Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1574
48 May 2009 and professionals who create high-quality imagery is now integrated into Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 software. Mental Ray 3.7+ also now employs the MetaSL univer- sal shader language, enabling artists to develop shaders that run on all popular software and hardware platforms. The Mental Mill Artist Edition software from Mental Images is also bundled with Autodesk 3ds Max 2010. The software enables users to natively render MetaSL- based shaders in 3ds Max 2010 using its existing nodes. Version 3.7+ boasts progressive rendering for immediate feed- back, image-based lighting, procedural bidirectional reflectance distribution func- tion representations and rendering, and hair approximation. Mental Images; www.mentalimages.com Displays Take It to the Wall NEC Display Solutions of America has unveiled the 46-inch MultiSync X461UN, its latest ultra-narrow, large-format professional display. Its ultra-narrow bezel makes it well suited for video-wall applications. The screen-to-screen distance between two neighboring Multi- Sync X461UN displays is just 7.3 milli- meters. MultiSync X461UN displays in a 10x10 video-wall matrix would deliver a total surface area of roughly 645 square feet. Any of a variety of NEC's large- format accessories can be used with and fully integrated into the X461UN expansion slot. An optional SpectraView IIT color calibration kit (NEC SVII-PRO- KIT) verifies that tiled X461UN displays sport identical color settings, ensuring color uniformity across multiple screens. NEC's Network Control and Communi- cation feature provides remote display management, including automatic e-mail notifications. The MultiSync X461UN is now shipping with a three-year parts and labor warranty at an estimated price of $6000. NEC Display Solutions of America; www.necdisplay.com Graphics BoarDs Pro Family Nvidia has introduced its next generation of Quadro professional GPU solutions. The 4 gb Quadro FX 5800 and Quadro FX 4800 ultra-high-end graphics boards are designed to provide high-performance visualization and advanced capabilities to professionals working with large-scale models and data sets. The single-slot Quadro FX 3800 brings such features as SLI Multi-OS and SDI support for an inter- active visualization experience, whereas the mid-range Quadro FX 1800 offers attractive price performance for workstation graphics. The Quadro FX 580 and Quadro FX 380 are professional-class graphics solutions for CAD and digital content applications. The Quadro NVS 295 business graphics board supports up to two 30-inch digital displays at maximum resolutions. The lineup takes advantage of Nvidia SLI Multi-OS, a new technology that enables 3D worksta- tion virtualization on the Quadro GPU. Nvidia; www.nvidia.com storaGe RAID Fusion Sonnet Technologies presents two new RAID storage systems: the Fusion DX800RAID and Fusion F3. The Sonnet Fusion DX800RAID is a high-performance, eight-drive SATA storage system with a built-in Serial Attached SCSI expander. The system enables up to 16 eight-drive enclosures to connect to a single Sonnet RAID controller, increasing storage capacity regardless of the number of available PCI Express slots. With its eight preinstalled, 3.5-inch RAID/Enterprise edition hard-drive modules formatted as a RAID 5 group, Fusion DX800RAID can achieve read and write file transfer speeds of up to 680 mb/sec and 640mb/sec, respectively. The Fusion F3 RAID storage system combines two high-performance 3.5-inch SATA drives to deliver 1 tb, 2tb, or 3tb capacities for use in desktop or portable video editing systems, high-end A/V racks, and mobile television trucks. The Fusion F3 can be configured as RAID 0, RAID 1, or JBOD, and it offers platform independence, an eSATA inter- face for maximum speed, FireWire 800 for medium speed, and FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 for flexibility. Sonnet Technologies; www.sonnettech.com projectors 3D Stereoscopy Projectiondesign has debuted high-perfor- mance 3D stereoscopic projectors for 3D, gaming, effects, and digital media display applications. The F32 1080 INFITEC is a professional-grade stereo 3D projec- tor designed for graphically challenging applications, such as multi-channel visu- alization walls, domes, and high-resolution imaging. The F10 AS3D active stereo 3D projector combines a single-lens chassis, a 120 hz refresh rate, and 1080p compatibil- ity for scientific visualization and simulation, video and film production, and DI and VFX creation. Both new single-chip DLP projec- tors are now shipping. Projectiondesign; www.projectiondesign.com HARDWARE LINUX UNIX