OpenGL device for Windows NT, a title that was held for more than
18months. To achieve this capability, the designers made the following key decisions:
• To write code that was portable between the DIGITAL UNIX and Windows NT systems.
• To dedicate two people to the integration of the DIGITAL U NIX-based code into tl1e Windows NT environment. Most OpenGL code was operating
system independent, but supporting infrastructure needed to be developed for Windows NT.
• To use Intergraph 's preexisting
2- D
code and to avoid writing our own. I ntergraph provided us with a stable2-D
code base for Windows NT. This code base had room for optimization, but further optimization of the
3-D
code took precedence.• To ship the graphics drivers for DIGITAL UNIX first, and the graphics drivers for Windows NT three months later. I n this way, we allowed the DIGITAL UNIX development phase to advance unimpeded by the efforts to port Windows NT.
Digiral Technical Journal Vol . 9 No. 4 1997 57
58
Results and Conclusion
In August of 1 996, the PowerStorm 4 D60T graphics adapter was best in its price category with a CDRS per
formance number of 49.01 using a 500-J\rlHz Alpha processor. It yielded a new price/performance record of $ 3 2 1 per frame per second . At the same time, SGI attained a CDRS number of only 48.63 on a system costing nearly three tjmes as much.
Figure 3 shows the relative performance of the PowerStorm 4D60T for fou r of the major Viewperf benchmarks. The viewsets are based on the following applications: CDRS, a computer-ajded industrial design package tfom PTC; Data Explorer ( DX), a scientific visualization package from IBM; DesignReview ( D RV), a model review package from Into·graph ; Advanced Visualizer, a 3-D animation system from Alias/
Wavefront (AWadvs) .
0 z 9,000 0 0 w 8,000 (f) a: 7. 000 w 0..
w 6,000
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CDRS DX
KEY
• POWERSTOR M 4D60T
0 SGI MAX I M U M I M PACT
D SGI H I G H I M PACT Figure 3
The PowerStorm 4D60T mid-range graphics adapter easily outperformed the Indigo2 High IMPACT system from SGI by a wide margin and even surpassed SGI's more expensive graphics card, the Ind igo2 Maxi
mum IMPACT, by a factor of more than 2 : 1 in price/
performance on these benchmarks. Figure 4 shows that the PowerStorm 4D60T was the performance leader in three of the four benchmarks. SGI has yet to produce a graphics product in this price range that outpertonns the PowerStorm 4D60T.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the many other engineers vvho made the PowerStorm 4DT proj ect a succcssfi.1 l one, incl uding Monty Brandenburg, Shih-Tang Cheng, Bill Clifford, John Ford, Chris Kniker, Jim Rees, S huhua Shen, Shree Sridbaran,
DRV AWADVS
Price/Performance Comparison of Graphics Adapters on View perf Benchmarks
Fig u re 4
60
(f)
�
20<{
a: u..
KEY:
CDRS
• SGI MAXI M U M I M PACT
[]I SGI H I G H I M PACT
D POWERSTORM 4D60T DX
Performance of Graphics Adapters on ViewpcrfBench marks
Digital Tccbnical journal Vol . 9 No. 4 1997
DRV AWADVS
Bruce Stochvell, and Mark Yeager. We would also like to than k the Graphics Quality Assurance Group and the Workstation Application Benchmarking Group for their unending patience and cooperation.
References
1 . M. Segal and
K.
Akeley, Tbe OpenG"L Graphics System.· A Specijlcation (Mountai n View, Cal if. : Si l icon Graphics, Inc . , 1 995 ) .2 . The OpenGL Performance Characterization Project, h ttp:/ jwww.specbench .org/gpc/opc.static.
3. R. Scheifler and J. Gettys, X V?indow System ( B oston : Digital Press, 1 992 ) .
4. H . Gajewska, M . Manasse, and J . McCormack, "Why X Is Not Our Ideal Window System," Software Practice and t.:Xperience ( October 1 99 0 ) .
5 . !VI . Kilgard, " D 1 1 : A High-Performance, Protocol
Optional, Transport- Optional Window System with X 1 1 Compatibility and Semantics," 77Je Ninth A nnual X Technical Conference, Boston, Mass. ( 1995 ).
6. R. Sites and R. Witek, Alpha AX.P Architecture Refer
ence Manuai ( B oston: Digital Press, 1 995).
7. J . Anderson et al . , "Continuous Profiling: Where Have AJJ the Cycles Gone?" The 16th A CM Symposium on Operat ing Systems Principles, Sr. Malo, France ( 1997): 1-14.
General References
J . Foley, A. van Dam, S. Feiner, and J. Hughes, Computer Graphics Principles and Pmclice (Reading, Mass.: Addison
Wesley, 1993).
M. Woo, J. Neider, and T. Davis, OpenGL Programming Guide (Reading, Mass . : Addison -Wesl ey, 1 99 7 ) .
Biographies
Benjamin N. Lipchak
Benjamin Lipchak joined DIGITAL in 1995 to develop softw,He for the PowerStorm 4DT graphics adapter and later developed 3-D software for the PowerStorm 4D30T project. A senior software engineer in the Workstation Graphics Group, he is currently lead ing the software effort of a new graphics project. Benjamin received B.S. ( highest honors) and M .S . degrees in computer science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is the recipient of the Salisbury Award in Computer Science.
Thomas Frisinger
Tom Frisinger was a senior software engineer i n the Workstation Graphics Group at DIG ITAL for three years.
During that time, he contributed to nearly all aspects of the PowerStorm 4DT project. As a member of the core soft
ware engineering team, he helped develop software for the 4D40T, 4D50T, and 4D60T graphics adapters as wel l as
the 4D30T and 4D5 1 T models. He was also part of the core software d esign team for the 4 D31 T graphics acceler
ator. Tom is currently doing research and development i n PC graphics tor AT! Research , I nc.
Karen L. Bircsak
As one of the developers of the PowerStorm 4DT graphics adapter, Karen Bircsak designed and implemented enhancements to the X li brarv and contri buted to other software development areas.
A
principal software engineerin the Workstations Graphics Group, Karen is currently working on supporting new graphics hardware. Prior to joining D IGITAL in 1995, she held software engineering positions at Concurrent Computer Corporation and Data General Corporation. She earned a B .S. in computer sci
ence and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1 984 and an M.S. in computer science from Boston University in 1 990.
Digit3l Technical Journal Vol. 9 No. 4 1 997 59
60
Keith L. Comeford
Keith Comeford is a principal software engineer in the Workstation Graphics Development Group. He is currently working on the next generation of graphics cards and accel
erators for DIGITAL. Keith was the project leader for the Windows NT cLivers for tl1e PowerStorm 4D40T/50T /60T graphics cards. I n previous project work, Keith contributed significantly to the G KS and PH IGS implementations in a variety of capacities from developer to project leader tor more man lO years. Keith joined DIGITAL in 1983 after receiving a B.S. in computer science from \Vorcester Polytechnic Institute .
Michael I. Rosenblum
Mike Rosenblum is a consulting software engineer at DIGITAL and the technical director for the Workstations Business Segment Graphics Group. He was the project leader and architect of the PowerStorm 4DT series and implemented some of its 2-D DDX code. Currently, he is managing two graphics projects and consulting to the company on graphics-related issues. Mike joined D I GITAL in 1 98 1 , to work on the terminal driver in the VMS Engineering Grou p. Later he helped design the company's first workstations. He has a B.S. in computer science from Worcester Polytechnic I nstitute and is a member oftlhe ACM .
Digital Technical Journal Vol. 9 No. 4 1 997