Criterion Software Ltd has an alliance with Yamaha Corp of America Systems Technology Division to provide low-cost real-time three-dimensional graphics for the PC virtual reality market. Criterion will optimise its RenderWare 3D software rendering library for Yamaha’s new three dimensional graphics chip, the YGV611 (CI No 2,582), and the two will collaborate on future hardware and software architecture to provide improved real-time 3D price-performance. Yamaha’s YGV611 provides 550,000 polygons per second with Gouraud shading, 210,000 polygons per second with texture mapping, up to 32-bit colour support, 16-bit Z buffer support and support for screen resolutions from 320 by 200 to 1,280 by 1,024. Prices for the YGV611 start at $80. A lower system cost version is due shortly and will be software compatible with the YGV611. RenderWare is a three-dimensional graphics applications programming interface for Windows and MS-DOS. It provides real-time three-dimensional graphics on a personal computer without the need for a 3D graphics accelerator.
