Intel Releases New Real-Time 3D Graphics Library Optimized For The Pentium Processor; New 3DR Release Boosts Performance and Adds a Powerful Geometry Pipeline

Business Wire, April 24, 1995

SANTA CLARA, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 1995--Intel Corporation, in attendance here at the Computer Games Developer Conference, today announced 3DR Version 2, an enhanced version of the 3DR technology introduced one year ago this month. Optimized for the Pentium(R) Processor, Intels 3DR Version 2 software technology for Windows(1) goes beyond todays solutions with better image quality and transparent scalability, enabling developers to differentiate their applications with rich content.

To meet the critical needs of game, multimedia, CAD, virtual reality and visual simulation applications programmers, Intel's 3DR Version 2 offers key features not found in 3D graphics technologies available today for the Windows environment, including: True color model at all pixel depths, including 8-, 16- and 24-bit modes; An X/Y zoom capability that gives programmers complete control over balancing trade offs between image quality and frame rates; Seamless scalability providing an upward migration path to future higher performance Pentium and P6 processors; Full compatibility with Windows 3.11, Windows 95(1) and Windows NT(1).

Intel's 3DR software technology provides a high-performance 3D graphics library designed for real-time animation and the display of photo-realistic images on Intel486(TM) and Pentium processor based PCs running Windows. 3DR Version 2 adds a complete Geometry Pipeline (3DR/GP) to the original technology's Rasterization Engine (3DR/RE) core to support a wide range of enhancements, including a fully general lighting model, texture processing and user interface toolkits, and a comprehensive geometric math library. The new version of 3DR offers a general-purpose programming model, plus optimized capabilities designed for games.

The original 3DR/RE software technology provided a rich set of Windows-compatible 3D rasterization functions. With its high-performance software-only rendering providing base-line capabilities, the 3DR Rasterization Engine provides scalable performance through the Intel/Microsoft Display Control Interface (DCI) standard, 3D-DDI, and custom 3DR drivers. With the addition of a Geometry Pipeline, 3DR Version 2 provides a geometry-level solution for games, multimedia, CAD, visualization and scientific applications. Both the RE and GP interfaces are exposed, and application developers can write to either separately or to both layers at the same time in the software stack.

New Features and Capabilities Embodied in Version 2

Introduced in April of 1994, Intel's original 3DR core rendering engine offered the following feature set: A complete set of 3D primitives for rendering triangles, polygons, polylines, lines and points; Raster images and bitmaps for fonts and sprites; Multiple texture mapping algorithms, with true perspective correction, filtering and mipmapping; True color programming model at all pixel depths; Optional Z buffering, with a complete set of logical Z operations; Antialiasing, transparency and alpha blending; Raster operations, masking, and line and fill patterns; Message-passing architecture.

With the addition of a Geometry Pipeline, 3DR Version 2 delivers all of the core rendering engine capabilities and adds the following: -0- General Lighting Model and Materials Palette; Matrix Operations and Camera Model; Texture processing toolkit; User interface toolkit; Comprehensive Geometric Math Library optimized for the Pentium processor; Support for rational quadratic patches (RQP); Support for Microsofts Visual Basic.(1) -0-

"3DR Version 2 will help speed the migration of games, visualization and CAD applications to Intel-based PCs running Windows," said Ron Whittier, senior vice president, Intel Architecture Labs. "Version 2 represents just one more step in the evolution of 3DR. Intel Architecture Labs is investing heavily in 3D graphics and other Native Signal Processing (NSP) technologies to advance the PC platform for software developers. In fact, additional geometry functions, multi-threading support, and P6 optimizations are already planned for later this year."

A Contributing Element of the NSP Reference Platform

Native Signal Processing technology enables real-time multimedia tasks, such as audio signal processing or video file decompression/capture, to be done on the Pentium processor or executed in conjunction with signal processing accelerators. NSP is currently available for PCs operating in the Windows environment (both Windows 3.11 and Windows 95(1)). Intels NSP Reference Platform specification, announced last month at WINHEC, sets a baseline for a PC which can handle the demands of current and future multimedia and communications applications. The NSP Reference Platform sets a baseline for a PC which can handle the demands of current and future multimedia and communications applications. In addition to 3DR, other enabling software technologies called for in the NSP Reference Platform include Indeo(R) video, DCI, Native Audio and IA-SPOX, DMI, Power Management and InstantOn.