The Onyx2 family of computers from Silicon Graphics. © Silicon Graphics.

Applications for real-time 3-D graphics are constantly evolving as technology progresses. "No surprise," may remark the experienced market observer. However, the advances made in this area by the pioneers at Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) have been dramatic. Furthermore, the applications are more widespread than you may think. From the U.S. Air Force, to medicine, to The America's Challenge yacht, animation is being used in places in which we have probably never dreamed.

Just Like Being There
Consider, for instance, the image generator at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, which is now powered by SGI's Onyx2 InfinteReality system. When tested in a real-time full-mission training environment that included traditional image generators, SGI's system was shown to give pilots a display resolution two times better than was found using any other system. This is quite an extraordinary degree of improvement over the industry standard. According to Col. Lynn Carroll, chief of the Warfighter Training Research Division at the lab, "From here on out, every simulator will be judged against this kind of performance." The Air Force's use of Onyx marks the first time that a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product, combined with third-party software and databases, has proven superior to traditional image generators in display resolution.

Moreover, the system's level of performance has been remarkable. The Onyx2 InfiniteReality system-based image generator can drive six display channels at 60Hz update rates with 1700 x 1350 pixels per channel or 13 megapixels total. Using sub-meter geo-specific ground imagery and 3-D weather effects, the new simulation demonstrates the true integration of photo-realistic imagery, from satellite and high altitude surveillance aircraft, into a synthetic environment. "Our goal is to have pilots experience the synthetic world of their simulators just as they would experience the real world," said John Labry, global Air Force account manager for Silicon Graphics.

Okay, so our experienced (read jaded) market observer might not find it amazingly surprising that these advances have come into play in such a traditionally active field as flight simulation. So let's move onto the list of industries to which the application of real-time 3-D graphics has grown to include several less obvious areas.

Coryphaeus Software created this real-time Bay Bridge model using SGI machines. © 1998 Coryphaeus Software, Inc.

Urban Planning Goes Virtual
One such area is urban planning. A powerful new 3-D urban simulation system from Coryphaeus, running on SGI systems, is a key component in the project to rebuild San Francisco's Bay Bridge. With this system in place, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) planners have the opportunity to "fly through" any design being considered. This allows not only a precise view of any physical aspect of the structure, but also the experience of flying over, transversing, or passing under the new bridge by ship. This makes the Onyx2 InfiniteReality-based high end graphics a more powerful alternative to pre-created animation which holds the viewer to a limited number of view choices.

Caltrans Director James van Loben Sels said, "This technology will help both the public and Caltrans engineers better understand the scope and nature of proposed transportation improvements on the California landscape."