Intended for upper division or graduate-level courses in advanced graphics and computer architecture, this videotape covers numerous topics in a short presentation, so the pace is fast and the subjects are not necessarily treated in depth.

In an introduction, Akeley mentions various application examples, such as simulation, molecular modeling, and games, as well as the general concepts that are relevant in three-dimensional graphics systems, such as direct feedback, realism versus usefulness, and multitasking. The emphasis is on geometric graphics rather than three-dimensional volumetric or imaging graphics. Akeley concentrates on the display techniques involved in animating geometric graphics made from points, lines, and polygons, and using  double  buffer techniques. He quickly presents the conversion steps that take place in a raster device to display geometry elements. He annotates his explanations with estimated numbers concerning the frame rate, the complexity of the picture, and the type of operation to perform at the geometric or the rasterization level to justify specialized hardware.

After presenting the computational requirements of three-dimensional geometric graphics, Akeley addresses a more detailed set of issues regarding parallelism opportunities in displaying three-dimensional graphics. He quickly covers the main issues when implementing parallel graphics operations: order of operations, load balancing, programmability, and adaptability. The conversion process is divided into three main steps: vertex, rasterization, and pixelization. Each of these steps is looked at in terms of parallel implementation. The benefits and inconveniences of the different models known, such as pipelined, SIMD, and MIMD architectures, are evaluated. Some examples of currently available Silicon Graphics systems are given, with their position in the different categories of parallel architecture mentioned in the presentation.

Akeley concludes with an aspect of three-dimensional graphics systems that is generally ignored or avoided in most of the literature on graphics systems: the problems linked to context switching, their importance in graphics workstations, and how context switching can affect the behavior of window systems and the usability of the entire system. A quick review of the topics presented concludes the videotape.

I enjoyed the tape. It is fast, and its message is clear. Although the sound quality could have been better, and the presentation could have been smoother at times, I recommend this course highly to anyone who wants to know about the different trends and tradeoffs in high-end graphics systems.