suzuki@sai.vtt.fi (Makoto Suzuki) (02/20/91)
Dear networld, please allow me to make questions. We are planning to make visualization tools on Sun and Tektronix. (or any other WS which we will use in the future.) We will use triangle polygons for surface rendering. To make our tool machine-independent, we decided to use X-window. We know that X-window offer us standard man-machine interface.(Or not?) Now we need standard graphics library for 3D visualization. I heard that PEX, PHIGS Extention is for 3D graphics on X-windows. But I need more information about PEX, or any other 'standard' graphics library. Now, my question. 1)Does PEX can surface rendering using triangle polygons? 2)If not, are there any other recommended graphics library which we can use for surface rendering on both SUN and Tektronix? (or 3)Do we have to make visualization tools for each our WS? 8-) ) FYI: This tool will be developed not here but in my original laboratory in the Univ. of Tokyo, Japan. This question has nothing to do with my current workplace, Technical Research Centre of Finland. Thanks a lot in advance, ******************************************************** Makoto Suzuki _ _ ___ ___ (SUZUKI@vtsai2.sai.vtt.fi) | / | | Technical Research Centre of Finland |/ | | Medical Engineering Laboratory ******************************************************** INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 'I was born in Tokyo Japan. I have lived there since then. Now I came here as a scholarship student from September 1990 to June 1991.' ******************************************************** 'I shot an error into the net. It's still going...EVERYWHERE!'-R.Wrong
rthomson@mesa.dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson) (02/22/91)
In article <1570@vtsai2.sai.vtt.fi> suzuki@vtsai2.sai.vtt.fi writes: >Dear networld, please allow me to make questions. >We are planning to make visualization tools on Sun and Tektronix. >(or any other WS which we will use in the future.) >We will use triangle polygons for surface rendering. >To make our tool machine-independent, we decided to use X-window. > >1)Does PEX can surface rendering using triangle polygons? PEX (the first sample implementation will be released with R5 of X11, supposedly around the end of February) supports the following surface primitives: 2D/3D polygons planar polygons with holes triangular strip quadrilateral mesh All of those primitives can have these attributes: vertex colors, vertex normals, facet color, and facet normals. I anticipate the PEX-SI to be widely used within a year of its introduction. It is oriented towards 8-bit pseudocolor visuals (i.e. the largest portion of the X community) and the device dependant layer of the PEX-SI (sample implementation) uses the dix/ddx layers of X to do its rendering, so it will be portable to a any platform that uses the MIT server (or any server preserving the dix/ddx porting layer). Members of the PEX consortium have had access to the sample implementation before release to the X community and have been working on commercial implementations of PEX. These implementations don't necessarily follow the technique of using dix/ddx rendering in their dipex layers. Usually they modify the dipex layer to use custom 3D rendering hardware to accelerate performance. Some vendors following something similar to this are: Convex, Evans & Sutherland, Stardent and others that I have forgotten (or don't know about ;-). >2)If not, are there any other recommended graphics library which we can >use for surface rendering on both SUN and Tektronix? Perhaps xgks would fit your needs, but I haven't used it myself. >(or 3)Do we have to make visualization tools for each our WS? 8-) ) Ugh. I'd hate to have to write the same tool over for each platform. -- 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
pax@ankh.ftl.fl.us (Garry M. Paxinos) (02/22/91)
In article <1991Feb21.185808.27375@dsd.es.com> rthomson@mesa.dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson) writes:
PEX (the first sample implementation will be released with R5 of X11,
supposedly around the end of February) supports the following surface
primitives:
Small point of correction, R5 and the PEX-SI will be released to members of
the X Consortium in late Feb (I know as Metro Link is a member, I'm
anxiously awaiting the tape :-)
To paraphrase Bob Scheifler : "it will get warmer, and then much warmer [in
Boston] before the public X11.5 release.."
Pax.
--
Email : pax@ankh.ftl.fl.us pax@metrolink.com gmp@pinet.aip.org
USNail : 3868 NW 21 Ct. Coconut Creek, Fl 33066 Voice : 305-973-8478
UUCP : {uflorida.edu!novavax, mthvax, herctec, cs.fau.edu, attmail}!ankh!paxsuzuki@sai.vtt.fi (Makoto Suzuki) (02/28/91)
Great thanks to all people who responded to my question. -Makoto Suzuki, suzuki@vtsai2.sai.vtt.fi
suzuki@sai.vtt.fi (Makoto Suzuki) (03/04/91)
Since I got e-mails which asked summary, here it is. It is not long.
1)PEX ability
Phigs+ includes:
2D/3D polygons
Planar polygons with holes
Triangular strip
Quadrilateral mesh
and their attributes(colors, normals)
So, PEX, Phigs+ Extention to X window, can do surface rendering of Triangle
polygons.(This is what I needed. Just only 'Yes')
2)PEX current status
The newest version of PEX protocol is 5.0p, but it will be 6.0 soon.
PEX-SI(Sample Implementation by SUN) will be included in X11R5.
It uses PEX 5.0p.
Other PEX implementations were done by DEC, Evans&Sutherland, Stardent and
Univ. of Illinois, etc.
Only PEX by Univ. of Illinois is available by anonymous FTP. Others are
commarcial products.
NOTE:These information are collected from comp.graphics.visualization
and comp.windows.x.
Since I am not farmiliar with X windows YET, this summary is not enough,
maybe. Any corrections are greatly welcomed.
--
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Makoto Suzuki $BNkLZ(J $B??(J (suzuki@vtsai2.sai.vtt.fi)
Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus, Sairaalatekniikan Laboratorio
Technical Research Centre of Finland, Medical Engineering Laboratory