RealityEngine
| Company type | Product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer graphics hardware |
| Founded | Early 1990s |
| Founder | Silicon Graphics |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Replaced by InfiniteReality |
| Successor | InfiniteReality |
Area served | Large corporations, academic organizations |
| Products | 3D graphics hardware system |
| Parent | Silicon Graphics |
RealityEngine represents a 3D graphics hardware system created by Silicon Graphics during the early to mid-1990s. Serving as SGI's premium visualization solution for its MIPS/IRIX environment, RealityEngine was specifically engineered for the company's Crimson and Onyx visualization platforms, which were frequently referred to as "graphics supercomputers." This technology primarily catered to large corporations and academic organizations engaged in computer simulations, digital media production, engineering tasks, and scientific research.
Although replaced by the InfiniteReality system in early 1996, RealityEngine continued to be offered as a budget-friendly alternative for existing installations.
RealityEngine
The RealityEngine architecture is composed of a Geometry Engine board, up to four Raster Manager boards, and a DG2 Display Generator board, all interconnected through a midplane within the host machine. The Geometry Engine board features a 50 MHz Intel i860XP processor.
VTX
The VTX model is a lower-cost variant of the RealityEngine platform with reduced capabilities and performance levels. It should not be confused with the VGX or VGXT configurations. The acronym VTX is believed to mean Venice Too eXpensive, referencing the internal codename "Venice" assigned to RealityEngine.
RealityEngine2
RealityEngine2, often written as "RealityEngine2", is an upgraded iteration that includes twelve Geometry Engines rather than eight. This design underpins the Reality Station workstation. In February 1995, SGI lowered the starting price of the Reality Station to around US$179,540.
This version was succeeded by InfiniteReality in early 1996 and incorporates the GE10 Geometry Engine board, RM4 Raster Manager board, and DG2 Display Generator board.