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3D DIRECT • November 28, 2000

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Animator

by Abby Albrecht

Intel Unveils 4

Intel Corporation introduced the Intel Pentium 4 processor, its new microprocessor based on the Intel NetBurst micro-architecture. The Pentium 4 processor with Intel NetBurst technology is the first completely new desktop processor design from Intel since the Pentium Pro processor was introduced in 1995. Highlights include the Hyper Pipelined Technology, which enables the Pentium 4 processor to execute software instructions in a 20-stage pipeline, as compared to the 10-stage pipeline of the Pentium III processor.

Hyper Pipelined Technology supports a new range of clock speeds, beginning today with 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz. For higher performance, the Rapid Execution Engine allows frequently used Arithmetic Logic Unit instructions to be executed at double the core clock. In addition, 144 new instructions have been added to further speed the processing of video, audio, and 3D applications. The Intel 850 chipset's dual RDRAM memory banks complement the Pentium 4 processor's 400MHz system bus, providing up to 3.2GBps (gigabytes per second) of data. Intel also announced availability of the Intel Desktop Board D850GB, which supports the new Pentium 4 processor in the ATX form factor. Pricing in 1,000 unit quantities is $644 and $819 each for the 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz parts, respectively. Intel is also shipping boxed Pentium 4 processors with 128MB of RDRAM, the boxed desktop board D850GB, and a platform integration kit. These Pentium 4 processor platform building blocks are available through authorized distributors to members of the Intel Premier Providers program.



Art Around the World

There is less than a week left to sign up for Alias|Wavefront 3December, the one day, global event where artists are encouraged to offers participants a means to learn and network with other artists both within their local community and around the world. Peter Gambirasio, 3December manager for Alias|Wavefront said "Some of the most creative people in the world will be in attendance: ranging from high school students to top-level professional animators and designers..."



3D Art and the Presidency

Sure, the presidential elections may never truly end. But just when you think you can't take Tim Russert's white board o' numbers anymore, there's a new reason to watch. It's time to play Who Made that Graphic. Viewers of either CBS News or Univision's coverage of the presidential elections were watching vi[z]rt's solutions, which produced? all the election night graphics for both networks. CBS, a long-time customer of vi[z]rt running vi[z] modeling and vi[z] content pilot for CBS News and CBS Sports, used vi[z]rt solutions extensively for CBS News's graphics broadcast on election night. Vi[z] realtime modeling and rendering solution for 3D and 2D graphics and vi[z] content pilot for the composition, database management, and playback of graphics were both used throughout the broadcast to create and render all of the network's maps, charts, and projected results. CBS News used its own SGI-based equipment, as well as two of CBS Sports's computers through its existing corporate network for the broadcast.

The news department of Univision Network generated the entire graphic look of its nationwide presidential election night coverage using vi[z]rt's vi[z] modeling realtime modeling and rendering solution for 3D and 2D graphics. Univision's election coverage on November 7th marked the first time the broadcaster had utilized vi[z]rt software for graphic creation and production and the first time Univision was able to animate realtime 3D graphics on-air. Realtime 3D graphics depicting all of the night's electoral projections, the electoral maps, results, and polling were generated with the vi[z]rt software. Vi[z]rt solution was running on its unique Windows NT as well as SGI computers.



InterSense Joins the Army

InterSense, Inc. is providing access to its motion tracking technology in visual simulation military training products and applications such as immersive one-on-one combat simulation, flight simulations, and virtual fly-throughs at Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference 2000 (I/ITSEC 2000) in Orlando, FL The conference is designed to promote cooperation among the armed services, industry, academia, and various government agencies in pursuit of improved training and education programs, identification of common training issues, and development of multiservice programs.

InterSense technology can be found in the products of several I/ITSEC 2000 exhibitors. Products from Reality by Design, Inc.; SimiGon Ltd.; and VRCO, Inc. are available for demonstration at both the InterSense booth and the exhibitors' own booths. Products from Fakespace, Multigen-Paradigm, SGI, and Reality by Design, Inc. are available for demonstration at the exhibitors' booths only.

Reality by Design, Inc. has integrated InterSense IS-600 Precision Motion Tracker into its SVS2TM individual combatant (IC) virtual simulation system. Featuring realtime 3D graphics, directional audio, and an immersive user interface, SVS2 creates a virtual urban battlefield designed to provide MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain) simulation. SimiGon Ltd. uses InterSense IS-300 Precision Motion Tracker in conjunction with its AirBook notebook training, simulation, and debriefing environment to provide attendees with a high-fidelity F-16 flight simulation. VRCO, Inc. allows users of InterSense IS-900 to visualize and navigate in a 3D city using a head-mounted display and VRCO Virtual Global Explorer and Observatory (vGeo) and tracked products.



With a Side of Bacon

Eggington Productions revealed Eggprops—a collection of 3D models, materials, tutorials, and software. The Eggprops collection is intended to compliment the use of Hash:Animation Master. All of the models offered on Eggprops were modeled in Animation Master. Eggprops offers an evolving collection of models ranging from procedurally textured fruit to a ready-to-animate photorealistic Velociraptor. The licensing agreement for the Eggprops collection allows artists to use the items for any visual medium. Examples include everything from spicing up your Web site to a full-blown feature-film production.

Abby Albrecht is 3Dgate's Web editor. Why, why, why did they make Scully pregnant? You can reach her at [email protected].