SGI VPro
Encyclopedia
VPro, also known as Odyssey, is a computer graphics architecture for Silicon Graphics
workstations. First released on the Octane2
, it was subsequently used on the Fuel
, Tezro
workstations and the Onyx
visualization systems, where it was branded InfinitePerformance.
VPro provides some very advanced capabilities such as per-pixel lighting, also known as "phong shading
", (through the SGIX_fragment_lighting http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/registry/EXT/fragment_lighting.txt extension) and 48-bit RGBA color
.
There are currently four different VPro graphics board revisions, called: V6, V8, V10 and V12. The first series were the V6 and V8, with 32MB and 128MB of RAM respectively. The V10 and V12 had double the geometry performance of the older V6/V8, but were otherwise similar. The V6 and V10 can have up to 8MB RAM allocated to textures, while V8 and V12 can have up to 108MB RAM used for textures. The V10 and V12 boards used in Fuel, Tezro and Onyx 3000 computers use a different XIO connector than the cards used in Octane2 workstations.
The VPro graphics subsystem consists of an SGI proprietary chip set and associated software. The chip set consists of the buzz ASIC
, the pixel blaster and jammer (PB&J) ASIC, and associated SDRAM
.
The buzz ASIC is a single-chip graphics pipeline. It operates at 251 MHz and contains on-chip SRAM. The buzz ASIC has three interfaces:
All VPro boards support the OpenGL ARB imaging extensions, allowing for hardware acceleration of numerous imaging operations at real-time rates.
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
workstations. First released on the Octane2
SGI Octane
The Octane and the similar Octane2 are UNIX workstations marketed by SGI. Both are 2-way SMP-capable workstations, originally based on the MIPS R10000 microprocessor. Newer Octanes are based on MIPS R12000 and R14000. The Octane2 has four improvements compared to Octane, a revised power supply,...
, it was subsequently used on the Fuel
SGI Fuel
The SGI Fuel is a mid-range workstation developed and manufactured by Silicon Graphics, Inc. . It was introduced in January 2002, with a list price of US$11,495. Together with the entire MIPS platform, general availability for the Fuel ended on 29 December 2006...
, Tezro
SGI Tezro
The SGI Tezro was a series of high-end computer workstations sold by SGI from 2003 until 2006. It was the immediate successor to the SGI Octane line. The systems were available in both rack-mount and tower versions, and the series was released in June 2003 with a list price of $20,500...
workstations and the Onyx
SGI Origin 3000 and Onyx 3000
The Origin 3000 and the Onyx 3000 is a family of mid-range and high-end computers developed and manufactured by SGI. The Origin 3000 is a server, while the Onyx 3000 is a visualization system. Both systems were introduced in July 2000 to succeed the Origin 2000 and the Onyx2 respectively. These...
visualization systems, where it was branded InfinitePerformance.
VPro provides some very advanced capabilities such as per-pixel lighting, also known as "phong shading
Phong shading
Phong shading refers to an interpolation technique for surface shading in 3D computer graphics. It is also called Phong interpolation or normal-vector interpolation shading. Specifically, it interpolates surface normals across rasterized polygons and computes pixel colors based on the interpolated...
", (through the SGIX_fragment_lighting http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/registry/EXT/fragment_lighting.txt extension) and 48-bit RGBA color
RGBA color space
RGBA stands for Red Green Blue Alpha. While it is sometimes described as a color space, it is actually simply a use of the RGB color model, with extra information. The color is RGB, and may belong to any RGB color space, but an integral alpha value as invented by Catmull and Smith between 1971 and...
.
There are currently four different VPro graphics board revisions, called: V6, V8, V10 and V12. The first series were the V6 and V8, with 32MB and 128MB of RAM respectively. The V10 and V12 had double the geometry performance of the older V6/V8, but were otherwise similar. The V6 and V10 can have up to 8MB RAM allocated to textures, while V8 and V12 can have up to 108MB RAM used for textures. The V10 and V12 boards used in Fuel, Tezro and Onyx 3000 computers use a different XIO connector than the cards used in Octane2 workstations.
The VPro graphics subsystem consists of an SGI proprietary chip set and associated software. The chip set consists of the buzz ASIC
ASIC
ASIC may refer to:* Application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit developed for a particular use, as opposed to a customised general-purpose device.* ASIC programming language, a dialect of BASIC...
, the pixel blaster and jammer (PB&J) ASIC, and associated SDRAM
SDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
.
The buzz ASIC is a single-chip graphics pipeline. It operates at 251 MHz and contains on-chip SRAM. The buzz ASIC has three interfaces:
- Host (16-bit, 400-MHz peer-to-peer XIO link)
- SDRAM (The SDRAM is 32 MB (V6 or V10) or 128 MB (V8 or V12); the memory bus operates at half the speed of the buzz ASIC.)
- PB&J ASIC
All VPro boards support the OpenGL ARB imaging extensions, allowing for hardware acceleration of numerous imaging operations at real-time rates.
VPro Series
| Model | Colour depth | Memory | Texture memory (maximum) | Geometry engine speed |
| V6 | 48-bit RGBA | 32 MB | 8 MB | Original |
| V8 | 48-bit RGBA | 128 MB | 104 MB | Original |
| V10 | 48-bit RGBA | 32 MB | 8 MB | 2× original |
| V12 | 48-bit RGBA | 128 MB | 104 MB | 2× original |
External links
- SGI page about Octane2 graphics (wayback machine link, original page is 404).