terry@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov (Terry Fong) (05/03/91)
Some questions on 3D graphics and X: * Can anyone tell me if there are any useful libraries/widgets for doing 3D graphics in X (or is everyone waiting for PEX in X11R5)? * What are the advantages/disadvantages for using PEX with X versus, say, using Silicon Graphics' GL on an IRIS? * Is there a widget set that provides the functionality of GL? Any and all responses greatly welcomed! -terry -- _______________________________________________________________________________ "We are not going to be great. | Terry Fong, Intelligent Mech. Group We are not going to be amazing. | NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 244-4 We are going to be AMAZINGLY AMAZING!" | Moffett Field, California 94035-1000
rthomson@mesa.dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson) (05/03/91)
In article <12373@ptolemy-ri.ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov> terry@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov (Terry Fong) writes: >Some questions on 3D graphics and X: > >* Can anyone tell me if there are any useful libraries/widgets for doing 3D > graphics in X (or is everyone waiting for PEX in X11R5)? There's xgks, but I forget where you can FTP it from; somebody will probably pipe up about it. There is also a gks widget that is based on top of this, but I am not sure if it comes from the same people. I have written a simple widget toolkit for PEX programs that I will be sending to comp.sources.x soon. You get a PHIGS workstation widget, some convenience routines and a bunch of type converters for alot of the PHIGS datatypes so you can specify them in resources files. >* What are the advantages/disadvantages for using PEX with X versus, say, > using Silicon Graphics' GL on an IRIS? I've seen a "position paper" (read: marketing literature) from SGI on PHIGS/PEX, which amounts to "immediate mode is good and structures (i.e. PHIGS) are bad". What they fail to mention is that PEX also provides for immediate mode in the protocol. Wavefront's port to the DECstation uses both server-side structures and client-side structures (i.e. immediate mode). Jan Hardenbergh at Stardent is working on the API to the proposed immediate mode mechanism for PEX (PHIGS doesn't define immediate mode, but the PEX API allows for client-side structure store, which is basically immediate mode). I believe that PEXIM will be included in the R5 contributed software. The immediate-mode/structure argument is really moot as each has their strengths and weaknesses for network-based (i.e. X) applications. Currently SGI's GL leads in market share, but that may change because X is "free". Look what happened to proprietary window systems after X came on the scene. They've virtually all disappeared, or are cohabitating with X. >* Is there a widget set that provides the functionality of GL? I've never heard of one. If you look at the Xregistry file in the consortium tree, you'll notice that "XGL" and "GLX" are registered by SGI, though. From that one could infer (perhaps erroneously, I really don't know) that they are planning on releasing some kind of X-based GL product, but I can't read minds ;-}. -- Rich -- ``Read my MIPS -- no new VAXes!!'' -- George Bush after sniffing freon Disclaimer: I speak for myself, except as noted. UUCP: ...!uunet!dsd.es.com!rthomson Rich Thomson ARPA: rthomson@dsd.es.com PEXt Programmer