HP enhances PEX and Starbase 3-D graphics software capabilities; HP adopts OpenGL Technology into its graphics portfolio.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 1995-- Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that it has enhanced its PEX and Starbase 3-D graphics software.

HP also said that it has adopted OpenGL(R) technology into its graphics portfolio, which now includes PEX, Starbase and OpenGL.

HP also said it plans to apply for membership in the OpenGL Architectural Review Board at the Sept. 11 board meeting. These announcements expand HP's 3-D graphics program and strengthen its workstation-market-leadership position in the development, deployment and support for industry-standard graphics application programming interfaces (APIs).

"HP's 3-D graphics business has realized a compound annual growth rate of more than 70 percent since 1991 because of our commitment to providing innovative graphics technology and our support of industry standards," said Mark A. Canepa, general manager for HP's Workstation Systems Division. "The addition of OpenGL complements HP's leading 3-D software offerings -- PEX, PHIGS and Starbase. Today's enhancements to PEX and Starbase reaffirm our commitment to these APIs and give HP the widest range of graphics API solutions."

ENHANCEMENTS TO PEX AND STARBASE

PEX has been enhanced with a new output command context (OCC) interface that simplifies the output command function calls. The OCC interface also alleviates the need to convert graphical data to the rigid ordered and packed format, which is defined by PEX 5.1. Expanded structure permissions, as well as the OCC interface, provide new and easy avenues to improve performance of existing applications. Newly exposed controls to the Z-buffer, plane masking and the drawing function provide developers with direct access to HP VISUALIZE graphics hardware. These enhancements improve application developers' programming options and increase the rendering performance of complex 3-D models.

Starbase has been enhanced to include full-featured texture and environment mapping. Customers now can apply multiple mip-mapped textures to polygonal surfaces easily with a wide variety of controls and utilities. This suite of capabilities leverages the industry-leading performance of HP VISUALIZE-48 hardware texture-mapping option.

These enhancements to PEX and Starbase are in response to requests from application developers, as well as HP customers. Application developers in the industry's largest 3-D market -- mechanical-engineering design and analysis -- and other markets, remain committed to developing applications based on PEX and Starbase on HP's technical computing systems. PEX and Starbase continue to provide the performance, product quality and long-term compatibility that meet developers' application needs. HP's Complete Solution for the Next Generation: OpenGL Joins PEX and Starbase

The addition of OpenGL to HP's graphics software portfolio is a component of HP's standards-based technical computing strategy. To help facilitate this addition, HP has acquired an OpenGL license. OpenGL has been adopted by several workstation vendors and now is gaining broad acceptance in newer 3-D markets such as advanced visualization, simulation and animation. HP is making inroads in these emerging markets while continuing to lead traditional engineering markets. HP expects to see the industry trend for GL applications continue to move to OpenGL.

"By adding OpenGL to our graphics API portfolio, HP strengthens and broadens its solutions for new market opportunities such as the digital studio market," said Canepa. "Our customers' needs are a top priority for us at HP, and we hope to be a part of the team to help make future enhancements to OpenGL. OpenGL is an evolving API in the industry; we want to provide input to help its development over the next few years as we anticipate those improvements. We are excited about the opportunity and are applying for membership in the OpenGL Architecture Review Board on Sept. 11 with the best interests of our customers in mind."

HP VISUALIZE graphics workstation solutions announced in June continue to lead the industry in performance and price/performance. HP VISUALIZE Distributed Graphics Architecture adds PA-RISC(1)-based geometry accelerators on the graphics board to operate in parallel with the PA-RISC-based CPU for significant boosts in 3-D rendering speed and true distributed graphics processing. This integrated system design provides high-performance, scaleable graphics products that are currently available and shipping to customers today.

HP is the second-largest computer supplier in the United States, with computer-related revenue of $19.6 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 99,900 employees and had revenue of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year. -0- Note to Editors: PA-RISC stands for Precision Architecture-reduced-instruction-set computing. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

CONTACT: Hewlett-Packard Co.

Heidi Sullivan, 508/436-5096

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Copithorne & Bellows for HP

Tim Hurley, 617/252-0606