AccelGraphics, Inc. Announces Immediate Availability of AG300 High-Performance 3D Graphics Accelerator for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Designer; AccelGraphics delivers optimized 3D software "AccelView" for the AG300 delivers up to 10x the rendering performance of any graphics card on the market! Now shipping!

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 1995--AccelGraphics Inc. today announced the immediate availability of the AG300 3D Graphics Accelerator for Autodesk's AutoCAD, specifically targeted at users of AutoCAD Designer.

Bundled with the AG300 is "AccelView," an optimized driver which provides specialized features for 3D design and modeling, such as the ability to render and dynamically manipulate AutoCAD Designer models without meshing, as well as dynamically manipulating models in both their shaded and wireframe representations. This new optimized 3D acceleration technology delivers over 10x the performance of any other product on the market when used with AutoCAD Designer.

"AccelGraphics took an innovative approach to delivering value to users of AutoCAD Designer. Rather than simply developing a generic AutoCAD driver that would allow you to spin around pretty shaded models like the rest of the pack, we focused on making the AG300 a design tool that makes the designer or engineer more productive," said Greg Milliken, vice president of marketing for AccelGraphics. "By eliminating the meshing process with AutoCAD Designer for high-speed visualization and coupling that with dynamic manipulation of true wireframe and shaded models, we've given the designer a productivity tool that can't be touched by any other product on the market."

"PC-based 3D graphics will greatly enhance the success of Autodesk's mechanical products and features offered by the AccelGraphics' AG300, like high-speed rendering and dynamic manipulation of models, deliver significant value to our customers," said Ken Spenser, Autodesk's Director of Mechanical Marketing.

AccelGraphics, Inc. will be offering the solutions directly to resellers worldwide. The goal is to offer customers easy access to the highest performance solution in the industry for Autodesk's mechanical products.

"AccelGraphics knew early on that 3D computer-aided-design would move to the PC desktop," said Jim Moss, vice president of sales and marketing for Applied Software Technology Inc. "AccelGraphics' optimized AutoCAD driver software and high-performance AG300 hardware brings a level of functionality that was previously available only by purchasing an expensive UNIX workstation. AccelGraphics brought this technology down to the PC because customers have asked for this type of alternative."

AccelGraphics eliminated the last barrier to using a standard PC for high-end 3D applications in a production environment by offering 3D graphics performance previously available only from expensive, high-end UNIX workstations. By specifically targeting the leading 3D mechanical software applications and tuning its own driver software to get the best performance possible with these applications, AccelGraphics delivers a powerful and unique hardware and software solution to the large and growing 3D mechanical CAD market.

The AG300's powerful graphics processor is capable of up to 205K Gouraud shaded triangles per second and up to 1 million 3D vectors per second. Furthermore, the AG300's innovative architecture allows performance to scale with the power of the main CPU, directly leveraging Intel's strategy to offer "Overdrive(TM)" processor upgrades to Pentium-based platforms. Faster processors deliver proportionately faster graphics performance, lengthening the useful life of the AG300 and providing investment protection in the rapidly changing computer industry.

The AG300 from AccelGraphics paves the way for a family of graphics accelerators targeted at professional 3D markets. Its highly optimized 3D pipeline provides affordable, high-performance graphics using the growing OpenGL standard supported by Microsoft Corporation, initially with Windows NT, but growing with the support of OpenGL in Windows 95 (Chicago) later this year.

About the company

AccelGraphics, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets high-performance three-dimensional (3D) graphics and image processing accelerators for computer-aided design and engineering and other technical markets. Sales distribution is managed through select VARs, OEMs and technical distributors with expertise in these target markets. AccelGraphics' 3D graphics accelerators enable technical professionals to visualize 3D data such as designs and models of mechanical parts and assemblies quickly and interactively, thereby dramatically enhancing user productivity when using 3D applications. The ActionGraphics line of higher-performance 3D graphics accelerators deliver high-end workstation graphics performance on platforms supporting the standard, high-bandwidth PCI bus. Supported systems include those based on Intel Corporation's Pentium processors and other high-performance processors including DEC's Alpha AXP(TM), MIPS(TM) and PowerPC(TM).

AccelGraphics Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and can be reached at 800/444-5699. -0-

Note to Editors: AccelGraphics, ActionGraphics and AG300 are trademarks of AccelGraphics Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

CONTACT: AccelGraphics, Inc.

Greg Milliken, 800/444-5699