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OpenGL Development: SGI vs Linux
Performance and Cost Comparison
By Ricardo Veguilla
SGI vs Linux

Linux is quickly becoming the
preferred OS for OpenGL and 3D
computer graphics development.

Today, Linux dominates one of SGI’s
most controlled market: Movie Special
Effects.

Why?
SGI and Hollywood

Special effects production pipeline
involves:

The graphic workstation – Computers
used by the artists to create the models
and textures used in the visual effects
sequence.

The render-farm – A computer cluster
dedicated for rendering the images or
animations that form the visual effect
sequence.
SGI’s Market dominance

SGI dominated the market of 3D graphics
solutions during the 80s and 90s.

SGI hardware provided excellent
performance for rendering calculations
combined with a fast video subsystem.

The computer special effects market was
locked-in to SGI’s hardware.

Most of the 3D rendering software was
developed for IRIX (SGI’s UNIX OS).
SGI economics disadvantages

SGI’s workstations are expensive.

Historically FX houses purchased
large amount of SGIs, which were
amortized over several movies
(usually 5 years).
The rise of Lintel (Linux+Intel)
Causes:

The development of Linux (an open
source UNIX clone for the PC) during the
90s.

The continuous performance increase of
the Intel CPUs.

The development of consumer-level 3D
acceleration hardware for the PC driven
by the growing video game market.
Why the switch to Lintel?

Lintel platform provides a higher
cost/performance ratio.

Linux is a POSIX complaint UNIX
clone, porting the software from IRIX
is trivial.

Linux is open-source and runs in
multiple-architectures which greatly
limits the possibility of vendor lock-in.
Lintel economic benefits

Using Lintel, a large portion of the
hardware costs can be recouped with
every movie.

Buying a new render-farm for each
new movie is economically viable.
Not just for the render-farm

Initially Linux was used for renderfarm.

Now it is used for the graphic
workstation as well.

It is even displacing Apple computers
as the standard platform for
video/film editing and compositing.
Results?

Movies created using Lintel:
Titanic
 Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
 The Harry Potter Movies
 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
 Shrek and Shrek 2
 Practically every movie involving specialeffects made after the year 2000

Lintel on other 3D graphics
areas.

The Lintel cost/performance also
benefits the academic/scientific
applications of 3D computer graphics.

Heavily used in automotive and
aeronautics industries for solid
modeling and simulations.
References:
Linux Journal - Industry of Change: Linux Storms
Hollywood

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5472
Computer Graphics World - Linux Invades Hollywood

http://cgw.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Sect
ion=Articles&Subsection=Display&ARTICLE_ID=118664
GU4DEC: Linux at the Movies

http://zenii.linux.org.uk/~telsa/Trips/Talks/g4-films.html
Millimeter - The Little Engine That Could

http://millimeter.com/mag/video_little_engine/index.html
Millimeter - Linux in Hollywood

http://millimeter.com/mag/video_linux_hollywood/index.
html