Wave Issue 0308 3/21/03 Article 4-02

***SPEC/GPC Releases SPECviewperf 7.1 and SPECapc for Solid Edge
v.12 Benchmarks
(March 19)

SPEC/GPC's OpenGL Performance Characterization (SPECopc) project
group today released SPECviewperf 7.1, a new version of its
performance evaluation software that includes dynamic data
changes to better reflect real-world application behavior. In
addition, SPEC/GPC's Application Performance Characterization
(SPECapc) project group has released an updated benchmark for
systems running Solid Edge Version 12 CAD/CAM software from EDS
PLM Solutions. The benchmark and initial testing results from
SPECapc members are available on SPEC's GPC News web site.

SPECviewperf 7.1

SPECviewperf 7.1 introduces new data changes to discourage
optimizations that benefit the benchmark, but might not improve
real-world application performance. The benchmark inserts a
small amount of variation at regular intervals within its
application-based test files, called viewsets. This ensures that
the test system examines and processes each frame individually,
as it would in typical real-world applications.

Also new to the benchmark is a second frame counter that moves
around within the frame. This provides visual verification of
whether frame changes are being rendered.

All SPECviewperf viewsets have been updated to include these
changes, except for ugs-03, which is based on a display-list
application whose data by definition is static. The ugs-03
viewset has been upgraded with new subtests that measure
performance for both aliased and anti-aliased lines.

The frame variation upgrades in SPECviewperf build on the move
last year to generate viewsets from actual application traces,
which brought the benchmark tests closer to reflecting real-world
performance.

As a result of the major revisions, results reported under
SPECviewperf 7.1 cannot be compared with those from SPECviewperf
7.0 or earlier versions of the benchmark.

SPECviewperf 7.1 can be downloaded on SPEC's GPC News web site.
Testing results using the new benchmark are also available on the
site.

SPECviewperf measures the 3D rendering performance of systems
running under the OpenGL application programming interface (API).
The benchmark's viewsets represent a similar mix of graphics
rendering and manipulation found in actual applications. There
are currently six viewsets based on popular applications for
digital content creation, CAD/CAM and visualization.

SPECopc is a project group of the Graphics Performance
Characterization (GPC) Group, which in turn is part of the
Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC). SPEC is a non-
profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a
standardized set of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to
the newest generation of high-performance computers. SPEC's
membership includes computer hardware and software vendors, and
universities and research facilities worldwide.

SPECapc Solid Edge Version 12 CAD/CAM Software

SPECapc for Solid Edge Version 12 is an updated benchmark based
on new features in the software's latest version. The new
version increases the graphics and CPU workloads without
requiring additional memory. EDS PLM Solutions nearly doubled
the number of files in the benchmark's well-head assembly model,
and increased the triangle count from 1.3 to 3.8 million. The
CPU tests now include a re-compute calculation for a part with
500 features and a mass property calculation of the assembly.

SPECapc continues to seek models and benchmarks for leading
software programs in three key application areas: CAD/CAM/CAE,
visualization, and digital content creation (DCC).

www.spec.org/gpc