Lights, camera, accelerate!
Article Abstract:
The first 3D graphics accelerators were used in computer games, but high-end accelerators are proving useful to 3D illustrators and animators in graphic arts as well. The boards do not speed up final scene rendering, which is done by the CPU, but they help 3D rendering to the display screen to allow a scene to be viewed in close approximation to the final quality without the wait. Specialized 3D chip sets convert mathematical descriptions of shapes into the onscreen display, and while most of the boards described use 3Dlabs' Glint chip sets, several use their vendors' own 3D chip sets, and some use two or more processors. Glint-chip devices usually include a bank of high-speed video RAM for the frame buffers and separate DRAM for storing texture maps, Z-buffering and other functions. Dynamic Pictures' Oxygen boards are among those that use a single memory pool of high-speed synchronous DRAM or other memory types.
Publication Name: Publish
Subject: Publishing industry
ISSN: 0897-6007
Year: 1997
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Jukebox heroes
Article Abstract:
CD-ROM jukeboxes are a cost-effective means of managing and organizing CD-ROMs, but prospective buyers should understand jukebox features before making a purchase. A jukebox's holding mechanism orders the discs in preparation for loading. When considering the speed of a device, users should note whether the disc-swap time includes the time required for the first disc to stop spinning and the second disc to be ready for file access. The average access time is the number of milliseconds a jukebox CD-ROM drive takes to start reading a disc file, excluding spin-up time. The server/host compatibility of the jukebox's software specifies the device's capacity for network integration. Users will also need to examine the bundled software to determine how the computer system will access disk data as disks are loaded. Jukebox prices range from under $400 to $20,000, depending on disc and networking capacities.
Publication Name: Publish
Subject: Publishing industry
ISSN: 0897-6007
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic: