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Parallel Computing for Graphics

  • Conference paper
Advances in Computer Graphics

Part of the book series: EurographicSeminars ((FOCUS COMPUTER))

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Abstract

The cost in computing cycles for state-of-the-art imagery continues to rise exponentially. Fortunately, so does the cost-effectiveness of state-of-the-art computer processors. However, that leaves us continually several orders of magnitude short on processing power if we wish to make state-of-the-art images in real-time or even interactive time. An obvious answer to this dilemma lies in parallel processing. As massively parallel supercomputers become reality and promise a future including massively parallel everyday computers, it is no longer a silly exercise to consider how to use thousands or even millions of processors in computer graphics.

Many algorithms from traditional computer graphics lend themselves to parallel implementation. However, there are many ways in which the remaining algorithms can prevent a system from realizing the potential of a massively parallel computing resource. Many parallel architectures for graphics have been proposed and a few have even been available commercially in the past few years. A close look at these architectures usually reveals underlying assumptions about the nature of computations for graphics which may not always prove true.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Apple Advanced Technology Group, Cupertino, California, USA

    Franklin C. Crow

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  1. Franklin C. Crow
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Synthèse de l’Image Numérique, Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne, 46, rue de l’Industrie, CH-1030, Bussigny, Switzerland

    Gérald Garcia

  2. Department of Interactive Systems, Centre for Mathematics and Computer Sciences (CWI), Kruislaan 413, NL-1098 SJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Ivan Herman

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© 1991 EUROGRAPHICS The European Association for Computer Graphics

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Crow, F.C. (1991). Parallel Computing for Graphics. In: Garcia, G., Herman, I. (eds) Advances in Computer Graphics. EurographicSeminars. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76286-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76286-4_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-76288-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-76286-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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