Whats the difference between OpenGVS and SGIs Iris Performer?
OpenGVS and Iris Performer are alike in functionality and have roots in the same market: realtime training and simulation. In fact, the high-level OpenGVS and Iris Performer feature set place them both in a 3D API class all by themselves. If you need the best, both OpenGVS and Iris Performer compete for your business. But OpenGVS is open, Performer is not. If you develop your application in Performer, you simply cannot run your application software (your investment) anywhere but on an SGI machine. OpenGVS is complete– full source code, database, texture, and makefile compatibility across platforms and O/S while delivering the full power of the underlying graphics hardware. The price of OpenGVS and Performer are (on paper) far apart. Performer is built-in to the price of your SGI hardware whether you buy it or not. To use Performer well on a high end RealityEngine or InfiniteReality system, you need at least two CPUs (we only need one). Performer, like OpenGVS, sits on top of a low lev
