New versions of SGI OpenGL tools

Mountain View 14 August 2001 New enhanced versions of the rendering application programming interfaces (APIs) based on OpenGL, including OpenGL Shader, OpenGL Volumizer and OpenGL Optimizer wer announced by SGI. OpenGL Volumizer 2.0 has been explicitly designed to increase interactivity when users work with extremely large data sets of up to 100 GByte and leverage 3D texture-mapping hardware that boosts application performance by 10 to 100 times over CPU-based methods.

OpenGL Shader 2.2 not only gives a common interface to support all previous visual effects (including RealityMapping, ClearCoat, ClearCoat 360, bump mapping, multiple textures, environment maps and volume shading), but also gives the capability to interactively update effect parameters in real time.

For example, by using OpenGL Shader, automotive designers who use styling review software can accurately depict an automobile under different lighting conditions and surroundings or pilots who use flight simulators can experience more realistic cloud cover, fog and low-level visual queues.

OpenGL Volumizer, a commercially available high-level volume API, is the next-generation volume rendering toolkit for use with scalable SGI Onyx family systems and InfiniteReality family graphics.

OpenGL Volumizer 2.0 new features and functions include:

  • A high-level descriptive interface to volume-rendering capabilities
  • Seamless integration with scene graph APIs
  • Immediate mode rendering to reduce overhead and increase performance
  • Volumetric shapes, arbitrary volumetric geometry and slice planes
  • Thread Safe for parallel applications and multipipe environments
  • Volumetric lighting and shaders for managing volumetric appearance
  • Sample code of a transform editor
  • Sample code of a full-volume viewing application for use with multipipe SGI Onyx family systems
OpenGL Volumizer can also be used with existing SGI toolkits such as OpenGL Performer or Open Inventor to increase the functionality of current applications or to build new ones.

OpenGL Optimizer 1.3.1 incorporates advanced techniques to optimize, advance, simplify and improve visualization performance of complex 3D models, allowing users to interact with databases 100 times larger than previously possible.

New features and functions in the OpenGL Optimizer 1.3 release include:

  • Up to two times faster performance on IRIX and Windows NT multithread
  • Support for SGI VPro V6/8/10/12 graphics
  • ProENGINEER and CATIA model loaders
  • The Fresnel topology troubleshooting tool
  • Strengthened stereo and multipipe support
  • Nodes for multipass rendering
  • Improved texture handling

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