[jan-jaap]

I was browsing Issue 11 of IRIS Universe (early 1990) from archive.org

It contains an article on the then-new PowerVision graphics for the PowerSeries, better known as VGX. This article introduces the ImageVision library said to come with PowerVision graphics. It looks like it allows you to offload vector math operations to the graphics pipe rather than running them on the CPU(s):

   

I'm always interested in things to demonstrate the unique capabilities of my old systems, so I dug a little deeper but I can't find a trace of this library. Mind you, I have several versions of the ImageVision library. ImageVision Version 1.0 is for IRIX 4.0 and dated December 1991. The introduction of VGX was in Q1 1990, with IRIX 3.3. Nearly 2 years earlier.

The ImageVision 1.0 CD (part # 812-0040-001, you can find it on jrra.zone) is not a C or Fortran library as described in the article. it's C++ only and deals with images, not vector math. It will install on any graphics hardware, not VGX only. It was ImageVision 2.0 (01/1993) that first introduced "C" bindings.

I can't find any trace of the calls in Table 1 in the GL either.

So, anybody know what happened here?