From: jimh@surreal.asd.sgi.com (Jim Helman)
Subject: Re: TECH: 3D Rendering Requirements
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1993 03:10:21 GMT
Organization: Home for Degenerate Physicists


thinman@netcom.com (Technically Sweet) writes:

   > ~ SGI has targeted VR well.

   SGI has not targeted VR at all, and in fact are no help to any
   VR company.  (None are willing to say so in public.)
   Their gear just happens to to do VR if you tweak it hard.

Hmmm... I'm not always sure just where Visual Simulation ends and VR
starts, but combined the two represent a major market for Reality
Engine, and SGI is certainly focused on both.

If someone is unhappy, they should call us.  We work with a number of
VR hardware and software vendors, helping with demos, tuning, porting
and hardware compatibility.  At least three of the VR vendors I see
mentioned here regularly have come through in the last couple weeks to
port or demo.  One even flew into town for Clinton's visit.  And when
Clinton was shown the south-central LA drive through (done by the UCLA
School of Architecture to evaluate reconstruction scenarios), he was so
intrigued that his handlers practically had to drag him away.

TNR (Tweaking Not Required): the UCLA application and many others, were
written using IRIS Performer, a software toolkit developed specifically
for high-performance, real-time 3D graphics.  Our goal was to make it
easier for customers and developers to get maximum performance and
functionality across all SGI platforms.  So hopefully, the days of
tweaking rendering loops are gone, and developers can now focus instead
on building cool environments and applications.

rgds,

-jim helman

jimh@surreal.asd.sgi.com
415/390-1151