#Pentium Bug
8 messages in this thread
Does anyone think the Pentium bug will have any effect on the
operation of 3D Studio?
It will have no effect on 3D Studio.
– Jack
Pardon if this is a 'dumb' question… The problem, so I have heard,
is with floating point calculations. I thought that most graphics
packages use floating point a lot. With out too much detail <g> why
will 3DS not be effected? Thanks (Inquiring minds want to know).
3DS is absolutely unaffected by the Pentium FPU bug. Why? Because
3DS only uses single-precision math, and you have to move into
double-precision land to even get into the FPU bug's ballpark.
Today's NY Times, Business Section, says that a major NY Bank has found
calculation errors from their Pentium PC, a L.I. Multi-Media Company had
problem with a Graphics program, and Brookhaven Labs have found errors. Intel
Stock dropped $3.50 at the close on Friday!
Judy
Luckily, 3DS uses single-precision and integer math… We get our speed from
all the ways we DON'T depend upon the FPU, and that extra work certainly pays
off for us now.
– G
How right you are 🙂
Judy
It's theoretically possible for 3DS to be hit by the Pentium bug. Product
Support has not seen one case of it. ACAD product support, (ACAD uses double
precision math vs 3D Studio's single precision) has not seen a single error
that can be attributed to this FPU problem.
There is a lookup table in the Pentium which is accessed when specific
combinations of numbers are divided. The lookup table does not have the
correct info in this table and the error occurs.
Gus Grubba has made some good analogies about this problem and the likelihood
of it occurring. (So far, I haven't heard of any Lottery Jackpot users with 3D
Studio!!!)
Autodesk has a FAX back system about the FPU: 415/507-5595. Select option 2,
after dialing this number, and get document number 852.