|
ATi Radeon R100 Series
The Radeon R100 is the first generation of Radeon graphics chips from ATI Technologies. The line features 3D acceleration based upon Direct3D 7.0 and OpenGL 1.3, and all but the entry-level versions offloading host geometry calculations to a hardware transform and lighting (T&L) engine, a major improvement in features and performance compared to the preceding Rage design. The processors also include 2D GUI acceleration, video acceleration, and multiple display outputs. "R100" refers to the development codename of the initially released GPU of the generation, various releases which were collectively known as the Radeon 7200. It is the basis for a variety of other succeeding products, including the entry-level RV100 (Radeon VE or Radeon 7000) and higher-performance refresh RV200 (Radeon 7500), the latter two having dual-monitor support. Development Architecture The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named ''Rage 6'' (later ''R100''), as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3D Computer Graphics
3D computer graphics, sometimes called Computer-generated imagery, CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional Computer-generated imagery, computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian coordinate system#Cartesian coordinates in three dimensions, Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering digital images, usually 2D images but sometimes 3D images. The resulting images may be stored for viewing later (possibly as an Computer animation, animation) or displayed in Real-time computer graphics, real time. 3D computer graphics, contrary to what the name suggests, are most often displayed on two-dimensional displays. Unlike 3D film and similar techniques, the result is two-dimensional, without visual depth perception, depth. More often, 3D graphics are being displayed on 3D displays, like in virtual reality systems. 3D graphics stand in contrast to 2D computer graphics which t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bump Mapping
Bump mapping is a texture mapping technique in computer graphics for simulating bumps and wrinkles on the surface of an object. This is achieved by perturbing the surface normals of the object and using the perturbed normal during lighting calculations. The result is an apparently bumpy surface rather than a smooth surface, although the surface of the underlying object is not changed. Bump mapping was introduced by James Blinn in 1978.Blinn, James F"Simulation of Wrinkled Surfaces" Computer Graphics, Vol. 12 (3), pp. 286-292 SIGGRAPH-ACM (August 1978) Normal mapping is the most common variation of bump mapping used. Principles Bump mapping is a technique in computer graphics to make a rendered surface look more realistic by simulating small displacements of the surface. However, unlike displacement mapping, the surface geometry is not modified. Instead only the surface normal is modified as if the surface had been displaced. The modified surface normal is then used for li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HyperZ
HyperZ is the brand for a set of processing techniques developed by ATI Technologies and later Advanced Micro Devices and implemented in their Radeon-Graphics processing unit, GPUs. HyperZ was announced in November 2000 and was still available in the TeraScale (microarchitecture), TeraScale-based Radeon HD 2000 Series and in current Graphics Core Next-based graphics products. On the Radeon R100-based cores, Radeon DDR through 7500, where HyperZ debuted, ATI claimed a 20% improvement in overall rendering efficiency. They stated that with HyperZ, Radeon could be said to offer 1.5 gigatexels per second fillrate performance instead of the card's apparent theoretical rate of 1.2 gigatexels. In testing it was shown that HyperZ did indeed offer a tangible performance improvement that allowed the less endowed Radeon to keep up with the less efficient GeForce 2, GeForce 2 GTS. Functionality HyperZ consists of three mechanisms: ; Z compression: The Z-buffer is stored in a lossless compre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voodoo 5
The Voodoo 5 was the last and most powerful graphics card line that was released by 3dfx, 3dfx Interactive. All members of the family were based upon the VSA-100 graphics processor.Lal Shimpi, Anand3dfx Voodoo5 5500 Anandtech, July 11, 2000. Only the single-chip Voodoo 4 4500 and dual-chip Voodoo 5 5500 made it to market. Architecture and performance The VSA-100 graphics chip is a direct descendant of "Avenger", more commonly known as Voodoo3. It was built on a 250 nanometre, nm Semiconductor device fabrication, semiconductor manufacturing process, as with Voodoo3. However, the process was tweaked with a sixth metal layer to allow for better density and speed, and the transistors have a slightly shorter gate length and thinner gate oxide. VSA-100 has a transistor count of roughly 14 million, compared to Voodoo3's ~8 million. The chip has a larger texture cache than its predecessors and the data paths are 32 bits wide rather than 16-bit. Rendering calculations are 40 bits wide in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3dfx Interactive
3dfx Interactive, Inc. was an American computer hardware company headquartered in San Jose, California, founded in 1994, that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics, 3D graphics processing units, and later, video cards. It was a pioneer in the field from the mid 1990s to 2000. The company's original product was the Voodoo Graphics, an add-in card that implemented hardware acceleration of 3D graphics. The hardware accelerated only 3D rendering, relying on the PC's current video card for 2D support. Despite this limitation, the Voodoo Graphics product and its follow-up, Voodoo2, were popular. It became standard for 3D games to offer support for the company's Glide API. Renewed interest in 3D gaming led to the success of the company's products and by the second half of the 1990s products combining a 2D output with 3D performance were appearing. This was accelerated by the introduction of Microsoft's Direct3D, which provided a single high-performance API that could be impl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GeForce 2 Series
The GeForce 2 series (NV15) is the second generation of Nvidia's GeForce line of graphics processing units (GPUs). Introduced in 2000, it is the successor to the GeForce 256. The GeForce 2 family comprised a number of models. The ''GeForce 2 GTS'', ''GeForce 2 Ultra'', ''GeForce 2 Pro'', and ''GeForce 2 Ti'' are based upon the original architecture (NV15), varying only by chip and memory clock speeds. For the low-end segment and OEMs, the ''GeForce 2 MX'' series (NV11) was created, from which the ''GeForce 2 Go'' was derived for laptops. In addition, the GeForce 2 architecture is used for the Nvidia Quadro, Quadro series on the Quadro 2 Pro, 2 MXR, and 2 EX cards with special drivers meant to accelerate computer-aided design applications. Architecture The GeForce 2 architecture (NV15) is similar to the previous GeForce 256 line but with various improvements. Compared to the 220 nanometre, nm GeForce 256, the GeForce 2 is built on a 180 nm manufacturing process, making the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanometre
330px, Different lengths as in respect to the Molecule">molecular scale. The nanometre (international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: nm), or nanometer (American spelling), is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one billionth ( short scale) or one thousand million (long scale) of a meter (0.000000001 m) and to 1000 picometres. One nanometre can be expressed in scientific notation as 1 × 10−9 m and as m. History The nanometre was formerly known as the "''millimicrometre''" – or, more commonly, the "''millimicron''" for short – since it is of a micrometer. It was often denoted by the symbol ''mμ'' or, more rarely, as ''μμ'' (however, ''μμ'' should refer to a ''millionth'' of a micron). Etymology The name combines the SI prefix '' nano-'' (from the Ancient Greek , ', "dwarf") with the parent unit name ''metre'' (from Greek , ', "unit of measurement"). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GeForce 256
The GeForce 256 is the original release in Nvidia's "GeForce" product line. Announced on August 31, 1999 and released on October 11, 1999, the GeForce 256 improves on its predecessor (RIVA TNT2) by increasing the number of fixed Graphics pipeline#Scan conversion or rasterization, pixel pipelines, offloading host geometry calculations to a transform and lighting, hardware transform and lighting (T&L) engine, and adding hardware motion compensation for MPEG-2 video. It offered a notable leap in 3D PC gaming performance and was the first fully Microsoft Direct3D, Direct3D 7-compliant 3D accelerator. Architecture GeForce 256 was marketed as "the world's first 'GPU', or Graphics Processing Unit", a term Nvidia defined at the time as "a single-chip processor with integrated transform, lighting, triangle setup/clipping, and rendering engines that is capable of processing a minimum of 10 million polygons per second". The "256" in its name stems from the "256-bit QuadPipe Rendering En ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video
Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems, which, in turn, were replaced by flat-panel displays of several types. Video systems vary in display resolution, Display aspect ratio, aspect ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities, and other qualities. Analog and digital variants exist and can be carried on a variety of media, including radio broadcasts, magnetic tape, optical discs, Video file format, computer files, and Streaming media, network streaming. Etymology The word ''video'' comes from the Latin verb ''video,'' meaning to see or ''videre''. And as a noun, "that which is displayed on a (television) screen," History Analog video Video developed from facsimile systems developed in the mid-19th century. Early mecha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2d Computer Graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. It may refer to the branch of computer science that comprises such techniques or to the models themselves. 2D computer graphics are mainly used in applications that were originally developed upon traditional printing and drawing technologies, such as typography, cartography, technical drawing, advertising, etc. In those applications, the two-dimensional image is not just a representation of a real-world object, but an independent artifact with added semantic value; two-dimensional models are therefore preferred, because they give more direct control of the image than 3D computer graphics (whose approach is more akin to photography than to typography). In many domains, such as desktop publishing, engineering, and business, a description of a document based on 2D computer graph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
