Intergraph Releases RenderGL Version 2.0 -- Major 3D Animation Software Vendors Announce Support.LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 1997-- New RenderGL 2.0 offers speed enhancements, additional photorealistic Having the image quality of a photograph. rendering features. Intergraph Computer Systems today announced the release of RenderGL 2.0, the latest version of Intergraph's open graphics library of rendering APIs. Introduced at Siggraph '96, RenderGL has steadily gathered industry momentum, resulting in this year's adoption by Kinetix(TM), Softimage, NewTek, and Nichimen Graphics. These 3D animation industry leaders will support RenderGL in popular 3D animation programs such as 3D Studio MAX(TM), Softimage 3D : Softimage|3D was a high-end 3D graphics application developed by Softimage, Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. , LightWave 3D, and a new game development application from Nichimen Graphics entitled Fast-Track. For animators using these applications, RenderGL enables photorealistic rendering of complex images at up to fifty times the rendering speed of software only renderers, significantly reducing production costs and enhancing creative feedback when modeling and animating. Additionally, Intergraph announced that IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) has signed a licensing agreement to include RenderGL 2.0 on IBM IntelliStation The IBM IntelliStation workstation class personal computer was announced March 1997 as the follow-on to the IBM PC Series 360 and 365. In February 2002 POWER processor based workstations, which where previously sold directly under the eServer pSeries brand, where also placed under (TM) Z Pro workstations using Intergraph's award-winning OpenGL(R) Intense 3D Pro 1000-T graphics accelerator A display adapter that performs a specialized set of graphics functions to render an image on screen. Today, all display adapters provide basic rendering functions in hardware, but many have graphics processing units (GPUs) that are sophisticated computers. . IBM's adoption further indicates broad market acceptance of Intergraph's graphics technology. (See separate release, April 7). RenderGL 2.0 can be incorporated into any 3D animation software package to provide significant increases in rendering speeds, allowing 3D animators to work in a more photorealistic environment with accelerated preview. RenderGL 2.0 uses OpenGL to accelerate a software rendering Performing the computations necessary to construct output for the printer or screen by following instructions in a program routine. Contrast with hardware rendering. See render. application. Features such as Phong shading In 3D graphics, a technique developed by Phong Bui-Tuong in the mid-1970s that computes a shaded surface based on the color and illumination at each pixel. Phong shading is more realistic than Gouraud shading, but requires more computation. It does not produce shadows or reflections. , bump maps and procedural textures are accelerated with RenderGL. In addition, RenderGL 2.0 offers speed enhancements and a range of new features, including ray tracing A rendering method that simulates light reflections, refractions and shadows. It follows a light path from a specific source and computes each pixel in the image to simulate the effect of the light. It is a very process-intensive operation. See reflection mapping and radiosity. (reflections and transparency), "quick" transparency, additional lighting realism and reflective textures. "When we announced RenderGL 1.0 at Siggraph '96, some people thought it was too good to be true," said Jeff Edson, vice president, Digital Media Division, Intergraph Computer Systems. "But seeing is believing Seeing is believing is an idiom first recorded in this form in 1639 that means "only physical or concrete evidence is convincing".[1] Seeing is Believing may refer to:
Major 3D Animation Software Vendors Applaud RenderGL The industry's leading 3D animation software vendors praised the release of Intergraph's RenderGL 2.0: Brad Peebler, director of product development, NewTek: "As the first in the industry to incorporate Intergraph's RenderGL, we at NewTek are well aware of the extraordinary acceleration in rendering speeds that RenderGL provides. RenderGL will be integrated into our upcoming LightWave 3D version 5.5, so LightWave 3D users can enjoy the benefits of RenderGL's high-speed, photorealistic rendering as a standard feature." Daniel Langlois Daniel Langlois is the president and founder of the Daniel Langlois Foundation, Ex-Centris, and Media Principia Inc.[1]. Daniel Langlois also founded Softimage Inc., serving as its president and chief technology officer from November 1986 to July 1998. , founder of Softimage: "Intergraph's RenderGL takes full advantage of the low-level, extensible plug-in architecture of Softimage 3D. Because of its direct access to the rendering pipeline of Softimage 3D, RenderGL achieves performance equal to that of core Softimage 3D features. Softimage customers using Intergraph 3D graphics workstations will be amazed at the speed and quality of RenderGL's rendering." Jim Guerard, director of product marketing, Kinetix: "As the pioneer of object oriented See object technology and object-oriented programming. plug-in architecture for the 3D content creation platform, Kinetix with Intergraph's RenderGL is once again able to offer customers an easy path to further expand and enhance 3D Studio MAX's capabilities. Kinetix is impressed by the ability of Intergraph's RenderGL to greatly accelerate rendering speeds, as well as its ability to provide photorealistic rendering effects. 3D Studio MAX users can look forward to future versions of 3D Studio MAX with full RenderGL functionality." Koichi Kobayashi Koichi Kobayashi (小林光一 Kobayashi Kōichi , president of Nichimen Graphics: "As the leading provider of game development software, we at Nichimen are keenly aware of the importance of quick preview and high-speed rendering when designing games. Intergraph's RenderGL fulfills that requirement very impressively. Nichimen plans to incorporate RenderGL in future releases of Fast-Track, our new modeling and paint program for Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. ." New Features of RenderGL 2.0 RenderGL 2.0 includes enhancements that increase RenderGL's rendering speeds by up to 50% over native software renderers, as well as real raytracing algorithms and a variety of new features that enhance photorealism photorealism, international art movement of the late 1960s and 70s that stressed the precise rendering of subject matter, often taken from actual photographs or painted with the aid of slides. , including: -- Raytracing: - reflections - transparency Benefit: RenderGL 2.0 now includes an optional raytracing algorithm. This option will allow animators to output images and animations to test additional portions of their modeling. Reflection and transparency enhances the rendering quality of RenderGL dramatically. Scenes that included optical elements that could not be accurately rendered in some animation packages, now can be rendered with new realizm. -- Textures -- ability to map multiple weighted textures to any of the following material properties: - diffuse color and intensity - specular spec·u·lar adj. Of, resembling, or produced by a mirror or speculum. spec  u·lar·ly adv.Adj. 1. color and intensity - ambient color and intensity - emission color and intensity - shininess - transparency - reflectivity re·flec·tiv·i·ty n. pl. re·flec·tiv·i·ties 1. The quality of being reflective. 2. The ability to reflect. 3. Benefit: These additional properties allow the animator to create textures on surfaces that include optical properties. With the combination of all of these, more realistic scenes can be rendered in less time. For example, rainy, muddy ground with puddles can now be created with texture and bump maps, rather than the time consuming task of generating surface geometry. -- Lighting: - polynomial polynomial, mathematical expression which is a finite sum, each term being a constant times a product of one or more variables raised to powers. With only one variable the general form of a polynomial is a0xn+a distance attenuation Loss of signal power in a transmission. Attenuation The reduction in level of a transmitted quantity as a function of a parameter, usually distance. It is applied mainly to acoustic or electromagnetic waves and is expressed as the ratio of power densities. Benefit: Additional lighting enhancements do not stop with ray tracing alone. RenderGL 2.0 now includes additional attenuation of light sources. This option allows animators to create scenes that include extremely realistic lighting. -- Support for multiple materials in a single smooth polymesh surface -- Quick transparency Benefit: Multiple materials in RenderGL 2.0 add the capability of simulating transparency and reflectiveness. Materials normally requiring ray tracing to accomplish realistic rendering can now be used freely in the model, and accurate images can be created quickly and easily. Pricing and Availability RenderGL 2.0 is free to users of Intergraph 3D graphics workstations with RealiZm graphics and as an option to end users of Intergraph's Intense 3D Pro1000 graphics. The Softimage 3D and 3D Studio MAX plug-in are available, for beta users, by contacting Intergraph's Digital Media Division at (205) 730-8532. NewTek's LightWave Version 5.5 will include the RenderGL 2.0 interface. The RenderGL 2.0 Software Development Kit is available immediately on the Intergraph Web site, http://www.intergraph.com/digitalmedia. For additional information, or for purchasing StudioZ products, customers can call 800-763-0242. Intergraph Background Information Intergraph Computer Systems is the world leader in 3D graphics technology, products, and services for Windows NT. Intergraph develops, manufactures, sells, and supports computer systems for the creative, technical, and business desktop as well as servers, networking, and interoperability products for IT solutions. Hardware products include Pentium/Pentium Pro/processors/Windows 95/Windows NT-based PCs, graphics workstations, and servers. A member of the Fortune 1000, Intergraph is the world's largest company dedicated to supplying interactive computer graphics systems. -0- Intergraph(R) is a registered trademark of Intergraph Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. EDITORS: For reader inquiries, please use 800-763-0242. Use of this number allows Intergraph to better serve your readers. We can also be reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.intergraph.com/digitalmedia . CONTACT: Intergraph Computer Systems Sharon Jordan Sharon Jordan (born March 11, 1960) is an American actress. One of her notable roles is Irene the concierge on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, a sitcom on the Disney Channel. Ms. , 205/730-1162, sljordan@ingr.com Aggie Frizzell, 205/730-6139, alfrizze@ingr.com |
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