040-25 vs. 486-50 ???
10-Jun-93 09:28:03
Sb: #58553-040-25 vs. 486-50 ???
Fm: Jim S. Roof 75460,2014
To: Jonathan Hirschman 70274,2526
Well, let's get quantitative. I have two platforms, an Amiga 2000HD
with a 33 mhz 68040 and a PC clone 386 25. The '040 cranks out about
25 MIPS and about 4.5 mflops. It is faster at raytracing than my 386
is at crude shading. I created a scene of 16 lightbulbs, each
consisting of 3000 polys. The bulbs were reflecting each other in
shadowless raytracing and the scene renders in about seven minutes of
1504×960 resolution. I did a 360 frame animation in less than two
days.
If you are into 3D stuff, I believe that this is one area where the
Amiga has good development. Lightwave is now a part of Spielberg's
arsenal and the future is bright for good things to happen with this
product. IMHO the only other alternative is spend big bucks and go
SGI.
Jim Roof
PS. Actually, some raytracing can get horrendously difficult. But
that 386 just really gets bogged down (and yes, I do have a
co-processor).