Fast Fourier Transforms and the GVX

[baskett%forest at SGI.COM]

The new graphics subsystem is VGX, not GVX.  It is also refered to by
the product literature as PowerVision.  It contains an "ImageVision
Library" for FFT's, image rotations, warps, and convolutions directly
in the graphics pipeline.  It does not use FFT chips in the graphics
pipeline; it uses special code in the geometry subsystem to apply its
128 mflops to image processing problems like FFT.  As to what FFT's are
used for in graphics processing, one perhaps needs to include image
processing as part of graphics processing.  The general trend in
general purpose graphics workstations is to include more and more high
performance graphics functionality in base systems thus making special
purpose systems less often required.  We are trying to participate in
this trend.  We believe the VGX has several new features that are
examples of this trend, the imageVision library being one of them.

Forest Baskett
Silicon Graphics