A graphics library to meet the challenge of changing hardware

Describes the Graphics Interface Layer (GIL) of the SPIRIT workstation, a multiprocessor high performance workstation currently being developed by a consortium that includes members from four European countries. The graphics subsystem includes special purpose graphics geometry and rendering processors, the GIL providing a transparent software interface to the range of the possible graphics hardware configurations. The GIL provides the foundation both for the implementation of standard window systems, as well as high performance 3D graphics systems. The system is to be capable of rendering speeds which support real-time animation and interaction with 3D scenes. There are a number of application areas ranging from medical imaging at one end of the spectrum to real-time simulation at the other. The system will support the latest standards in distributed window systems and also the graphics standards. It must also be flexible enough to support new software and standards to emerge in the 1990s and also allow incorporation of new hardware for display, input and graphics computation