INDUSTRY

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation (E&S®) (NASDAQ: ESCC) introduced the company’s newest PC-based image generator (IG) product, the simFUSIONTM 4500, today. Based on the highly successful simFUSION family of products, the 4500 represents the next evolutionary step in features and performance, incorporating the latest in E&S PC-IG technology. With its new architecture, the 4500 offers customers a simple, low-cost upgrade path to the next generation simFUSION product. Shipments of the new systems began earlier this month. The simFUSION 4500 is available with OpenSim 4500d, 4500q, and gigapixel graphics accelerator configurations. E&S is currently shipping the 4500 with 1.7 GHz Pentium processors, expandable up to 2.4 GHz. The 4500 features a new motherboard with a 400 MHz quad-pumped front side bus. Evans & Sutherland also offers a lower-cost 1.5 GHz Athlon option. “We are seeing a 35% improvement in geometry performance with the simFUSION 4500,” said Jeff Kirk, vice president and general manager, Evans & Sutherland PC Simulation. “In addition to boosting performance for our customers, simFUSION 4500 provides an upgrade path to our next generation simFUSION 5000 product family. Our 4500 customers will be able to upgrade to the 5000 by simply replacing their graphics board sets and drivers.” simFUSION 4500 is the newest of PC-based image generator from E&S. Key features include gigapixel-range fill rates, 1280x1024 and higher screen resolution, geometry correction to optimize displays on curved screens and domes, OpenGL compliance, hardware based simulation functions such as order-independent, full-scene, subpixel antialiasing, pixel rate fog and lighting effects, and sensor capability. In addition, simFUSION provides true-color rendering and ChanLock® channel synchronization. A scalable open system solution, simFUSION allows users to work with their existing OpenGL applications on Windows 2000 or Linux.