NEW ORLEANS, SIGGRAPH, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- SGI's (NYSE: SGI)
long-time customer, Pixar Animation Studios (Nasdaq: PIXR), has made a
significant purchase of more than 250 powerful new Silicon Graphics(R)
Octane2(TM) visual workstations for production of its fourth animated feature
film, Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc., targeted for a Holiday 2001 release.
The Silicon Graphics Octane2 visual workstation, introduced by SGI last
month, is a new desktop line with more visualization power than any other
UNIX(R) workstation. Octane2 brings together the most robust implementation of
SGI(TM) VPro(TM) graphics; an optimized crossbar architecture; the latest
high-performance MIPS(R) RISC processor; and multiple industry-first features
for power users in technical and creative professions. Pixar is providing
these workstations to its entire digital content creation team, who will use
the workstations for 3D modeling, painting and animation.
"We've always looked to SGI to provide the most advanced visualization
technology," said Greg Brandeau, vice president of Computer Operations for
Pixar Animation Studios. "We chose Octane2 for its unmatched speed, power
and features that enable us to produce a more visually-rich film. These
important tools will help our animators manipulate complex models and
images, as well as complete the film on time and within budget."
"Pixar Animation Studios' selection of Octane2 as its production platform
for Monsters, Inc. tells us that we're on target and consistently delivering
the kinds of visual graphics products that make a difference in keeping our
customers at the top of their industries," said Greg Estes, vice president
and general manager, Telecommunications and Media Group, SGI.
Exceptional Accuracy with VPro Graphics for IRIX
VPro graphics for IRIX(R) is available only with the new Octane2 visual
workstations and comes in two configurations -- Octane2 V6 with 32MB of
configurable graphics memory and Octane2 V8 with 128MB of configurable
graphics memory. VPro graphics for IRIX is particularly robust and
full-featured, with high geometry performance, fast pixel fill rate and
excellent image quality. The V6 graphics are well-suited to Pixar's 3D
modeling and animation applications. The V8 configuration offers even more
advanced imaging and exceptional color and shading accuracy. The V8 also
supports extremely large and precise images and offers the most advanced
texturing performance available from SGI on the desktop.
"SGI's Octane2 makes it possible for the digital painters and shading and
lighting technical directors to each have a workstation where they can see
every pixel of every frame on a 24-inch monitor," said Brandeau. "Our
artists can manipulate larger-size textures and images and push to the next
level of realism with the characters they create."
"We worked closely with our customers to deliver the technology innovation
found in the Octane2 product line," said Estes. "Octane2 delivers for Pixar
where it counts -- deep pixel resolution for highly accurate imaging work and
visual precision."
About SGI
SGI provides a broad range of high-performance computing and advanced
graphics solutions that enable customers to understand and conquer their
toughest computing problems. SGI's entertainment, media and broadband
Internet solutions enable customers to expand their business
in Media Commerce(TM) -- transacting content over a vast range of networks.
Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with offices worldwide, the company
is located on the Web at http://www.sgi.com.
About Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios combines creative and technical artistry to create
original characters and stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar
created and produced the first computer-animated feature film, the Academy
Award(R)-winning Toy Story, released in 1995. Pixar has since released two
more animated features: A Bug's Life, the highest grossing animated film
released in 1998; and Toy Story 2, the highest grossing animated film released
in 1999. The studio is currently in production on its fourth animated feature,
Monsters, Inc., targeted for a Holiday 2001 release.
Silicon Graphics, Octane and IRIX are registered trademarks, and SGI, the
SGI logo, Media Commerce, Octane2 and VPro are trademarks, of Silicon
Graphics, Inc. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. used
under license by Silicon Graphics, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the
United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open
Company, Ltd. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their
respective owners.
SOURCE SGI
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http://www.sgi.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/795806.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 795806
CONTACT:
Lisa Pistacchio of SGI, 650-933-5683, or
pistacchio@sgi.com; SGI PR, 650-933-7777, or fax, 650-932-0737;
or Kim Cannon of Pixar, 510-620-3475 or kcannon@pixar.com
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