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- Path: sparky!uunet!ogicse!usenet.coe.montana.edu!decwrl!csus.edu!netcom.com!cliff
- From: cliff@netcom.com (Cliff Rodriquiez)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
- Subject: IMPORTANT questions. please read
- Message-ID: <zv_nwff.cliff@netcom.com>
- Date: 21 Aug 92 16:13:37 GMT
- Article-I.D.: netcom.zv_nwff.cliff
- Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
- Lines: 65
-
- I am doing a VR game. My original hardware choice
- was to use transputers for the graphics pipeline.
-
- I don't have ANY experience with transputers. I've
- been doing as much reading on parallel graphics and
- transputer archs as possible and will probably hire
- someone to do part of the work.
-
- If you have experience with transputers and graphics,
- could you please answer one or more of these questions?
- I'm funding this project myself, the more info I have
- the better chance of the investment being worth while.
- thanks in advance.....cliff
-
- note: i am looking at an intel 486 system and adding
- cards on for co-processing.
-
- 1. on a price per performance basis, is the i860 better
- than the transputer? i see the very low mips of
- a T800 and wonder how many i would need in parallel
- to make up one i860.
-
- 2. transputers seem to be a lot more expensive than
- i originally thought. if i want to put 3-4 on
- my machine and give them each a couple of meg
- i am talking about serious bucks (pricing from
- my local inmos dist in sunnyvale ca). has anyone
- seen good pricing? is there an alternative to
- using inmos transputers? what are some prices
- you have seen for: transputer boards for pc's,
- trams, memory for trams.
-
- 3. i am currently developing my own 3d routines that
- will be ported over to the transputer env. the i860
- has quite a lot of 3d hardware/software support. has
- anyone see graphics libraries and/or specialize graphics
- hardware for the transputer? my catalog only shows a
- simple (vga like) display chip. i would like something
- a little more performance oriented tward 2d and 3d
- graphics.
-
- 4. last question:
-
- if i am going to all the trouble of making a graphics
- pipeline with transputers that are around 1-2 mips,
- am i kidding myself when compared to:
-
- specialized 3d hardware designed for high performance
- polygon throughput, coupled with a risc based motherboard
- giving me 15 mips.
-
- thanks again? i can accept the answers/comments/questions on
- the net or to cliff@netcom.com . if you want me to post the
- results i will. thanks again.
-
- ps. i may make some of the results of my project public domain.
- --
-
- --
- Cliff Rodriguez
- C&R Software Solutions
- voice 408-252-1429
- fax 408-252-5909
- cliff@netcom.com or apple!netcom!cliff
- P.O Box 95015-0658 Cupertino Ca. 95015 USA
-