3Dlabs Supports Microsoft's Direct3D on GLINT and PERMEDIA 3D Processor Chips; GLINT and PERMEDIA provide complete Direct3D acceleration; Optimized Direct3D drivers already available for 3Dlabs silicon.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--February 29, 1996--3Dlabs(R) Inc. today announced that the company's GLINT(R) and PERMEDIA(tm) 3D graphics accelerator chips fully accelerate and support the new Direct3D(tm) Application Programming Interface (API) from Microsoft(R). 3Dlabs has worked closely with Microsoft, and optimized Direct3D drivers for 3Dlabs' silicon are available on the beta release of Microsoft's Direct3D SDK. Both GLINT and PERMEDIA provide complete and seamless acceleration of Direct3D, enabling new levels of 3D performance on the Windows(R) platform.

Direct3D is a member of the DirectX API family, which Microsoft developed to bring real-time 3D to Windows 95. Direct3D consists of integrated retained-mode and immediate mode APIs, which can be used together and enable transparent access to 3D hardware acceleration. Direct3D will be used by application developers needing a low-level API closely matched to the capabilities of 3D accelerator silicon, including games developers who need high performance, real-time 3D graphics in the Windows 95 environment.

3Dlabs will make its highly-optimized Direct3D drivers available free-of-charge to all its chip-level customers, enabling them to immediately support the new API. 3Dlabs' Direct3D driver development will ensure that any board or system vendor using 3Dlabs' silicon will be able to supply seamless support for any Direct3D-based application. 3Dlabs will also be working closely with Creative Labs to provide high-performance Direct3D drivers for Creative's new 3D Blaster(tm), which is based on customized silicon designed by 3Dlabs. "We are pleased that 3Dlabs is developing the GLINT and PERMEDIA chip families to accelerate Direct 3D on Windows 95 and Windows NT," said Brad Chase, general manager, Internet platform and tools division, Microsoft Corporation. "We believe that such hardware will provide the performance that consumers will demand on the Windows platform for games and the increasing number of pervasive 3D applications."

"Direct3D is the 3D API that will catalyze the consumer market for 3D graphics on the Windows platform," said Osman Kent, president of 3Dlabs. "We have targeted our PERMEDIA family of chips to provide unmatched Direct3D silicon acceleration that is extremely affordable. We look forward to working with Microsoft to play our part in enabling high-performance 3D acceleration as a pervasive and commonplace aspect of the Windows desktop."

Technical Information

GLINT and PERMEDIA are the two complementary 3D processor families from 3Dlabs. GLINT enables VRAM-based, workstation-class graphics with support for high-resolution displays at 32 bit color and Z, and is used in PC boards aimed at the graphics professional. PERMEDIA is designed for the pervasive consumer market and brings no-compromise 2D, VGA and video acceleration with world-class 3D performance to low-cost graphics boards.

PERMEDIA generates 25 million texture-mapped pixels-per-second with high quality, true per-pixel perspective correction and full bi-linear filtering. PERMEDIA's well-balanced 3D capabilities also include rendering 500,000 50 pixel triangles-per-second with Gouraud shading, Z-buffering, fogging, blending, anti-aliasing, translucency and stenciling enabled. PERMEDIA contains a compact and highly optimized unified graphics engine, re-architected using technology developed for 3Dlabs' GLINT workstation-class graphics processors.

Both GLINT and PERMEDIA provide 100% of the pixel processing functionality needed by both Microsoft 3D APIs - Direct3D and OpenGL(R). This ensures that boards using GLINT and PERMEDIA seamlessly provide consistent and robust acceleration for any application using those APIs.

Company Information

3Dlabs is a worldwide supplier of merchant chips, software and core technology for 3D graphics. With over 10 years experience in 3D graphics, the company's products enable chip, board and system manufacturers to integrate advanced 3D capabilities into their products for such applications as multimedia authoring, CAD, simulation, virtual reality, interactive TV and video games. 3Dlabs has consistently led the industry in being first to deliver successive generations of 3D devices that precisely meet the emerging needs of the 3D market. In a recent article the company was positioned as the "First member of the next generation of chip companies," by the influential Red Herring magazine. In January 1996, 3Dlabs' GLINT and PERMEDIA silicon were honored with a First Place Computer Graphics World Editor's Choice Award for outstanding innovation. 3Dlabs Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, CA., was founded in April 1994, and is privately owned. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: 3Dlabs and GLINT are registered trademarks and PERMEDIA is a trademark of 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd. Microsoft, Windows Direct3D, DirectDraw are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. Blaster and 3D Blaster are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. All other trademarks are acknowledged and recognized.

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