curtiss@truffula.umiacs.umd.edu (Phil J. Curtiss) (01/23/91)
I am engaged in a project where we will need to visualize a lot of data produced from some computational models of medical processes. I am not a graphics person so I am not sure how to specify what we will need exactly but, suffice it to say, that we are going to need a hi-res color workstation or a peripheral for a workstation (Sun Sparc, Dec DS5000) that is very fast at generating graphics. The workstation must also support X windows since the software for the modeling must be written in X (11r4). I suspect there are a few of you out there that are doing similar projects so I would appreciate any names of products and the companies that you think might be what we are looking for. Thanks in advance. -- Domain: curtiss@umiacs.umd.edu Phillip Curtiss UUCP: uunet!mimsy!curtiss UMIACS - Univ. of Maryland Phone: +1-301-405-6744 College Park, Md 20742
scheng@cs.utexas.edu (Sheila Cheng) (01/23/91)
If you are looking for fast graphics performance then you can't beat teh Silicon Graphics GTX and VGX series graphics engines. I always operate in their native mode so I dont know about the X side of things. As far as I know, the VGX engine is the fastest commercially available turn-key rendering system around.
okeefe@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Paul O'Keefe) (02/04/91)
In article <CURTISS.91Jan22140927@truffula.umiacs.umd.edu>, curtiss@truffula.umiacs.umd.edu (Phil J. Curtiss) writes: > I am engaged in a project where we will need to visualize a lot of data > produced from some computational models of medical processes. I am not a > graphics person so I am not sure how to specify what we will need exactly > but, suffice it to say, that we are going to need a hi-res color workstation > or a peripheral for a workstation (Sun Sparc, Dec DS5000) that is very fast at > generating graphics. The workstation must also support X windows since the > software for the modeling must be written in X (11r4). > In article <649@rodan.cs.utexas.edu>, scheng@cs.utexas.edu (Sheila Cheng) writes: > If you are looking for fast graphics performance then you can't > beat teh Silicon Graphics GTX and VGX series graphics engines. I > always operate in their native mode so I dont know about the X > side of things. As far as I know, the VGX engine is the fastest > commercially available turn-key rendering system around. I agree that SGI makes the best graphics workstation bar none, however, as with driving a Mercedes Benz, you PAY for the privilege. So, I guess the decision comes down to what you need and what you can afford. If one needs to interactively manipulate a volume rendering of a 256x256x256 data set, then don't hesitate to plunk down $250k on a high end Silicon Graphics VGX machine. Of course, you'll have to program it in SGI native graphics environment GL and DGL (distributed graphics library) in order to make use of that expensive graphics engine. And ofcourse, SGI will charge extra for alot of the system software that they consider optional, like NFS and X11. Also, SGI's standard university discount is 35% and unless Maryland is a major SGI customer you're not going to get them to go any lower. However, in reading Phil Curtiss's article, I get the impression that this is not what he's after. First, he mentions that their going to program in X11. X11 is a waste on an SGI (it's like using your $50K Mercedes Benz to deliver pizzas). Also, he mentions the SPARCstation and DEC DS5000 which are a good match for X11 software. Both Sun and Dec offer 24-bit true color options and 3D graphics acceleraters which can be used with X11. Finally, since Maryland already has lots of Sun and Dec equipment, he'll likely be able to get a 50% discount and a free service contract. A setup like a SPARCstation 390, a 19 inch Sony monitor, and Sun's high end grpahics option will cost half that an SGI 240 VGX. I don't claim that it will be able do 3D interactive graphics like a SGI 240 VGX (not even close), but you can display true color images and renderings and some 3D interactive graphics (not real fast). The bottom line: the SPARCSStation and DECstation are general pupose techinal workstations. Silicon Graphics makes 3D true color workstaions with special hardware for fast rendering and interactive 3D graphics. They solve different problems and carry different prices. -Paul O'Keefe okeefe@cs.buffalo.edu