Glaze3D - A Bit of History

[mboeller]

Hi;

is any information about the Matrix-AA available? A few weeks ago I tried to find any information about it but without luck.

 

[Dave]

mboeller,

Years ago I wrote a paper for Bitboys that covered the use of EDRAM and Matrix AA. That was actually what led to my hiring post-3dfx. Unfortunately that paper was never released in full. They wanted to scaled back so as not to release as many technical details and so I revised it at that point.

This looks to be the patent information on it http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7061507-claims.html As for the paper I wrote, I think it is forever lost. Unless somebody over at Bitboys (AMD) still has a copy. If so, I'd love to have one.

 

[Davros]

was it true that they handed the first chip design to the fab/investors/somebody important written on a paper napkin ?

 

[IdaGno]

The story is pretty sad. So many disappointments and so many close calls that fell through... And the worst part is that they designed a few generations of very interesting stuff that could've seriously influenced the market if it had worked out.

Yup. The last time I was ever a hardware fanboy. Made the Dukenuke'emforever thing seem substantial.

Wiki has a pretty good Glaze3D article.

 

[Nappe1]

Yes, I know this is old thread...
Too bad I missed this, I think I might have something to tell about as well...

Not that it does make any difference, what's past, is past and that's it. The guys were close so many times.

I too had extra Avalanche3D (development name "AXE") rev-A chip about two years, but because the guy who I planned to give it never contacted to me, it went to extremely happy ex-Beyond3D'er in Denmark.

Last time I checked, no production PCB was manufactured for AXE, (not to mention Dual variation) but all PCBs were for testing purposes. Again follower of AXE, codenamed as Hammer, went as well quite far from design point of view, but the company ran out of money and had to figure out something else. Certain insiders still talk about story where some screwed up company have make something to survive and when NEC gives a call to them, one of the founder guys builds alone SVG hardware implementation on FPGA during his 1 week summer vacation and guys at Japan are impressed enough.

And It's still a bit of mystery who licensed the occlusion culling technology planned for Hammer. It did vanish (my sources say it had to be removed by request of client) from Bitboys site just 15-20 minutes after release and afaik, only Ceiser Söze here was able to retain the pages.

Dave, if you read this, it was great time. Though it was close that I would have ruined my engineer education, I would not change a day. Yet, it would be nice to hear what you are doing nowadays and perhaps even meet, whenever I might be in the states or you in europe, So drop me email at lasse(dot)karkkainen(at)kymp(dot)net.


anyways, I am so out from anything considering 3D HW that my posts here are becoming rather rare. (something tells alreadythat I did not notice Bitboys thread until now.)