==course no. 13 === 

Causes and Cures of Performance Anxiety in Graphics Systems 

course level: intermediate / full
day offered: Monday

Chair(s): Eileen McGinnis - Sun Microsystems, Inc.
 - 

==Lecturer(s)===
Bob Sproull
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

James Shuder
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Dave Cooper
Hewlett Packard

Eileen McGinnis
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Kevin Weiler
Kubota Pacific Computer Corp.

==Course Description===
The historical evolution of graphics systems will be presented along with 
in-depth 
presentations on architectural, accelerator level, systems level (network 
etc.) and 
application level aspects of using graphics systems.  Emphasis will be on 
performance 
and the concentration will be on total system thruput, not the performance 
of any specific 
area.  Attendees will be exposed to many aspects of and issues surrounding 
graphics 
API/systems, with an emphasis on immediate mode. Both application and 
underlying 
systems aspects will be addressed.

Some of the topic covered will be: choosing an API, structuring 
applications, advantages 
and drawbacks of immediate mode graphics, architectural issues involved 
in coordinating 
other graphics services (imaging, realistic rendering, animation), the 
impact of graphics 
requirement on state of the art systems architectures, and the benefits of 
objected oriented 
approaches.

==Who Should Attend===
This tutorial is for both system level and application designers.  Designers 
of graphics 
APIs or systems to support them should attend, as well as those designing 
an 
application/graphics API interface or individuals selecting an API to match 
application 
requirements.

==Recommended Background (Prerequisites)===
Attendees should understand common components of graphics support 
systems and APIs 
.  Information is presented from an architectural, not implementation, 
viewpoint.   The 
material is of moderate difficulty due to its architectural abstraction and 
system-wide 
scope, not depth in any particular area.

==Course Objectives===
A lack of system understanding leads to poor design choices, and 
unexpected bottlenecks. 
After this course, attendees will be  better able to design or use an  graphics 
API or 
architect the system within which an graphics API will run.  They should 
be able to avoid 
performance and functional pitfalls, and exploit available features to their 
fullest.   
Immediate mode graphics systems, (as opposed to display list systems) will 
be 
emphasized.


==Chair Biography===
Eileen McGinnis is an Engineering Manager at Sun Microsystems.  Over 
the last 14 
years, she has been designing graphics API's, and systems to support them, 
including real 
time motion, video, realistic rendering, imaging, and color support 
systems.  She has been 
active in the development of many vendor defined Immediate Mode 
graphics interfaces, 
and in the public definitions of Core, GKS, PHIGS, PHIGS+, and PEX and 
RenderMan.  
She is the head of the US delegation to ISO in the area of Graphics APIs.  
Eileen received 
an MS math and MSCS from Stanford.