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. |