SPECopc cleans code, looks to future
with release of new SPECviewperf 8.1
WARRENTON, Va., May 11, 2005 – SPEC/GPC’s OpenGL Performance Characterization (SPECopc) project group has released SPECviewperf 8.1, featuring a major code clean-up, new VBO example code, improvements to the EnSight viewset, and wider platform support.
SPECviewperf measures graphics performance for systems running popular CAD/CAM, digital content creation, and visualization applications. Windows, Linux and Unix versions of SPECviewperf 8.1 can be downloaded without charge on the SPEC/GPC web site ( www.spec.org/gpc). Testing results using the new benchmark are also available on the site. SPECviewperf 8.1 results are not comparable to those from previous versions.
A major clean-up of code that has been accrued during a decade of development has dramatically reduced compile time for SPECviewperf 8.1. Code now takes about 20 to 30 seconds to compile, compared with 10 to 12 minutes in SPECviewperf 8. The streamlined code is easier to read and understand, making it a more open tool for performance evaluation use.
Vertex buffer objects – data encapsulated in buffers and stored by the driver in either system or GFX memory – have been added to SPECviewperf 8.1 to help users and vendors prepare for the introduction of VBOs into mainstream applications. No performance results using VBOs will be published on the SPEC/GPC web site until they become a part of applications represented by viewsets within SPECviewperf.
Changes have been made in the CEI EnSight visualization viewset to bring it closer to the behavior of the real application data stream. The new ensight-02 viewset provides the ability to compare display list and immediate mode paths, and additional quality checks for display list results.
SPECviewperf 8.1 will also make the benchmark open to more platforms, with added support of Linux 32 and 64, Solaris X86, and Windows 64.
“We have made significant changes that will have an immediate impact on the user’s experience with SPECviewperf, while also anticipating the future,” says Ian Williams, SPECopc chair. “VBOs have been accepted by the OpenGL ARB [Architectural Review Board] and as the industry makes a transition to PCI-Express and 64-bit platforms we expect their adoption to increase. SPECviewperf 8.1 gives users, ISVs and hardware vendors the opportunity to test performance before VBO applications come to market.”
About SPECviewperf
SPECviewperf measures the 3D rendering performance of systems running under the OpenGL application programming interface (API). The benchmark’s viewsets represent a similar mix of graphics rendering and manipulation found in actual applications. Current viewsets represent graphics functionality in CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, Unigraphics, 3ds max, Maya, EnSight and Lightscape applications.
About SPECopc
SPECopc is a project group of the Graphics Performance Characterization (GPC) Group, which in turn is part of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC). SPEC is a non-profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers. SPEC’s membership includes computer hardware and software vendors, and leading universities and research facilities worldwide.
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