IMPACT (computer graphics)
| Company type | Graphics architecture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer graphics |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Silicon Graphics |
| Products | Graphics architecture for workstations |
IMPACT (also occasionally written as Impact) is a graphics architecture created by Silicon Graphics in 1995, designed specifically for its premium workstation models. It delivered real-time rendering capabilities for both 2D and 3D graphics that matched the performance of high-end personal computers released several years afterward. IMPACT configurations included one or two Geometry Engines alongside one or two Raster Engines arranged in multiple setups.
This architecture is composed of five key components: the Command Engine, Geometry Subsystem, Raster Engine, framebuffer, and Display Subsystem. It supports display resolutions reaching 1600 by 1200 pixels with 32-bit color depth and is capable of handling uncompressed NTSC and PAL analog video signals.
For the Indigo2 IMPACT workstations, IMPACT was available in three variants: Solid IMPACT, High IMPACT, and Maximum IMPACT. Corresponding models for the SGI Octane workstation were labeled SI, SSI, and MXI (I-series), while later iterations featured updated ASICs named SE, SSE, and MXE (E-series). Texture memory for IMPACT was based on Rambus RDRAM technology.
In 1997, SGI succeeded the IMPACT architecture with its newer VPro graphics system.