Sharon Clay (src++at++rose.asd.sgi.com)
Fri, 26 Apr 1996 18:24:21 -0700
IRIS Performer 2.1 is now available for shipping to run on
an InfiniteReality near you!
New features in IRIS Performer2.1 for InfiniteReality include:
o Clip-mapping for texturing like you've never textured before!
You can have MIPmapped geospecific textures of size up to
32768x32768 (will get even bigger in the future) and let IRIS Performer
manage the texture paging automatically for you while you
traverse your database in real time.
This uses special texturing capabilities in InfiniteReality.
o Dynamic video resizing for dynamic resolution
Finally, a real way to manage overload due to fill limitations.
InfiniteReality allows for the resolution of an output channel
to be changed dynamically in real time. This allows fill-limited
application to draw to a smaller viewport as load increases.
IRIS Performer will manage the details, as well as provide automatic
and user-controlled load management utilities.
o Graphics timing from within the graphics pipeline using special
InfiniteReality timing support for better real-time load management
o Active surface definition applied to smooth LOD morphing of terrain
Tired of drawing tons of sub-pixel polygons at your horizon?
IRIS Performer2.1 allows you to define very large terrain areas with
levels of detail and will smoothly transition between levels based on
a variety of possible default or user-defined parameters and functions.
o Fast database loader
The new libpfpfb database loader (and writer) will let you convert your
databases to this new fast-loading .pfb format.
We have released this new version of IRIS Performer specifically
for those applications using the new features of InfiniteReality.
To be able to have this product available with the introduction
of InfiniteReality, we have focused our attention for this release
on that platform. Therefore, 2.1 is only intended to run on IRIX6.2
and on InfiniteReality. However, utilities that do not require an
InfiniteReality, namely the fast database loader and the adaptive
terrain library, are being made available through other mechanisms:
o our ftp site
o patch upgrades for 2.0 that will be announced soon.
We hope that this will address everyone's current needs and
will further enable you to new heights of high performance graphics!
Sincerely
The IRIS Performer Team
Read on for ordering information!
Product Codes and Prices:
-------------------------
SC4-PERF-2.1 - $1265.00
IRIS Performer 2.1 Software
Includes a CD and online documentation (reference pages and book)
M4-PERF-2.0 - $230.00
IRIS Performer 2.0 Documentation Only (the book has not changed for 2.1)
Includes a Programmer's Guide (600 Pages)
Includes C and C++ Man Pages (700+ Pages each)
(Need extra printed documentation sets?)
SR4-PERF-2.1 - $295.00
IRIS Performer 2.1 Right To Use
For people who need to run performer on multiple development stations
but don't require a CD and Manuals for each one. (This is for
the second through Nth copies, not the first)
Upgrade Policies:
-----------------
If you have a software support contract with SGI's Global
Customer Satisfaction Division (previously known as CSD)
and have previously bought a copy of IRIS Performer,
than you can an order a copy of IRIS Performer2.1 at no charge.
However, you do have to call and order it so here is the number:
800-800-4SGI (upgrades)
Note that the basic product does not include the manuals.
These manuals will be the same as the 2.0 manuals so you may
not need them if you already have 2.0.
New Purchases:
--------------
If you are buying an InfiniteReality and have not previously bought
a copy of IRIS Performer, or, do not have a support contract,
you can purchase your copy of 2.1 through tele-sales at
1-800-800-7441 (new purchases)
or through your sales representative.
Note that printed manuals are ordered separately.
We also recommend that you get a support contract so that we can
easily update you with new versions!
Overview of IRIS Performer2.1:
------------------------------
IRIS Performer provides a powerful and extensible programming
interface for creating real-time visual simulation and other
interactive graphics applications.
IRIS Performer 2.1 is designed to bring out the best of the
Onyx/InfiniteReality (iR) system. It does this by providing direct
support for advanced features of the iR, such as very large MIP-map
textures (up to 32768x32768) for geospecific texture (called
Clip-mapped textures), dynamic video resolution to control pixel
rendering load, active surface definitions for efficient meshing and
morphing, graphics pipeline instrumentation for tuning and optimization,
fast database loading, and other iR advances. IRIS Performer 2.1 is based
on the industry standard OpenGL graphics library and combines with the
IRIX 6.2 64-bit operating system and its REACT extensions to form a
uniquely powerful suite of tools and features for creating real-time
visual simulation applications.
IRIS Performer consists of two main libraries, libpf and libpr,
and four associated libraries, libpfdu, libpfui,
libpfutil, and the new libpfs, as well as numerous database loader
libraries, including the new fast loading libpfpfb.
The basis of IRIS Performer is the performance rendering library
libpr, a low level library providing high speed rendering
functions based on pfGeoSets, efficient graphics state control
using pfGeoStates, and other application-neutral functions.
Layered above libpr is libpf, a real-time visual simulation
environment providing a high-performance multi-processing
database rendering system that takes best advantage of IRIS
symmetric multiprocessing CPU hardware.
The new Active Surface Definition library, libpfs,
contains support for active surface definitions, an advanced
method of defining, reconstructing, and displaying geometric objects
with variable resolution. One use of this support is in large-area
terrain rendering where the hierarchical level of detail nature and
user directed morphing allow high-quality visualization with selectable
polygon density. This library has both a C and C++ API and is IRIS GL/OpenGL
independent.
The database utility library, libpfdu, provides powerful
functions for defining both geometric and appearance attributes
of three dimensional objects, encourages sharing of state and
materials and generates efficient triangle strips from
independent polygonal input.
The libpfui library contains user interface building blocks
for creating manipulators and user-interface components common to
many interactive applications. This library has both a C and C++
API and is IRIS GL/OpenGL independent.
Completing the suite of support libraries is libpfutil, the IRIS
Performer utility library. It provides a collection of
convenience routines implementing tasks such as smoke effects,
MultiChannel Option support, graphical user interface tools, X
and IRIS GL event collection and management, and traversal
functions. Added for 2.1 are utilities for loading and viewing
databases with Clip-mapped textures and sample routines to create and
read active surface definition data structures.
The database libraries use the facilities of libpfdu,
libpf, and libpr to import database files in many popular
industry standard database formats. These loaders also serve as
a guide to developers creating new database importers.
The PFA and PFB formats can read and write any valid Performer scene graph
and the binary PFB format loads geometry are rates exceeding 150000
triangles per second, up to two orders of magnitude faster than many
of the other loaders. IRIS Performer2.1 also supports the addition
of loader-independent DSOs that contain database operators that operate on
files after they are loaded. These operators are currently used for
applying Clip-mapping to generic databases.
For aid in application development, IRIS Performer includes
sample application source code ranging from simple programs to
illustrate particular features to the comprehensive, GUI-driven
file viewer perfly.
IRIS Performer2.1 also includes demos (with source code) of Clip-mapping
and active surface definition terrain.
Getting More Information:
-------------------------
For further information, check out the IRIS Performer WWW Page
in SiliconSurf. The URL is:
http://www.sgi.com/Technology/Performer.html
Be sure to check out the gift source code as we update these periodically
with new-improved versions and bug fixes.
You can also contact our product marketing manger:
Larry McDonough, lardog++at++asd.sgi.com, (415) 933-6165
and me:
Sharon Rose Clay, src++at++asd.sgi.com, (415) 933 - 1002
-----{-----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++
Sharon Rose Clay (Fischler) - Silicon Graphics, Advanced Systems Dev.
src++at++sgi.com (415) 933 - 1002 FAX: (415) 965 - 2658 MS 8U-590
-----{-----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++ -----{----{---++at++
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Mon Aug 10 1998 - 17:52:46 PDT