Re: viAPI
Angus Dorbie (dorbie++at++sgi.com)
Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:22:10 -0700
Alejandro Saez wrote:
>
> On Jul 27, 4:30pm, Angus Dorbie wrote:
> > Subject: Re: viAPI
> >
> > [ plain text
> > Encoded with "quoted-printable" ] :
> Alejandro Saez wrote:
> > >
> > > On Jul 27, 10:44am, Jeff Minor wrote:
> > > > Subject: Re: viAPI
> > > > I talked to Robert Grzeszczuk of SGI at SIGGRAPH. He said that OpenGL
> > > > Volumizer should theoretically work with Performer but it has not yet
> > > > been tried as far as he knows. I guess we'll be the guinea pigs. Please
> > > > let me know if you have any luck and I'll do likewise.
> > > >
> > > > Jeff
> > > >
> > > > Angus Dorbie wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Ballard Andrews; (4/28/98) wrote:
> > > > > >> > > Is there a Performer wrapper for the
> > > > > > new volume API?
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > from SGI's press release on vAPI:
> > > "OpenGL Volumizer is a high-level immediate mode tool kit which
> > > applications can directly access, or can leverage through their own
> internal
> > > scene graph or scene graph APIs such as Silicon Graphics® OpenInventorTM,
> > > OpenGL OptimizerTM, IRIS PerformerTM, and the future "Fahrenheit" project
> > > scene graph"
> > >
> > > So what's the deal, sales talking a bit too much again?????
> > >
> >
> > No, if you look at the original quastion it asked if there was
> > a wrapper. There isn't, and the question was answered with a 'no'.
> > That won't preclude you from calling the API just like you are
> > free to call OpenGL today, but a wrapper there is not, and won't
> > be.
> >
> > Volumizer is a very different and well designed way of
> > abstracting your volume dataset which closely matches
> > the OpenGL paradigm of rendering polygons with their
> > associated state information. With volumizer you render
> > volumes with associated state including 3D data images. The
> > lower level business of rendering slices or whatever other
> > hardware mechanism the machine supports is hidden. Once you
> > understand this you will realize that there is no conflict
> > in the claims being made.
> >
> > Cheers,Angus.
> I'm not so sure about the point being that clear, let me write the press
> release again and take off the "your own scene graph" , then it reads:
> "...which applications can directly access or can leverage through IRIS
> PerformerTM". Of course the meaning of "leverage through" is somewhat open to
> personal interpretation but it sounded to me like it was talking about an easy
> way to get to it through Performer (a wrapper). I receive your e-mail as
> clarification on the meaning on "leverage through", thanx.
There is an easy way to get to it, you call it, why introduce a
wrapper you have to learn.
SGI is trying to provide great tools for developers and any attempt
to mislead would evaporate at the first reading of technical
information.
There is no Performer wrapper and there are no plans for one.
Since you can benefit from the great features of Performer and call
OpenGL volumizer & mix a Performer scene graph with the data rendered
using OpenGL volumizer and each API has been designed for this to
work it's fair to use the term leverage. The information presented
seems as accurate to me as any single sentence on the relationship
between 2 APIs can be.
If it wasn't clear before hopefully it's at least be clear now.
Cheers,Angus.
--
"Only the mediocre are always at their best." -- Jean Giraudoux
For advanced 3D graphics Performer + OpenGL based examples and tutors:
http://www.dorbie.com/
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on Mon Aug 10 1998 - 17:57:45 PDT