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From: barry@joshua.math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Solid Object Modelling
Message-ID: <1991Mar6.071703.13860@math.ucla.edu>
Date: 6 Mar 91 07:17:03 GMT
References: <1991Mar6.012537.611@sol.UVic.CA>
Sender: news@math.ucla.edu
Reply-To: barry@math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman)
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Organization: UCLA Dept. of Math, UCLA Inst. for Fusion and Plasma Research
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In article <1991Mar6.012537.611@sol.UVic.CA> gfield@rivendell.UVic.CA (Glen  Field) writes:

>The machines under consideration for doing said modelling

>    (i)   Sun Sparc 2 with GS graphics accelerator.

Scrap that. I've never seen any software that actually uses the
GS board, even when it exists. I had a Sparc I with GS for a year,
and it never sped up any graphics I did (NCSA Image, Mathematica, GKS).
In fact, Sun eventually told us the current version of the OS didn't
have the right hooks to automagically accelerate graphics. Though they said
a later version of the OS (which may be available now) did. I don't
know---I only drive NeXT these days.

>    (ii)  Silicon Graphics IRIS workstation.

Your best bet for power and existing software. Cost is a bit stiff though.

>    (iii) NeXT Cube with the NeXTdimension board.

Will be hot when it comes online and the software is in place.
Definitely will be the price/perf leader. But I think it lacks 
software definitely---it lacks hardware too! (I.e. it doesn't
exist yet, so there has been little time to develop for it.)



Barry Merriman
UCLA Dept. of Math
UCLA Inst. for Fusion and Plasma Research
barry@math.ucla.edu (Internet)