Octane2 from SGI

Mountain View 26 June 2000 The new Silicon Graphics Octane2 visual workstation includes implementation of SGI VPro graphics; an optimized crossbar architecture; and a single or dual MIPS R12000A 400 MHz processor. Octane2 delivers a measured 425 million pixels per second with trilinear mipmapping and depth-buffering.

Silicon Graphics Octane2 is available with two VPro graphics configurations, V6 with 32MB graphics memory and V8 with 128MB graphics memory. VPro graphics for IRIX was developed by SGI to serve the highest requirements of its desktop customers. The graphics also leverage SGI's expertise in OpenGL with full hardware acceleration of the OpenGL 1.2 core feature set and imaging extensions on a single chip. The patented design, called OpenGL on a Chip, provides an efficient architecture for the quick turn-around of future product enhancements.

Octane2 provides high geometry performance, the fastest pixel fill rate on the UNIX desktop1 and unsurpassed image quality. Octane2TM V6, with up to 8MB texture memory, is well suited to power 3D CAD modeling and animation applications. Octane2 TM V8 offers texture memory capacity of 104MB and advanced imaging and visualization capabilities. Octane2 V8 supports extremely large and precise images and offers the most advanced texturing performance available from SGI on the desktop. These features make Octane2 V8 ideal for applications such as CAD styling, digital prototyping, geosciences, medical imaging and visual simulation.

Octane2: Features and Productivity Gains for Customers

"We've always looked to SGI to provide advanced visualization technology," said Greg Brandeau, Pixar Animation Studios' vice president of Computer Operations. "We just purchased 240 of the next-generation Octane2 systems for work on our next feature film, Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc., which is set for release Holiday 2001. These workstations will be important tools in helping our animators manipulate complex models and images which allow us to make visually richer films."

SGI brings several industry-first features to market with Octane2. Octane2 accelerates the new OpenGL 1.2 ARB imaging extensions, a feature that will benefit SGI's advanced imaging customers. Octane2 V8 is the first UNIX workstation to offer 128MB of configurable graphics memory. This flexible block of memory can be used by an application as texture memory or for graphics effects with 96-bit accuracy.

Octane2 with VPro graphics delivers yet another industry first with a hardware implementation of specular shading with per-pixel normal interpolation, not texture overlays. This yields more accurate, fully accelerated lighting of 3D models. Octane2 is also capable of 48-bit color or 12-bits per component (red, green, blue and alpha). By providing four more bits per color than other UNIX desktop systems, Octane2 gives customers greater precision for advanced visualization, imaging, styling and paint applications.

Configured with single or dual MIPS R12000A 400 MHz processors produced in NEC's highly advanced 0.18 micron process technology, Octane2 offers three times the graphics price/performance of Octane and boasts 33% faster CPU performance. Octane2 particularly shines on fill rate and geometry performance for maximum interactivity.

Octane2 delivers a measured 425 million pixels per second with trilinear mipmapping and depth-buffering. Octane2 also delivers leading geometry performance in the UNIX industry with 7.4 million lit depth-buffered, smooth-shaded immediate mode triangles per second.

Octane2 with V6 graphics starts at $17,495 U.S. list for a system that includes a single 360 MHz MIPS R12000A processor, 256MB of memory, a 9GB Ultra SCSI disk, 32MB of graphics memory and a 21" monitor. Octane2 V8 starts at $24,995 U.S. list and includes a single 400 MHz MIPS R12000A CPU, 256MB of memory, a 9GB system disk, 128MB of graphics memory and a 21" monitor.

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