From: psantangeli@alias.com (Peter Santangeli)
Subject: Re: Highest Performance VR System
Date: 	Fri, 9 Aug 1991 11:57:36 -0400
Organization: Alias Research, Inc. Toronto Canada



In article <1991Aug7.001635.11441@milton.u.washington.edu>, mklapman@adsl (Matthew Klapman) writes:

> ... Each pixel has its own processor (massively parallel!!!), and
> the processor would decide whether it should be on or off.  Each pixel
> receives the same set of parameters at the same time as all the rest.
> 
> Anyway, I'm not an expert on it, but was very impressed with their research
> team.  I hear that version 6 will have its design completed this month.

Having said that, perhaps we could have someone from UNC comment on the
*actual* capabilities of the Pixel Planes. As far as I know (having taken
Henry Fuchs's Sigraph course in 89), there is NOT one processor per pixel,
but one custom processor for every 128x128 pixel block. On top of that run a
set (<100) of i860 processors.

On the subject of the Tomorrows Realities gallery, I believe that Garry
Bierne and Steve Tice should be commended on a splendid job of organising
the gallery. There was an excellent sample or current research and applications
present.

Personally, I thought the highlights were the wonderful Mountain Bike and 
Radiosity fly-through worlds by UNC, the Fake Space/NASA virtual wind
tunnel, the Boeing helecopter world and some of the truly excellent examples 
of hyper media systems (the expo information system springs to mind).

-- 
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Peter Santangeli                           -- 
Graphics Software Designer                /         Alias
Strategic Research                       /  \       Research
psantan@alias.com                       /    \_     Inc.