in pixels) GLZ6 Yes Yes Yes 32 MB 34 MB 1,600 x 1,280 (8 megatexels) GLZ5 Yes Yes Yes 8 MB 12 MB 1,152 x 864 (2 megatexels) GLZ4 Yes Yes No No 24 MB 1,600 x 1,280 GLZ3 Yes Yes No No 12 MB 1,152 x 864 GLZ2 Yes No No No 24 MB 1,600 x 1,280 GLZ1T Yes No Yes 8 MB 12 MB 1,152 x 864 (2 megatexels) GLZ1 Yes No No No 12 MB 1,152 x 864 Performance specifications for GLZ2, GLZ4, and GLZ6 The following table summarizes hardware performance for GLZs supporting resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,280 (GLZ2, GLZ4, and GLZ6) on Intergraph Computer Systems' 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors and 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors. 3D graphics performance* 3D requests (with Z buffering) Performance Triangle, 50-pixel, Gouraud shaded 450,000 triangles/second Triangle, 25-pixel, Gouraud shaded 515,000 triangles/second Vector, 10-pixel, solid color 1,150,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, Gouraud shaded 1,000,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, antialiased 550,000 vectors/second Texturing performance (GLZ6)* Textured areas, 512 x 512 (trilinear 15 megatexels/second interpolated, mip-mapped) 2D graphics performance* 2D requests Performance Vector, 10-pixel, solid color 1,450,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, antialiased 550,000 vectors/second Blit: screen to screen, 64 Bit 26 megapixels/second (R,G,B,A,Z) Fills 400 megapixels/second Text, 9 x 13 240,000 characters/second *These performance numbers are the maximum hardware rate. Actual system performance depends on host processor speed and application. Performance specifications for GLZ1, GLZ1T, GLZ3, and GLZ5 The following table summarizes hardware performance for GLZs supporting resolutions up to 1,152 x 864 on Intergraph Computer Systems' 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors. 3D graphics performance* 3D requests (with Z buffering) Performance Triangle, 50-pixel, Gouraud shaded 230,000 triangles/second Triangle, 25-pixel, Gouraud shaded 425,000 triangles/second Vector, 10-pixel, solid color 800,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, Gouraud shaded 800,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, antialiased 285,000 vectors/second Texturing performance (GLZ1T, GLZ5)* Textured areas, 512 x 512 (trilinear 15 megatexels/second interpolated, mip-mapped) 2D graphics performance* 2D requests Performance Vector, 10-pixel, solid color 1,150,000 vectors/second Vector, 10-pixel, antialiased 285,000 vectors/second Blit: screen to screen, 64 Bit 13 megapixels/second (R,G,B,A,Z) Fills 200 megapixels/second Text, 9 x 13 190,000 characters/second * These performance numbers are the maximum hardware rate. Actual system performance depends on host processor speed and application. Display support GLZ2, GLZ4, and GLZ6 support Intergraph Computer Systems' 21- and 27-inch InterVue monitors and our 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors at resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,280 pixels. The following table indicates the currently supported screen resolutions in full 24-bit, true-color, double-buffered mode. Resolutions Colors Maximum supported supported refresh 16.8 M rates 1,600 x 1,280 X 76 Hz 1,600 x 1,200 X 81 Hz 1,280 x 1,024 X 94 Hz 1,280 x 960 X 100 Hz 1,152 x 864 X 85 Hz 1,024 x 768 X 122 Hz 800 x 600 X 153 Hz 640 x 480 X 186 Hz GLZ1, GLZ1T, GLZ3, and GLZ5 support Intergraph Computer Systems' 17- and 21-inch multi-sync monitors at resolutions up to 1,152 x 864. The following table indicates the currently supported screen resolutions in full 24-bit, true-color, double-buffered mode. Resolutions Colors Maximum supported supported refresh 6.8 M rates 1,152 x 864 X 72 Hz 1,024 x 768 X 85 Hz 800 x 600 X 85 Hz 640 x 480 X 85 Hz For more information or the number of a sales representative or Intergraph Computer Center near you, call: U.S. and Canada : 800-763-0242 Asia-Pacific : 852-2893-3621 Europe : 31-2503-66576 Middle East : 971-4-367555 Other areas : 1-205-730-5441 Or reach us on the Internet at http://www.intergraph.com. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B07) Division's VPX Image Generator and ProVision Systems Division's VPX image generator board in an extended EISA board which offers up to 300,000 fully texture-mapped, z-buffered polygons per second, with screen-fill performance of more than 997 megapixels per second. The VPX board can render a single image (or a stereo image on the VPX-Stereo version only) in NTSC composite or Y/C video, or field-sequential RGB formats. The VPX is available as an OEM PC card, for integration into the OEM's own PC platforms, or as a fully-configured development platform. The ProVision Merlin development platform for the VPX card includes a high-performance Pentium(R) processor, one, two, or three VPX graphics cards, standard MS-DOS PC I/O, and software development tools. The ProVision Merlin is a complete solution for manufacturers who want to immediately start development. The VPX board is also available in Division's ProVision 10 immersive virtual reality accelerator for the HP 700 range of UNIX workstations, or in Division's ProVision 100 fully-integrated virtual reality workstation, which includes an HMD, tracker, 3D audio, and all software required to create complex virtual environments without programming. A key feature of the VPX board is the outstanding pixel fill-rate needed to fill the large numbers of textured polygons required for visually-realistic, real-time applications. The VPX board has been developed from the outset for high-end simulation and entertainment applications, and is capable of a sustained 20-30Hz frame-rate with very rich visual content and 3D depth. The VPX is based on the University of North Carolina's patented Pixel-Planes (tm) massively parallel image generator technology. PRICING ProVision Merlin - PC/DOS based graphics System, Pentium Option * PVMVPX1-PM: US$19,400 The ProVision Merlin is an advanced virtual reality, simulation, or entertainment computer system with the VPX Pixel-Planes(tm) graphics. This 66 MHz Intel(R) Pentium(R) PC includes a compact, rugged, industrial-class chassis, 300 watt power supply, 4 available EISA slots, a keyboard, mouse, 16Mbytes RAM, 500Mbyte Disk, 14" color monitor, MS DOS, MS Windows, and a VPX-Mono image generator board. The ProVision Merlin supports mono head mounted displays and NTSC video monitors. The graphics system includes Division's dPL graphics runtime library for the VPX. One VPX-Mono image generator is included in this system. * VPX-Mono image generator board DBE0150-M: US$14,900 (For OEM sales only. Requires upgraded power supply and cooling in host PC.) * VPX-Stereo image generator board DBE0150-S: US$21,450 (For OEM sales only. Requires upgraded power supply and cooling in host PC.) The ProVision Merlin is also available in configurations with two or three VPX image generator boards, thus achieving up to six simultaneous out-the-window displays and 900,000 fully photo-textured, z-buffered polygons per second. For more information, contact: Pierre duPont dupontp@division.co.uk Marketing Director, Division Limited 19 Apex Court, Woodlands, Bristol UK BS12 4JT phone: +44 1454 615554 fax: +44 1454 615532 They also have a web page at http://www.division.com. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B08) Reality Simulation Systems Little Squirt They had an experimental WWW server running, but it has been down. The URL is http://www.simsys.com/ You can get more info about the company by 1) finger @simsys.com 2) mail info@simsys.com For more information, contact: Reality Simulation Systems, Inc. 1223 Peoples Ave. Troy, NY 12180 Phone: 518.276.3073 Fax: 518.276.6380 [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B09) Western Digital Tasmania 3D The information I currently have is from the press release on Western Digital's home page: http://www.wdc.com/ The actual press release is at: http://www.wdc.com/new/releases/950918-2.html The board is aimed at 3D gaming and is available for either PCI- or VL-based systems. It has an estimated selling price of $250. It renders high-resolution three dimensional games with detailed textures at realistic frame rates on mainstream PCs. Its 640 by 480 resolution redefines state-of-the-art for 3D games, quadrupling the current 320 by 200 resolution of most software-based 3D games. The board comes with two popular high-resolution action games, immediately sending users into the next dimension of computing. The design and implementation of Tasmania 3D allows it to co-exist with any 2D graphics accelerator. Users don't have to invest in any additional hardware to play their 3D games. Tasmania 3D gives users the excitement of 3D without impacting the performance of their existing 2D graphics card. Tasmania 3D incorporates the Yamaha YGV612 Rendering Polygon Accelerator. It provides hardware texture mapping for the highest quality of detail, without sacrificing performance. It also features gouraud shading for smooth, realistic contours and Z-buffering for hidden surface removal, giving gamers the ultimate playing experience. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B10) Dynamic Pictures V192 The information I currently have is from Leo Merta at Dynamic Pictures, Inc. For more information, contact Dinesh Sharma at: Dinesh Sharma (sharma@dypic.com) Dynamic Pictures, Inc. 5225 Betsy Ross Drive Santa Clara, CA 95054-1102 Phone: 408 327-9000 The V192 3D Graphics Accelerator card is the first product in a new generation of workstation-performance Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) graphics acceleration cards for the PC Windows 95/Windows NT desktop market. Dynamic Pictures was recently responsible for developing the ZLXp-L1 and ZLXp-L2 graphics accelerators for the Alpha AXP workstations from Digital Equipment Corporation. The V192 accelerator card is an almost identical product to the ZLXp-L1. Features * 1280x1024 24-bit Z buffer * 1280x1024 24-bit double buffer * 16 MB of high-speed VRAM * On-board VGA * Gouraud shading * Overlays and Window ID planes * 8-bit alpha buffer * 4-bit stencil buffer * Accumulation buffer * Atmospheric effects (i.e. fog, smoke) * Anti-aliasing - points, lines, polygons, and full scenes * Alpha blending * Transparency * Scissor and stipple masking * Stereo Display Performance * The V192 has application-level graphics performance comparable to SGI's Indigo2/Extreme and the HP Visualizer 24 at a fraction of the price. * 200K 3D triangles per second (50 pixels, smooth shaded mesh, Z-buffered) * 1.4 million 3D vectors per second Software Compatibility * 100% OpenGL compliant - The V192 3D Graphics Accelerator card comes with OpenGL drivers developed by the industry leaders in OpenGL driver development. Drivers are available for Pentium, MIPS, Alpha AXP and Power PC based systems. * Seamless integration with Windows NT 3.5 or greater. System Hardware Requirements * PCI-based processor (Pentium, MIPS, Alpha AXP or Power PC). * One available PCI bus-master slot for the V192 card. * Support for on-board VGA, no additional VGA card is required. Availability * The V192 3D Graphics Accelerator is available through selected OEM partners. Please contact Dynamic Pictures for more information. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B11) Matrox Millenium This information was obtained from Matrox's WWW server at http://www.matrox.com/ The Matrox Millenium is consistently reviewed as one of the best 2D graphics cards currently available, with features including * World's highest performance at 61 million Winmarks * Dual ported Window RAM (WRAM) memory technology * Optimized PCI Local Bus Design * Resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 in 256, 65K and 16.7M Colors * 220 Hz flicker-free screen refresh * Base versions available with 2 or 4 MB of Window RAM * Upgradeable to 4 or 8 MB of Window RAM * Hardware accelerated color space conversion and video upscaling to accelerate MPEG and AVI full screen playback. The 3D features include * Gouraud shading * double buffering * 16-bit Z-buffering * renders 190,000 Gouraud shaded polygons per second * display drivers for Windows {3.1, 3.11, '95, NT 3.5}, OS/2 2.1, Warp 3.0, AutoCAD 12 and 13 for DOS and Windows, Microstation 5.0, VESA 2.0 (up to 1280 x 1024) * Support for standard 3D APIs including Silicon Graphics OpenGL, Microsoft Reality Lab, Intel 3DR, and Criterion RenderWare Specifications Summary and Ordering Information Windows Resolutions With 3D and Colors Gouraud Shading Resolutions Colors Resolutions Colors 1600 x 1200 256, 65K*,16.7M** 1600 x 1200 256** 1280 x 1024 256, 65K* 16.7M* 1280 x 1024 256*, 65K** 1152 x 882 256, 65K, 16.7M* 1152 x 882 256,* 65K** 1024 x 768 256, 65K, 16.7M* 1024 x 768 256*, 65K**,16.7M** 800 x 600 256, 65K, 16.7M 800 x 600 256, 65K*, 16.7M** 640 x 480 256, 65K, 16.7M 640 x 480 256, 65K*, 16.7M** *Requires 4 MB of **Requires 8 MB of Window RAM. Window RAM All 3D modes are double buffered with 16-bit Z-buffer Refresh Rates Resolution V. Frequency H. Frequency 1600 x 1200 60 - 85 Hz 76 - 96 KHz 1280 x 1024 60 - 110 Hz 63 - 107 KHz 1152 x 882 60 - 120 Hz 54 - 110 KHz 1024 x 768 60 - 120 Hz 48 - 104 KHz 800 x 600 60 - 200 Hz 37 - 100 KHz 640 x 480 60 - 200 Hz 32 - 100 KHz [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B12) APD Free Dimension This information was received from Victor Silveira (VSilveira@aol.com). The APD Free Dimension is a PCI Bus 3D Graphics Board, ideally suited for Virtual Reality, Simulation, and Entertainment. The "Free Dimension" Board is designed and manufactured by APD, and it is marketed in Europe by APD, and marketed in the US by SILVEIRA Corporation. The Free Dimension Board ("FDB") is designed to provide on a PC or Macintosh the same performance as those of a higher end more expensive workstation (such as Silicon Graphics, or SUN, etc.), but for a fraction of the price. The FDB provides true texture mapping and simultaneous Gouraud Shading, so that the user may experience WorkStation Class 3D on a PC/Mac environment. Real Time Graphics Applications are possible for Virtual Reality (VR) and Simulation applications. FDB incorporates GUL (Graphics Ultra Light),a Library Optimized for Real Time Graphics, that takes advantage of the underlying hardware (GUL works with Studio and SoftImage). Hardware Features * True color double frame-buffer and Z-buffer * TRUE Hardware supported texture mapping and Gouraud Shading (not just acceleration) * perspective correction * 2D-overlay + 3D + 2D underlay * multiple 3D windowing control * frame rate regulation * stereoscopic output at full resolution * plug and play single slot PCI Bus * ... and more. Technical characteristics * Rendering speed. o Textured mapping and/or Gouraud shading at 20 million pixels/second rate. o 320 k textured and / or shared polygons / sec. o Per polygon basis selection of the hardware coloring method (texturing, and / or shading). * Hardware perspective correction of textured polygons. * Frame Buffer o 8 MB of RAM o four, 32 bits wide frame buffers at full-resolution for double buffering + double camera (stereoscopic camera). o no redraws visible o artifact free image sequencing (buffer - switching synchronized with vertical retrace signal) o 24 color bits / pixel o hardware flash erase function o full initialization of the framebuffer in less than 77 micro seconds. * Z Buffer o 16 bits wide Z Buffer o Hardware flash erase function o full initialization of the frame - buffer in less than 77 microseconds. * Shading o Three independent color interpolators o Software definable reflection coefficients. * Colors o True 3D information (24 bits per pixel) o 8 transparency levels applicable of each polygon o 2D VGA information transparently converted to 24 bits using a color palette. * Resolution. Maximum 3D window size, with true color and stereo (for each eye) is: o 800 x 512 pixels in an 800 x 600 screen o 640 x 480 full screen * Stereoscopic output o Jack output ready for standard CrystalEyes shutter glasses emitter o 120 Hz stereo (60 Hz each eye interleaved) video output for multisync monitor (no video synch doubler needed) o Each eye at full resolution (800 x 512) + double buffering + true color. * Texture Mapping o True hardware texture mapping at 20 Million pixels / second rate o texture map coordinates are perspective corrected )no distortion in the resulting image) o textured polygons can be simultaneously lighted, at 20 Million pixels per second rate o texture colors corrected by hardware according to the lighting level of each pixel o 1 MByte texture Memory; 8 Bit wide texture maps o 32 simultaneously definable 8 - bits palettes, of 16 million colors o each texture map can be dynamically associated with any of the 32 available palettes o one of the 256 indexes of the palettes can be defined as transparency color o arbitrary complex shapes can be drawn in the scene using self-orienting bitmaps o hardware texture wrapping function (so that a repeating pattern can be applied to a polygon) o maximum texture size for automatic wrapping textures is 128 x 128 texels o hardware bit mapping support for each texture map. * Object Selection o a 7 bit wide identification can be associated with each object o it is stored in the frame buffer for each pixel belonging to the object o Point-and-select or help functions implementation with minimum overhead o Object tagging can be individually enabled or disabled for each primitive o hardware access to tagging information o tag value returned in less than 16 msecs. * Overlay and Underlay o 2D images, full - motion digital video and textual information can be freely mixed with the 3D scene o Information from the VGA mixed with the 3D information through the feature connector. Four Modes available to control 2D and 3D information mixing as follows: a) pass through mode. b) 3D only mode, c) underlay mode, d) overlay + underlay mode. * Multiple 3D Windowing Control. 3D Rendering on multiple windows that can be freely moved and re-sized within the screen. * Frame Rate Regulation o Synchronous or asynchronous image sequencing o Erasing of frame-buffer and Z Buffer automatically performed after each buffer switching o Horizontal re-trace counter available in all modes o Four different synchronization modes available: Fully Synchronous, Normal Synchronous, Asynchronous, Software synchronization. * System requirements. A PC pr PowerMac with a CPU running at 90MHz or above, 16 MBytes of RAM, SVGA with a standard feature connector, 1 PCI free slot, and Windows 95, Windows NT, MS DOS 6.2, or System 7.5. The APD 3D PCI accelerator Board manufactured by APB scheduled for release during February 1996 in the $4,500 range. Contact Information: You may contact Sales, Marketing and Technical support at the following addresses: APD Attention Luis Pedro Marzan, Vice President Madrid, Spain Telephone: (34) (1) 798 5626 Fax: (34) (1) 797 7897 EMail: freedimension@gapd.es. SILVEIRA Corporation Attention: Mr. Kevin Toler, Manager Washington DC, USA Telephone: (202) 686 2230 Fax: (202) 686 2231 EMail: 102511,652@compuserve.com. [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B13) Arcobel Imagine The following information was provided by Peter Van Ackeren, Technical Support Engineer at Arcobel (ossfs1!pva@relay.NL.net). Features * Based on the 60 Mhz Imagine VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) ultra high speed graphics and image processor * 8000 MIPS pixel processing speed * Equipped with 8 MB of VRAM, allowing display sizes up to 1600x1280 in true colour (32-bit) * Image size up to 8 Mpixels (e.g. 4K x 2K x 8-bit) * 24, 16,or 8 bit images can be combined with an 8 or 16 bit overlay plane * Supports Microsoft Windows '95 and Windows/NT 3.5 operating systems * Provides Windows acceleration using optimized downloaded software * Simultaneous support for Windows acceleration and Imagine native mode graphics applications * Multiple boards in one system can be synchronised with one common signal up to 140 MHz * Industry standard 32-bit PCI interface Rev.2.1 supports up to 132 MB/s (master DMA burst transfers) * Direct memory access capabilities * Memory & I/O expansion bus (up to 240 Mpixel/s bandwidth) * Optional broadcast standard video frame grabber (Imagine Capture Board) Major Application Areas * 3D-Graphics * Multi Media Applications * Broadcast Video Editing and Special Effects * True Colour Desktop Publishing (DTP) * Professional Photo Retouching * Raster Image Processing (RIP) Board Architecture * The Imagine PCI-Board uses the 32-bit PCI local bus providing compatibility with current Intel `486 & Pentium based PC's and PowerPC MacIntosh systems. Configuration conforms to Plug & Play specifications. * The AMCC S5933 PCI Local Bus interface handles all accesses to on-board locations and provides DMA support between the host memory and the Imagine FIFO. * The board has 3 separate memory spaces : up to 8 MB of image memory (VRAM), 2 or 4 MB of data/texture memory and 256kB of instruction memory (synchronous SRAM) * The Texas Instruments TVP3026 Video Interface Palette chip provides RAMDAC and color key functions plus a hardware cursor * SVGA pass-through for alternated SVGA and native mode graphics * On-board Video-In connector supports optional true colour real-time Imagine Capture Board Supported Operating Systems & Graphics Standards * Software drivers for Windows '95 and Windows/NT 3.5 * Windows `95 GDI, 3D-DDI, Intel 3DR, as well as the forthcoming OpenGL for Windows and directX * Imagine native development environment available for Windows '95, Windows/NT 3.5, Solaris 1.0 and Linux Imagine SDE - The Software Development Environment * The SDE bundles all software tools to develop Imagine native code applications and customer specific graphics libraries: o `GCC' ..... GNU ANSI-C Compiler o `IMAS' .... Hierarchical Instruction Set Assembler o `IMLIB' ... Library tool o `IMLINK' .. Linker / loader o `IMCOMM' .. Communication tools o `IMSIM' ... Visual Simulator / Debugger o `Winbug' .. Console based debugger * Imagine Native Software Libraries o `IMCORE' .. Memory management, arithmetic, C initialization, text display, graphic core and timer functions o `I1D' ..... Line drawing, bitblits and fonts o `I2D' ..... 2D graphics image manipulation functions, e.g. arithmetic, copy, raster, relational, blending, affine transformation and convolution functions o `I3D' ..... 3D texture mapped graphics, e.g. vertex based and rendering functions o `IMCC' .... Image compression / decompression and conversion functions o `IIL/SIV' . Intermediate library providing C-macros for vector processing and fixed point arithmetic For more information please: Call: (+31) 73 6444.144 Fax: (+31) 73 6444.150 E-mail: sales-ag@arcobel.nl or write to: Arcobel Graphics B.V. P.O. Box 3523 DM `s Hertogenbosch The Netherlands [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B14) Synthetic Images Reality Blaster This information was provided by Lee Slater, lslater@synthetic.com. Reality Blazer, Model RB-1000PC The Reality Blazer was created and built for one purpose - to process and render virtual worlds. Unlike graphics accelerators, the Reality Blazer is capable of holding an entire virtual world, and then carrying out complex object oriented simulation completely independent of the host processor. This leaves the host PC free to perform complex applications and interface tasks. FEATURES * Designed specifically for high performance Industrial Simulation & Virtual Reality. This is NOT just another graphics accelerator! * Flexible and scaleable. Use a single board by itself for a monoscopic environment. Add a second video processor channel for dual display 3-D stereo. Add optics distortion correction as needed - all right on the same board! * Anti-alias processing and NTSC/PAL included! * Run multiple boards in a single PC - for full speed stereo 3-D, multiple view perspectives or even totally different scenarios. * Dynamic texture swap, texture tiling (up to 8x8), rotating textures, custom bit mapped fonts and 2D texture "stamps", for outrageous special effects! * 120Hz StereoGraphics and Sun ZX compatible LCD shutter glass output. * Optional Optics Distortion Processor allows use of spherical projections or custom optics distortion. * Standard NTSC/PAL processors are sync locked with scene processors - no frame latency! * Load management, LOD blending and fading. * Programmable 3D windows and subscreens! SPECIFICATIONS * 60,000 continuous polys per second * 2,000 polys/frame @ 30 FPS update rate * 60/120Hz video refresh rate (each channel) * 16 million colors (24-bit) on screen * Standard 1Mb of subdividable texture maps (64-128x128, 256-64x64, etc), expandable * Vector and bit mapped text fonts * 512x480 and other resolutions * RS-170A mode also available on VGA connector * 200 instantaneous moving models (>1K in scenario) * Simultaneous flat or smooth shading, texturing, transparancy, translucency and anti-aliasing * Standard 24-bit Z-depth buffering in hardware * Standard 25,000 poly world size, expandable * Object instancing allows millions of polys in world * Standard sync-locked NTSC and PAL processor * Standard hardware anti-aliasing * Standard 120Hz LCD shutter glass interface (TTL) INCLUDED SOFTWARE * 'C' language API * World compiler and visualizer * Conversion utilities for DXF, 3DS and others * Special utilities, such as font compiler and atmospheric effects generator and others. * Diagnostic utilities, sample worlds and programs OPTIONS * Plug-in 2nd channel for full stereo 3-D output * Plug-in Optics Distortion Processor module * Expand onboard texture map RAM to 4Mb * Expand onboard database RAM to 225K polys For more information contact: Lee Slater, Director of Marketting Synthetic Images Voice: 408-267-8451 Fax: 408-267-1812 e-mail: lslater@synthetic.com [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- B15) S3 ViRGE and ViRGE/VX The information in this section was taken from the S3 homepage at: http://www.s3.com/ The ViRGE 64-bit DRAM-based accelerator combines a 135MHz RAMDAC and clock synthesizer with the multimedia capabilities of S3's Trio64V+ including video acceleration, video playback using both software and hardware sources, live video support and the ability to connect with popular NTSC and PAL decoders. Additionally, ViRGE is SVGA-compatible, so as to support legacy DOS applications and games, and provides high-performance 2D GUI acceleration support for resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 x 256 colors at 75Hz. S3's ViRGE accelerator also provides support for all major 3D APIs, including OpenGL, Microsoft's Direct3D and RealityLab, as well as Argonaut BRender and Criterion Renderware. The ViRGE/VX product offers all of the same features as the DRAM-based ViRGE, but substitutes support for VRAM and WindowsRAM (WRAM), and increases the integrated RAMDAC performance level to 220 MHz. Resolutions up to 1600x1200x16 million colors @ 75Hz are supported and higher memory bandwidth is enabled by the block write feature. 64-bit S3d Engine The S3d Engine provides 2D acceleration for excellent Windows applications performance and a full-featured high-performance 3D rendering engine for games and other interactive 3D applications. The S3d Engine incorporates the key Windows accelerator functions of BitBLT, line draw and polygon fill. 3D features include flat shading, Gouraud shading and texture mapping support. Advanced texture mapping features include perspective correction, bi-linear and tri-linear filtering, MIP- Mapping, and Z-buffering. The S3d Engine also includes direct support for utilizing video as a texture map. These features provide the most realistic user experience for interactive 3D applications. Other advanced features of the S3d Engine include S3 proprietary compressed texture formats for improved performance and reduced memory requirements, as well as support for S3's MUX buffering (pat. pend.) feature, which allows for Z-buffering support with no additional memory requirement. Streams Processor The S3 Streams Processor provides the stretching and YUV color space conversion features required for full screen video playback with both software CODECs and hardware MPEG-1 sources. The Streams Processor allows simultaneous display of graphics and video of different color depths. For example, it is possible to display 24 bpp- equivalent video on top of an 8- bit graphics background. This saves memory bandwidth and storage capacity while permitting higher frame rates. S3 Scenic Highway The S3 Scenic Highway allows lowest cost direct connection to S3's Scenic/MX2 MPEG-1 audio and video decoder as well as video digitizers such as the Philips SAA7110/SAA7111. Features * High-Performance Integrated DRAM-based 2D/3D Graphics and Video Accelerator o High-performance 64-bit 2D/3D graphics engine o Integrated 135 MHz RAMDAC and clock synthesizer o S3 Streams Processor for accelerated video o S3 Scenic Highway for direct interface to live video and MPEG-1 peripherals Pin compatible with S3 Trio64V+ S3d Graphics Engine Features o High performance 2D Windows acceleration o Flat and Gouraud shading for 3D o High quality/performance 3D texture mapping. Perspective correction Bi-linear and tri-linear texture filtering MIP-Mapping. o Depth cueing and fogging Alpha blending o Video texture mapping o Z-buffering o Vertical interpolation for video playback * S3 Streams Processor Features Supports on-the-fly stretching and blending of primary RGB stream and RGB or YUV (video) secondary stream. Each stream can have a different color depth. High-quality hardware-assisted video playback with horizontal interpolation. o Support for Indeo, Cinepak, and software and hardware-accelerated MPEG-1 video S3 Scenic Highway Interface and Philips SAA7110/SAA7111 video digitizers. o S3 Scenic/MX2 MPEG-1 audio/video decoder * High Screen Resolution (Non-package interlaced) Support o 1280x1024x256 colors at 75 Hz refresh o 1024x768x64K colors at 75 Hz refresh o 800x600x16.7M colors at 75 Hz refresh * High-Performance Memory Support o 64-bit DRAM memory interface o 2- and 4-MByte DRAM video memory o Single-cycle EDO operation * Non-x86 CPU Support o Big endian/little endian byte ordering o Relocatable addressing * Industry-Standard Local Bus Support. o Glueless PCI 2.1 bus interface o Glueless VESA VL-Bus interface * PCI Bus Mastering for Display List Processing and Video Capture Support * Multimedia Support Hooks * Full Software Support. Drivers for major operating systems: [Windows 95, Windows 3.11, Windows NT, OS/2 2.1 and 3.0 (Warp), ADI 4.2] * Green PC/Monitor Plug and Play [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Complete Change History * Changes since version 0.9 New entries: o CS06) Rendition VΘritΘ o CS07) Chromatic Research Mpact o CS08) 3DLabs Permedia o B09) Western Digital Tasmania 3D o B10) Dynamic Pictures V192 Changed entries: o NVIDIA) Changed NVIDEA to NVIDIA o GLINT05) now available for Windows 3.1 o GLINT07) Densan PCI-300SX now shipping as part of NEC RISCstation 2200. o GLINT08) I finally found specs. * Changes since version 0.8 New entries: o CS05) NVidia/SGS-THOMSON NV1/STG-2000 Multimedia Accelerators o GLINT08) Creative Labs' 3D Blaster o GLINT09) Microstep AGC-3D o NVIDIA01) Diamond Edge 3D Accelerators Changed entries: o GLINT02) Working URL added. Better information. o GLINT03) now available o GLINT04) Change entry name to Omnicomp 3Demon VR o GLINT05) now available in Europe o GLINT06) now available in Japan o ARTIST01) Was the B09) entry in v0.8, but was moved due to reorganization. o B01) Added information on the AG500 * Changes since version 0.7 New entries: o CS04) ARTIST Graphics 3GA Graphics Processor o B09) ARTIST 2000 * Changes since version 0.6 Original now kept in html form and text version created by saving as text from Netscape. Changed entries: o B08) Added snail mail and phone contacts. * Changes since version 0.5 o Q02) added pointers to the OpenGL home page and the Viewperf ftp directory * Changes since version 0.4 Changed Entries: o GLINT04) Fixed area code in telephone number * Changes since version 0.3 New entries: o B07) Division's VPX Image Generator and ProVision Systems o B08) Reality Simulation Systems Little Squirt * Changes since version 0.1 New entries: o Q02) How does the performance of these cards compare to graphics workstations such as those produced by SGI, Sun, DEC, etc? o CS03) S-MOS SPC1500 Geometry Processor o B05) Oki TrianGL o B06) Intergraph GLZ Series Changed entries: o CS01) Changed address of www site and added email contact. o GLINT01) added pricing information o B01) Historical correction. o B04) Small change (VLbus parts may not exist) [return to index] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Blair MacIntyre (bm@cs.columbia.edu), Graduate Student (Graphics and UI Lab) smail: Dept. of Computer Science, 450 Computer Science Building, 500 W 120 St. Columbia University, New York, NY 10027