SPECviewperf Gets Major Upgrade

By DE Editors

SPECviewperf 9 is a new version of the performance evaluation software from the SPEC/GPC’s OpenGL Performance Characterization (SPECopc)project group (Warrenton, VA). SPECopc is a project of the GraphicsPerformance Characterization (GPC) Group, which in turn is part of theStandard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC). SPEC is a non-profitcorporation formed to establish, maintain, and endorse a standardizedset of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generationof high-performance computers.

The software is intended to aid in evaluation of systems runningpopular CAD/CAM, digital content creation, and visualizationapplications. According to a press release, Version 9 represents amajor upgrade to the benchmarking software, featuring two new viewsets,a totally restructured viewset, and code changes that bring the testingenvironment much closer to the realities experienced by applicationusers.

New viewsets in SPECviewperf 9 are based on traces of UGS TeamcenterVisualization Mockup, a conceptual design application, and UGS NX 3, aCAD/CAM application. Both new viewsets use very large and complexmodels: up to 11 million vertices in the Teamcenter VisualizationMockup viewset, and 30 million vertices in the NX 3 viewset.

A significant change in SPECviewperf 9 is the use of glDrawElementsinstead of glArrayElement within the restructured Maya viewset. Withthe change, SPECviewperf 9 follows the same OpenGL command stream asMaya 6.5, handling graphics data in the same way as the actualapplication.

SPECviewperf 9 includes the following new features that enable it tomore closely mirror typical application performance: larger, morecomplex viewsets that place greater stress on graphics hardware; memoryand list allocation improvements that allow data to be reused andshared in the same manner as within actual applications; bettercompression, enabling the inclusion of larger viewsets; and mixing ofprimitive types and graphics modes.

Initial performance testing results and free downloads are available on the SPEC/GPC web site, spec.org/gpc.

Sources: Press materials received from the company. Additional information gleaned from the company’s website.