Title :
The times they are a-changing: PC graphics moves in
Author :
Ribarsky, William
Author_Institution :
Graphics, Visualization, & Usuability Center, Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA
Abstract :
PCs with substantial 3D graphics are arriving on desktops everywhere. It was only a few years ago that people sniggered at PC graphics and laughed out loud at the notion of PCs with robust and versatile operating systems. Now, however, PC operating systems-especially Windows NT-have software development, networking, multiprocessing, and other tools to rival Unix environments. A user or developer can add a 3D graphics accelerator offering pipelined rendering, full texture mapping, and a complete set of graphics tools with performance that competes with mid-range graphics workstations. And no one is going to beat the price point. On top of all this, it´s clear that Intel and Microsoft take this market seriously
Keywords :
DP industry; computer graphics; microcomputers; 3D graphics; 3D graphics accelerator; Intel; Microsoft; PC graphics; PC operating systems; desktops; full texture mapping; graphics tools; mid-range graphics workstations; multiprocessing tools; networking tools; pipelined rendering; software development tools; Application software; Bandwidth; Computer graphics; Costs; Geometry; Hardware; Libraries; Personal communication networks; Pipeline processing; Workstations;
Journal_Title :
Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE