|     SPECopc Updates Viewperf and Viewsets;Adds New Viewset for Mechanical CAD
 NEW ORLEANS, La., July 26, 2000 - SPEC/GPC's OpenGL Performance 
          Characterization (SPECopc) project group has revised its SPECviewperf 
          3D graphics benchmark, updated viewsets for application-based performance 
          testing, and added a new viewset representing medium-level mechanical 
          CAD applications. Initial performance results 
          are available on this site.  SPECviewperf has been updated to version 6.1.2 to accommodate changes 
          in the viewsets that include larger model and window sizes, multiple 
          textures, new walkthroughs, and new test weightings based on input from 
          application software vendors. Display requirements have been increased 
          to a minimum of 1280x1024 pixels, 24-bit true color or greater, and 
          (except for flat panel displays) a refresh rate of 75-Hz or higher. 
          As a result of the changes, results reported under Viewperf 6.1.2 cannot 
          be accurately compared with previously reported Viewperf results.  The new MCAD viewset (medMCAD-01) models the graphics performance of 
          a range of medium-scale, immediate-mode applications such as Parametric 
          Technology Corp.'s Pro/ENGINEER and SolidWorks from SolidWorks 
          Corp. It incorporates a shaded model containing 349,000 triangles and 
          a wireframe model with 120,000 lines.  "Benchmarks and test files have to change with graphics technology," 
          says Bill Licea-Kane of 3Dlabs, the SPECopc chair. "We updated SPECviewperf 
          and its viewsets to help ensure that there's enough headroom to meet 
          the benchmarking demands of current and future graphics systems. The 
          new viewset is the first that represents the functionality and operations 
          of medium-level mechanical CAD applications."  SPECviewperf measures the 3D rendering performance of systems running 
          under the OpenGL application programming interface (API). Viewsets are 
          the test files that run under SPECviewperf. Developed for the SPECopc 
          group by independent software vendors (ISVs), viewsets represent the 
          same mix of graphics rendering and manipulation found in actual applications, 
          or in the case of the new MCAD viewset, in a class of applications. SPECopc is a project group of the Graphics Performance Characterization 
          (GPC) Group, which in turn is part of the Standard Performance Evaluation 
          Corp. (SPEC). SPEC is a non-profit corporation formed to establish, 
          maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant benchmarks that 
          can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers. 
          SPEC's membership includes computer hardware and software vendors, and 
          leading universities and research facilities worldwide.  ###  Press contacts: Bob Cramblitt, Erin Hatfield
 Cramblitt & Company
 919-481-4599
 cramco@cramco.com
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