CompuServe Messages

68040 & VT2.0

    20-Jul-92 19:22:48
Sb: #20733-68040 & VT2.0
Fm: Jim S. Roof 75460,2014
To: Jim Steele 73315,375
Ok guys, here's the scoop on the '040 problem. I am very surprised that no one has really responded to the real problem. Here goes. Forgive my petty arrogance. Lightwave 2.0 was code written specifically for the '882 math chip which is (by my understanding) very good at trigonometric functions and has calls for them. The '040 chip has a different set of calls and does not support the advanced trig functions (these are needed for certain textures and ray-tracing). However, if Lightwave were written for the '040 it would run rings around anything else. I was told that an '040 version running at 28mhz could be FOUR times faster than the '030 version 2.0 running at 33mhz. It would SMOKE!!! The reason for this is that every time Lightwave calls for Trig stuff that the '040 does not do via hardware, it calls to a library and this functions gets done in RAM with the 040's simpler (but much faster) functions. It's here where the slow down occurs. The solution? Just wait. It's coming. Trust me. Jim.lwob