Fifth-Generation Workstation
Graphics Architecture
The NVIDIA Quadro FX architecture
takes application performance to new
levels by featuring three parallel
vertex engines, a radically new line
engine, the industrys first on-chip
vertex cache, and eight fully
programmable pixel pipelines coupled
to a high-speed DDR2 graphics DRAM
bus. Graphics pipeline efficiency is
magnified by NVIDIAs
next-generation crossbar memory
architecture, enabling
occlusion-culling, lossless depth
Z-buffer and color compression.
These elements combine to achieve
unprecedented 3D primitive
performance: 80 million lit and
textured triangles per second, five
times faster line performance than
the NVIDIA Quadro4 graphics
solutions, and massive fill rate
powered by eight pixel pipelines.
But the true measure of power is
application performance¡Xand the
NVIDIA Quadro FX architecture
delivers more than double the
performance vs. the previous
generation.
In addition, all NVIDIA products
utilize the NVIDIA Unified Driver
Architecture (UDA), which is
continually optimized for
performance, quality, and support
throughout the life of every NVIDIA
Quadro product. This continual
improvement has delivered
performance enhancements of up to
100% within nine months after
product launch.
Third-Generation Vertex and Pixel
Programmability
The design cycle is a long,
iterative process from concept, to
modeling, and final production. This
final production can require hours
of offline CPU rendering. The
programmability of the NVIDIA Quadro®
FX architecture empowers the
industrys leading OpenGL® and
Direct® workstation applications to
now make the production rendering
process an integral part of
real-time design. This reduces
design cycles, increases
productivity, and accelerates
time-to-market.
Leading this change in
workstation application
functionality are the major CAD and
DCC application vendors, including:
SolidWorks, Alias|Wavefront,
Discreet, Softimage, and more.
End users can take full
advantage of the programmable
NVIDIA Quadro FX architecture by
enabling sophisticated real-time
shaders to simulate a virtually
unlimited range of physical
characteristics, such as
lighting effects (fresnel
effects, chromatic dispersion,
reflection, refraction, BRDF
models*, etc.) and even physical
surface properties (such as
casting effects, porosity,
molded surfaces, etc.).
For example, car models can be
modified on-the-fly to change their
clear coat and metallic reflective
paint properties; the sheen of a
characters skin can be adjusted
through a dynamic range from oily to
dry by interactively adjusting a few
sliders; or objects can be
programmed to dynamically self
shadow. Real-time shaders allow
these effects to be combined and
modified interactively-impossible
with simple 2D static texture maps.
Full
128-bit Precision Graphics Pipeline
Sophisticated real-time effects
typically involve multiple
mathematical operations that demand
high precision to maintain image
quality. The NVIDIA Quadro® FX
features 128-bit IEEE floating-point
precision, making available millions
of colors in a broad dynamic range.
This results in the highest level of
accuracy and the ultimate in visual
quality.
High subpixel precision is
another major contributor to image
quality, addressing visual anomalies
that cause models to "sparkle" or
"crack." The NVIDIA Quadro FX
virtually eliminates this problem by
providing 12 bits of sub-pixel
precision¡Xfour times higher
precision than the nearest
competitive product.
Precision continues to be a
critical factor when rendering high
quality antialiased images-for both
line and full-scene antialiasing (FSAA).
The NVIDIA Quadro FX architecture
accelerates antialiased points and
lines in hardware, and supports up
to 16X FSAA. And unlike other
competitive hardware, NVIDIA Quadro
FX products drive FSAA up to a
phenomenal 3840x2400 resolution. |