The Times They Are A-Changing: PC Graphics Moves In

s the old political slogan goes, " You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing. " Even those of us in the ivory towers of academia can sniff something in the air. And that breeze is turning into a whirlwind as PCs with substantial 3D graphics arrive on desktops everywhere. It was only a few years ago that people sniggered at PC graphics and laughed out loud at the notion of PCs with robust and versatile operating systems. Now, however, PC operating systems—especially Windows NT—have software development, networking, multiprocessing, and other tools to rival Unix environments. A user or developer can add a 3D graphics accelerator offering pipelined rendering, full texture mapping, and a complete set of graphics tools with performance that competes with midrange graphics workstations. And no one is going to beat the price point. On top of all this, it's clear that Intel and Microsoft take this market seriously. Microsoft has developed its own 3D graphics library and scene development tools that closely integrate with its operating systems. Until recently, Microsoft was even developing its own graphics hardware, called Talisman. However, even Microsoft got the willies when it contemplated the cutthroat PC hardware market and turned Talisman into a software-only project. Intel has no such qualms and has forged ahead with substantial graphics hardware and software system development. Not too long ago an Intel spokesman said that 80 percent of PCs would have 3D graphics by the year 2000. This may not be such a risky prediction, since Intel plans to supply most of those chips. At Siggraph 97 an Intel vice president declared that although in 1996 Intel was only a speck on the horizon, in 1997 it was competitive, and by 1998 it meant to dominate the 3D graphics market. Whether this combative bluster materializes into fact, few can ignore 1,000-pound gorillas stomping around in their midst. Microsoft and Intel aren't alone: companies like Hewlett-Packard, DEC, IBM, Evans & Sutherland, 3D Labs, and others have also caught the 3D graphics bug. All this presents users with great opportunities and a few challenges. Broad consumer applications are opening much wider markets than before. Certainly games and entertainment lead the way, but hopefully those will not be the only places for 3D graphics. In this market , even niche applications can grow much larger than major applications in the traditional graphics workstation …