Michael Jones (mtj++at++isdn-celeste.corp.sgi.com)
Sun, 25 Aug 1996 11:00:45 -0700
1. Demos always do the best within a limited scope. The much
appreciated SIGGRAPH demo by CA&D was real: it produced all
of bump mapping, glow effects, glare effects, per-pixel
phong shading, multiple reflections (video->column->floor->
eye), environment mapping, and live video download (multiple
streams!) at a sustained 60Hz update rate. *Many* of our
virtual set ISV's and end users (network broadcasters) were
able to say: "that room is exactly what I want to do in my
application!" We even had one of our well-known (mechanical
CAD) customers say: "I want to do that in my [much bigger]
application and I'll pay to make it happen. What do I buy?"
-- and I assure you that I had a ready answer!
This is what demos are for, to demonstrate possibilities.
There is no implied promise that you can have all of the
demonstrated abilities in every application context.
2. As it happens, we do have some very interesting work that
has been underway for some time involving Phong shading.
Unfortunately, we can't talk about it just yet, but I do
believe that the situation may soon be happier than some
expect. (for example, we were going to show a bump-mapped
full speed Performer town at SIGGRAPH but ran out of time
to get the demo completed due to Performer 2.2 development
schedule pressures.) Don't forget that a two-pass technique
on iR does not need to run at half speed, it can often run
at full speed with 0.707 the resolution in X and 0.707 in
Y due to Dynamic Video Resolution.
If you know how to read between the lines, you should be
looking toward to the future with optimism.
3. I completely disagree with Steve Baker of Hughes Training
when he writes:
"It also makes me look incompetant because I can't
do bump mapping in my simulations "but SGI can"
using the same hardware."
There is nothing that could make Steve look incompetent!
Every time I talk with him, I learn something new, and his
work, HTI's RightView and the UTD program that uses it is
in the Performer Hall of Fame. Steve, O god of Stargazer,
you need never fear such judgements from the informed.
(Though you do seem a bit testy sometimes ;-) Just let
people know that CA&D's awesome demo room is a single room
and not the huge flight simulation gaming area you must
deliver. They will understand.
Michael
Be seeing you, Phone:415.390.1455 Fax:415.965.2658 M/S:8U-590
Michael T. Jones Silicon Graphics, Advanced Graphics Division
mtj++at++sgi.com 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mtn. View, CA 94039-7311
"Competition is a by-product of productive work, not its goal. A
creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire
to beat others." -Ayn Rand
=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP: http://www.sgi.com/Technology/Performer/
Submissions: info-performer++at++sgi.com
Admin. requests: info-performer-request++at++sgi.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Mon Aug 10 1998 - 17:53:25 PDT