OpenGL Performer 2.5 is released!

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From: Allan Schaffer (allan++at++sgi.com)
Date: 11/27/2001 08:57:05

Info-Performer Subscribers,

SGI is very pleased to announce: OpenGL Performer 2.5 is released!

OpenGL Performer 2.5 introduces many new features to the toolkit,
with special attention to six categories of enhancements: Enhanced
Realism for the High-End, Distributed Rendering, Combinatorial Visual
Effects, Ease-of-Use, Supporting Huge Datasets, and Commodity
Platforms. For the details and downloads, please visit:

     http://www.sgi.com/software/performer/

The free web download for Linux is available now. The free (eoe &
demo) web download for IRIX will be available as soon as IRIX 6.5.15
is released. OpenGL Performer 2.5 CD's (IRIX & Linux) will be
available to order starting next Monday, and service upgrades will be
available in December as well.

Here's some of what's new in 2.5. Check it out:

   - Image-Based Rendering, to replace a complex object with
     pre-rendered images of the object as seen from different angles
     and render the result in real-time.

   - Real-Time Shadows, to project an object's true shadow upon any &
     all other objects in the scene.

   - Dynamic model Shaders, to allow any shader parameter -- such as
     the light position -- to be modified in real-time.

   - Phong Shading and Bump-Mapping, enabling users to easily
     incorporate these effects into their simulations.

   - Clip-Texture Emulation, to page and roam over textures of
     enormous size and resolution on platforms lacking native
     cliptexture support, in real-time.

   - Integration of the ArchVision RPC(TM) API, for easy interaction
     with RPC format datasets.

   - Light Shafts, with cone attenuation and spot illumination of
     objects in the scene.

   - Programmable Parameterized Culling, to optimize & combine
     multi-pass rendering effects, by selection of the Performer
     draw-bin based on cull parameters.

   - The pfViewer class and experimental libpfx library, for easy
     creation of basic OpenGL Performer application, with emphasis on
     simplicity and extensibility.

   - Integration of OpenGL Performer with OpenGL Vizserver(TM),
     allowing OpenGL Performer visuals to be 'served' to hosts
     running Windows NT, IRIX, Linux, and Solaris.

   - Volume Rendering through integration of OpenGL Performer with
     OpenGL Volumizer(TM), allowing users to view volumetric datasets
     within any OpenGL Performer application.

   - pfGeoSet Callbacks, to allow advanced users to control directly
     how special geometry is to be rendered.

   - Register Combiner support in Linux, to perform low-level shading
     & rendering pipeline programming.

   - Enhancements to pfRotorWash, for improved realism over large
     polygons.

   - Integration with the new SGI Graphics Cluster, DataSync, and
     ImageSync; including clusterfly, a new version of perfly for the
     SGI Graphics Cluster system, synchronizing the 'state' of perfly
     among nodes in the cluster. (included with Graphics Cluster
     systems only)

And as always, many more tricks for peak performance rendering!

For those of you checking your email from the I/ITSEC conference, you
can see these new features in action in the SGI booth, and at the
Friends of Performer meeting, Wednesday 6:30 - 8:30pm in the Peabody
Hotel, Orlando ballroom.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Allan 

----
Allan Schaffer                                            allan++at++sgi.com
Engineering Manager, OpenGL Performer                    1-650-933-2160
Silicon Graphics                                     http://www.sgi.com

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