Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!usc!bbn!oliveb!amdahl!dlb!zygot!bruceh
From: bruceh@zygot.UUCP (Bruce Henderson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Graphics info wanted for the NeXT...
Summary: Where it is going
Keywords: graphics hardware, rumors, color, NEW FACTS
Message-ID: <2570@zygot.UUCP>
Date: 16 Aug 89 05:05:17 GMT
References: <10727@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <7360@microsoft.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: ATI Wares Team
Lines: 30

In article <7360@microsoft.UUCP>, t-jondu@microsoft.UUCP (Jonathan Dubman) writes:
> >   A few CS and EE friends and I have postulated from pre-release
> >news/magazine articles that originally the NeXT was intended to have much
> >faster graphics in color.  The emphasis on custom DMA hardware for very fast
> >system throughput seems to imply that this is true.  The
The poop on this from a very unofficial source is that the NeXT
incantationof the NeXT will be out [cross those fingers!] in April of
next year. It is likely to be a 50Mhz '040 machine with a dedicated
board for doing the window server.  Pixar's RenderMan will be the
native language of this beast but it will also work just the same as
the current DPS model.  IE Renderman will be extended to include DPS.
The color will be 32 bit [24 data, 8 alpha] and all of the simulated
3D-ness of the machine will be quite real, as in there will be 3D
data representations of the raised bevel on the Dock, and you can move
the light source, etc.  A lot of stuff will be turned off by defaul,
but you can turn it down and make your machine crawl. The neat thing is
is that they think that 100% should upgrade.  I heard a price of
$200.00 to $800.00 to pump your machine [not to color].  The MegaPixel
will also plug into this card, giving you zillions fo grey scale values
without a new monitor, Also the concept of having a "slave" board with
4 50Mhz '040's on it has been heaved arround.  After all, Mach is made
for multi processing!


-- 
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Bruce Henderson                                       Software Engineer
zygot!bruceh@Apple.COM			    
"Sorry, Mathematica can't goon this much"
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