Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!rice!sun-spots-request
From: ephraim@heart.technion.ac.il (Ephraim Silverberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Gouraud Shading + 3D Modelling? (Summary of Responses)
Message-ID: <8812040606.AA16447@heart.technion.ac.il>
Date: 15 Dec 88 09:44:37 GMT
Sender: usenet@rice.edu
Organization: Rice University, Houston, Texas
Lines: 54
Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
Original-Date: Sun, 4 Dec 88 08:06:04 +0200
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 55, message 14 of 14

The following is the summary of responses that I received regarding my
inquiry concerning achieving real-time gouraud shading and 3d modelling on
a Sun.  My comments are interspersed throughout the article in brace
brackets.  I have attempted to put the summary in digest format in order
to make the moderator's (and readers') life easier.

Ephraim
ephraim@heart.technion.ac.il

> From: gfr%wolfgang@gateway.mitre.org (Glenn Roberts)

Have you checked out "Movie BYU"?  This package, available from the
computer science department at Brigham Young University (sorry I don't
have a point of contact), is designed for 3-D graphics display and
supports shading.  I think it is distributed at relatively low cost (MITRE
has a site agreement).  I have a copy but haven't had a chance to play
with it.

{ We do indeed have the Movie package; however, it was designed for slow
graphics terminals (such as tektronix) and the Sun driver cannot provide
the needed real-time capabilities for dynamic modelling. BYU has indicated
that they would like to upgrade the package for faster terminals in the
future.  The contact used to be "movcanan@byuvax.bitnet", but they
indicated that this address would be changed at the end of Nov. '88 -- new
address is unknown.  ephraim }

- glenn roberts, MITRE Corporation, McLean VA 22102 (703) 883-6820
  gfr%wolfgang@gateway.mitre.org

> From: Jim Hudgens <hudgens@ray.met.fsu.edu>

We use an attached processor and control it with Sunview.  The processor's
is made by Star Technologies, and is called a Graphicon G1700.  While this
is a rather expensive option, it is also rather fast, on the order of
thousands of polygons per second.  Without some form of graphics'
processor, I think you may be quite disappointed in the speed of
rendering, regardless of the package used.

> From: John F. Fowler <jffowler@icarus.cns.syr.EDU>

Make sure to look at the PHIGS+ implementation from Template Graphics
Software.  It is better than SUNPhigs and they also have user interface
tools.   TGS' PHIGS+ was also chosen and endorsed as the #1 Phigs for
Silicon Graphics (which is better hardware for this stuff anyway).

USA (619) 457-5359.

SUNCore is indeed dead.  SUN is freezing it and expects over the next
couple of years to move away from it.

John Fowler
Syracuse University
Computing and Network Services         Internet: jffowler@icarus.cns.syr.edu
Machinery Hall                         Bitnet:   oprjff@suvm
Syracuse,  NY  13244-1260  USA         AT&T:     (315) 443-2861