From: cdr@kpc.com
Subject: HARDWARE: Kubota "Fastest" 3D Graphics Desktop System Introduced
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1993 13:34:13 CDT
Organization: Kubota Pacific Computer Inc, Santa Clara, CA


Crossposted from comp.newprod


The fastest desktop system for imaging and three-dimensional graphics
rendering has been introduced by Kubota Pacific Computer.

The new Kubota Kenai ("keen eye") workstations, based on Digital
Equipment Corporation's [...] Alpha AXP processor and Kubota's
scalable Denali graphics subsystem, offer the power to draw more than
a million triangles per second and begin with a unit priced at just
$14,795 that features a SPECfp92 rating of 112.  The systems can be
expanded modularly to a desk-side unit with a SPECfp92 rating of 127.
[....]

As an example, a mid-range, desktop Kenai 3400/P510 with 32 megabytes
of main memory and one gigabyte of disk storage priced at $55,200
offers a SPECfp92 rating of 112 and can draw a million Gouraud-shaded
24-bit 3D triangles per second. [....]

Typical applications include mechanical engineering, medical and
strategic imaging, computational fluid dynamics, molecular modeling,
and engineering and scientific visualization.

The Kenai systems are binary compatible with Digital's Alpha AXP OSF/1
operating system.  All software applications ported to the Alpha AXP
OSF/1 environment will run on Kenai systems without modification.

The Denali graphics subsystem connects to the Kenai workstation's
100-megabyte-per-second open I/O bus and can be configured with up to
six transform engine modules.  These modules perform all floating
point operations, imaging and geometry processing in the graphics
subsystem making the full computational power of the Alpha processor
available for data manipulation.  As a result, the system can handle
heavy compute loads with no degradation of graphics performance.

In imaging applications, the Kenai workstations incorporate
functionality equivalent to or better than specialized imaging
accelerators.  The Kenai systems copy from main memory to the frame
buffer at a rate of 70 million 8-bit pixels per second, perform
bilinear zooms at 20 million pixels per second and accomplish
trilinear interpolations on 8-bit 3D pixels (voxels) at a rate of 12
million per second.

The Kenai systems use a full 64-bit implementation of OSF/1 UNIX
optimized for symmetric multiple-processor operation and [...] support
all major graphics standards including X11R5, PEX, GL4 and OpenGL,
PHIGS and AVS.

Because Denali performance scales linearly, systems can be expanded to
support applications of advancing complexity by simply adding
transform engine modules.  Modules can be borrowed temporarily from
other Kenai workstations, for example, to configure a high-end system
for a specific job that requires very high performance.  [....]

Graphics rendering functions performed in hardware and firmware
include geometry transformation, lighting and reflectance
calculations, smooth-shading and depth-cueing interpolations, Z-buffer
occlusion for representing opaque objects, full-scene anti-aliasing
(smoothing lines and edges), transparency, texture mapping, alpha
(color value) compositing and several methods of volume data
rendering.

Kenai workstations support [...] cine loops, image zooms, rotates and
warps, convolutions, contrast stretching, and 3D graphics and volume
rending using trilinear interpretations.

A patented "Zero-Time Clear" feature implemented in Denali reduces the
time needed to change scenes by simultaneously clearing data in the
frame buffer as it is displayed.  The result is faster animation
rates.

The ability to create realistic scenes is enhanced by feature
orthogonality, a Kubota-developed technique that allows advanced
graphics operations, such as texture mapping and transparency, to
exist simultaneously in the same scene.  [....]

For more information, contact:

Lizabeth Worley
Kubota Pacific
+1-408-748-6384
lworley@kpc.com


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