文档介绍：RealityEngine Graphics
Kurt Akeley
Silicon puter Systems
Abstract Silicon Graphics Iris 3000 (1985) and the Apollo DN570 (1985).
Toward the end of the first-generation period advancesin technology
The M graphics system is the first of a new genera- allowed lighting, smooth shading, and depth buffering to be imple-
tion of systems designed primarily to render texture mapped, an- mented, but only with an order of magnitude less performance than
tialiased polygons. This paper describes the architecture of the was available to render flat-shaded lines and polygons. Thus the
RealityEngine graphics system, then justifies some of the decisions target capability of these machines remained first-generation. The
made during its design. The implementation is near-massively par- Silicon Graphics 4DG (1986) is an example of such an architecture.
allel, employing 353 independent processors in its fullest configura-
tion, resulting in a measured fill rate of over 240 million antialiased, Because first-generation machines could not efficiently eliminate
texture mapped pixels per second. Rendering performance exceeds hidden surfaces, and could not efficiently shade surfaces even if the
1 million antialiased, texture mapped triangles per second. In ad- application was able to eliminate them, they were more effective
dition to supporting the functions required of a general purpose, at ren