3DLABS DEBUTS WILDCAT VP PROGRAMMABLE GRAPHICS ACCELERATORS.3Dlabs AE, Inc. Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CREAF CREAF Creative Technology Ltd (stock symbol) CREAF Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals ), has debuted the Wildcat=AE VP family of workstation-class graphics accelerators. Wildcat VP uses 3Dlabs' ground-breaking Visual Processing Architecture to integrate over 200 32-bit processors into a single Visual Processing Unit (VPU VPU Video Processing Unit VPU Vice Presidential Unit (World Bank) VPU Vicaría Pastoral Universitaria (Santiago, Chile) VPU Vulnerable Prisoner Unit (UK) ) for a staggering 170 Gflops and over 1.2 TeraOps of programmable power. Wildcat VP's power and flexibility provide industrial-strength 2D and 3D performance, quality and functionality for OpenGL=AE and Direct3D=AE applications. Additionally, Wildcat VPs genuine programmability throughout the entire graphics pipeline provides a superset A group of commands or functions that exceed the capabilities of the original specification. Software or hardware components designed for the original specification will also operate with the superset product. However, components designed for the superset will not work with the original. of traditional graphics processor functionality and is a step towards interactive RenderMan=AE-class rendering. Wildcat VP supports the emerging high-level shading languages, such as OpenGL 2.0, that extend the boundaries of interactive visual realism. Offered in three price/performance models, Wildcat VP graphics accelerators will be made available through leading distributors and systems integrators. "By drawing on years of accumulated expertise in professional graphics technologies, 3Dlabs is redefining real-time graphics on the PC workstation", said Hock hock: see wine. Leow, CTO (Chief Technical Officer) The executive responsible for the technical direction of an organization. See CIO and salary survey. of Creative Technology and president of 3Dlabs. "Wildcat VP not only offers the unique blend of affordability, performance and reliability needed for today's professional applications, but also delivers industry-leading programmability to accelerate a new class of software-intensive rendering techniques that are far beyond the reach of traditional polygon and texture graphics hardware pipelines." The Visual Processing Revolution Wildcat VP delivers workstation-level graphics capabilities that leapfrog those of other products in its class by combining best-of-class support for traditional professional applications with ground- breaking programmability. Wildcat VP sets the standard for traditional mid-range workstation graphic s by providing: the flexibility to rapidly deliver the latest OpenGL and Direct3D API functionality, programmable anti-aliasing and texture filters, dual 10-bit DACs for flawless color representation and twice the memory buswidth, twice the number of simultaneous textures, twice the number of vertex processors and twice the multisampling capability compared to its nearest competitor. Wildcat VP also adapts many proven CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. architectural techniques to deliver outstanding system performance and flexibility. Wildcat VP's innovative fast task-switching capability provides the power of multiple dedicated graphics engines; designers can move seamlessly among numerous graphics windows for a highly productive workflow, using multiple virtual VPUs. The highly innovative 16GB virtual memory subsystem of Wildcat VP shatters the limitation of on-board memory by automatically handling huge datasets, while caching essential data for fastest access. The Wildcat VPUs are the industry's first graphics processors that are programmable from high-order surfaces through to anti-aliased framebuffer pixels with highly efficient SIMD (Single Instruction stream Multiple Data stream) A computer that performs one operation on multiple sets of data. It is typically used to add or multiply eight or more sets of numbers at the same time for multimedia encoding and rendering as well as scientific scalar processor arrays replacing hardwired logic and inflexible register-combiners at critical sections in a highly optimized graphics pipeline. This programmability enables acceleration of non-traditional algorithms such as wavelet-based decompression, ray-tracing engines and RenderMan-like photo-realistic renderers. Programmability is a key driver of workstation graphics, because it allows application developers to differentiate their applications with personalized effects and stylized styl·ize tr.v. styl·ized, styl·iz·ing, styl·iz·es 1. To restrict or make conform to a particular style. 2. To represent conventionally; conventionalize. characters," said Kara Yokley, workstation research manager at IDC. "By placing a high priority on programmability, 3Dlabs aims to ensure that the Wildcat line will continue to be an aggressive competitor in today's and tomorrow's workstation graphics marketplace. The new Wildcat VP presents us with an opportunity to implement advanced shading techniques that can considerably improve both image quality and rendering speed," said Karel Zuiderveld, director of advanced technology at Vital Images, Inc. "Wildcat VP offers the first PC graphics chip with enough programming flexibility to allow us to move our rendering technology from CPUs to VPUs. Three Wildcat VP Models Wildcat VP comes in three price/performance models that support most AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) A high-speed 32-bit port from Intel for attaching a display adapter to a PC. It provides a direct connection between the card and memory, and only one AGP slot is on the motherboard. 4X -based workstations running Windows=AE XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 98/Me. About 3Dlabs 3Dlabs, a Creative Company, supplies graphics accelerator solutions to a broad range of professionals including the Computer Aided Design (application) Computer Aided Design - (CAD) The part of CAE concerning the drawing or physical layout steps of engineering design. Often found in the phrase "CAD/CAM" for ".. manufacturing". (CAD), Digital Content Creation The development of newsworthy, educational and entertainment material for distribution over the Internet or other electronic media. See DAMS. (DCC (1) (Direct Cable Connection) A Windows 95/98 feature that allows PCs to be cabled together for data transfer. DCC actually sets up a network connection between the two machines. ), and visual simulation markets. Its Oxygen=AE and Wildcat graphics are available in the industry's leading OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and workstations, to the channel through an international distributor/reseller network, and directly to end-users at 3Dlabs' online store. About Creative Creative is a provider of digital entertainment products for users of the personal computer and the Internet. Famous for its Sound Blaster=AE sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed NOMAD=AE Jukebox. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment -- anytime, anywhere. 3Dlabs can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.3dlabs.com/. For more information, call +44-(0)1905-726782 or 408/546-6773. |
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