sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sunflash@suntri sunflash-Send requests and problem reports to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SMCC Introduces Industry-Leading Graphics Workstations SunFLASH Vol 55 #5 July 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55.05 SMCC Introduces Industry-Leading Graphics Workstations The SPARCstation 10TurboGXplus, SPARCstation ZX and SPARCstation 10ZX deliver industry leading graphics performance. New imaging and video technologies also unvield. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMCC INTRODUCES INDUSTRY-LEADING GRAPHICS WORKSTATIONS Also Unveils Details About New Imaging and Video Technologies MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - July 5, 1993 - Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today introduced a new line of graphics computers that includes the industry's fastest 2-D graphics workstation and the fastest 3-D graphics workstation priced less than $20,000. These new systems, the SPARCstation(tm) 10TurboGXplus(tm), the SPARCstation ZX and the SPARCstation 10ZX computers, deliver as much as three times the graphics performance of similarly priced workstations from Hewlett-Packard and Silicon Graphics. With the new graphics workstations added to the existing Sun(tm) line, the broadest and highest-performance graphics product family in the world is now on the Sun platform. The new workstations are available immediately. SMCC also unveiled details today about new imaging and video technologies. Products based on these technologies -- which will bring new levels of functionality and price/performance to workstation users -- will be available by the end of this year. "We expect to significantly increase our market share in high-performance 3-D and visual computing markets," said Jay Puri, vice president of product marketing at SMCC. "We've made major investments in product R&D in this area, and we've formed strong partnerships with third-party vendors over the past 18 months. We're executing a strategy that has brought us much success in other markets: combining innovative technology and packaging with excellent price/performance." SPARCstation 10TurboGXplus The SPARCstation 10TurboGXplus line delivers the fastest 2-D performance in its price class, at more than one million 2-D vectors per second. This is almost twice as fast as competing workstations from Silicon Graphics, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and DEC. All TurboGXplus systems, containing a single SBus accelerator, feature double buffering for smooth animation of 2-D and 3-D wireframe images and high screen resolution of up to 1,600 by 1,280 pixels. The ability of these systems to quickly render wireframe images makes them an optimal solution in electronic design automation (EDA), mid- to low-end mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) and geographic information systems (GIS) -- all traditional strongholds for Sun graphics workstations. In addition, because TurboGXplus workstations speed the response of on-screen windows, they greatly increase productivity for users in a wide variety of markets, including software development, financial trading and publishing. SPARCstation 10TurboGXplus workstations are priced at $2,000 above the basic system price of SPARCstation 10 systems. They are fully compatible with the complete suite of 7,500 SPARCware applications that now run on systems equipped with SMCC's GX accelerators. SPARCstation ZX and SPARCstation 10ZX The SPARCstation ZX system (based on a SPARCstation LX) offers almost three times the 3-D performance -- up to 290,000 triangle meshes/second -- of any graphics workstation costing less than $20,000. By comparison, the more expensive Hewlett-Packard 715/33/24Z offers 100,000 triangle meshes/second, while Silicon Graphics' Indigo XS/24 performs just 50,000 triangle meshes/second. The SPARCstation 10ZX workstation delivers graphics performance similar to the SPARCstation ZX system, but offers higher computational performance, multiprocessing capability, greater disk and memory capacity and more expandability. SPARCstation ZX and SPARCstation 10ZX workstations are ideal for high-performance 3-D applications, including MCAD, molecular modeling and scientific visualization. In addition to such features as Gouraud shading, 24-bit double-buffered color, a 24-bit z-buffer and full stereoscopic capabilities, these workstations offers dynamic tessellation of NURBs. With this feature -- available for the first time on a graphics workstation -- the system dynamically alters the number of triangles used to render different parts of an object. By using fewer triangles for less-complex parts, the object can be rendered and animated more quickly. The accelerator used in these workstations is the size of two SBus cards (approximately 6 inches wide, 7 inches long and 3/4 inch thick); competing products often require much larger packaging. "This is an excellent example of our ASIC design and packaging expertise," said Niraj Swarup, graphics product line manager at SMCC. "In the continuing race to make products smaller, faster and cheaper, we have made a huge leap." The SPARCstation ZX system is priced at $19,995, while the SPARCstation 10ZX starts at $28,745. Imaging Technology Revealed In addition to these new products, SMCC revealed early details about two new visual technologies. The first, aimed at image processing applications such as color pre-press, satellite imaging and medical imaging, is an ASIC that is integrated within a workstation's memory subsystem. This technology, internally code-named "SX," delivers up to 100 times the imaging performance found in current imaging workstations and high-end Macintosh computers. Because this technology will be part of the high-throughput main memory subsystem, users can manipulate larger and more complex images than previously possible. Several dozen software partners, including Kodak, ERDAS, CEMAX and AVS are currently using SPARC systems with prototype SX technology for testing and porting. "We want to spread the word about the SX technology so that software solutions, especially for color pre-press, will be available at the official product introduction at the end of this year," said Swarup. "The response we've received from software developers thus far has been tremendous." Video Technology The other technology, internally code-named "SunVideo," is built on an SBus board, providing unprecedented video compression performance. With the ability to capture and compress images at 30 frames per second, this technology will enable the development of low-cost video conferencing and video authoring on the desktop. Early product versions are being tested by software partners such as InSoft Inc., Paradise Software and AimTech Corporation. The SunVideo technology is expected to find use anywhere digital video and multimedia capabilities are needed. Like the SX technology, pricing and availability information will be specified before the end of this year. Open Graphics Partners SMCC's expansion of its graphics line leverages its integration skill and proven ability to design high-performance, low-cost systems. In graphics markets not being directly addressed by SMCC, third-party software and hardware partners who are part of the Open Graphics Initiative create products and port them via open hardware and software interfaces available on SPARC systems running the Solaris operating environment. In simulation, scientific visualization, geosciences, industrial design and high-end MCAD applications, for example, the Freedom Series accelerators from Evans & Sutherland give Sun workstations excellent high-end performance. In fact, the best 3-D graphics performance from any system in the world is available on a Sun workstation with a Freedom accelerator. The Graphics Performance Characterization group, part of the National Computer Graphics Association, an independent benchmarking organization, recently reconfirmed the industry-leading performance of the Freedom Series accelerators running on SPARCstation systems. Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) is the world's leading supplier of open client-server computing solutions. With headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., SMCC is an operating company of Sun Microsystems, Inc. # # # Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, the Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation logo, TurboGXplus and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCstation is licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. 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