GOVERNMENT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ca -- SGI (NYSE: SGI), a world leader in high-performance computing, complex data management and visualization products, solutions and services, today announced the OpenGL Performer(TM) 2.5 application programming interface (API) upgrade for both SGI(TM) IRIX® and Linux® operating systems. OpenGL Performer is a powerful API for creating real-time visual simulation and other high-performance 3D graphics applications. The software provides sophisticated visual effects, multiprocessor and multichannel management, unsurpassed real-time performance and a diverse suite of tools and features spanning the spectrum of industries using interactive visualization. A unified interface provides the bridge between IRIX and Linux, delivering true cross-platform power and investment protection for real-time 3D markets. ``SGI continues to prove its leadership in high-performance visualization by delivering robust, mature toolkits that focus on performance, realism, ease of use, large data sets, and collaboration,'' said Susan Tellep, director of product marketing at SGI. ``OpenGL Performer is the leading API for real-time 3D graphics in visual simulation and other 3D performance-oriented applications such as virtual reality, interactive entertainment, broadcast video, and computer-aided design and forms the foundation of the most powerful and scalable visualization systems in the industry.'' The OpenGL Performer 2.5 release extends its industry-leading capabilities for the visual simulation industry through a host of new advanced features, functionality, and performance enhancements. Some of these include: -- Image-based rendering to replace a complex object with prerendered images of the object as seen from different angles and render the result in real time -- Real-time shadows that project an object's true shadow upon any and all other objects in a scene -- Dynamic model shaders that allow any shader parameter such as the light position to be modified in real time -- Clip-texture emulation to visualize textures of enormous size and resolution on platforms lacking native clip-texture support (e.g., Silicon Graphics(R) O2(R) workstation, Linux OS-based PCs), in real time -- pfViewer, for easy creation of a full-featured OpenGL Performer application, with emphasis on simplicity and extensibility For a full listing and description of all new features visit www.sgi.com/software/performer.