Renesas Technology Releases "OpenGL ES Library" 3-D Graphics Software for SH-Mobile3 Application Processor

Facilitates easy development of a wide variety of 3-D applications by maximizing high-performance 3-D accelerator capabilities via a standard API 

Tokyo, November 24, 2004 -- Renesas Technology Corp. today announced the development of the OpenGL^® ES^*1 Library 3-D graphics software for the company's SH-Mobile3 high-end application processor. A development solution for multimedia applications for mobile phone systems, OpenGL ES Library will be available from December 2004 in Japan.

OpenGL ES Library conforms to the OpenGL^® ES 3-D graphics programming interface standard. It is designed to maximize the capabilities of the PowerVR^® MBX-Lite^*2 high-performance 3-D accelerator built into the SH-Mobile3.

The OpenGL ES Library offers the following features.

(1)	With OpenGL ES V1.0 compliant API, enabling improvement of application development efficiency and reducing development time
	OpenGL is practically the industry standard API for 3-D rendering on PCs and workstations. OpenGL ES is a subset of OpenGL and is designed for applications for embedded devices such as mobile phones. OpenGL ES Library is OpenGL ES V1.0 compliant and fully supports both Common-Lite Profile and Common Profile. It provides improved application development efficiency and reduces development time for 3-D applications because it conforms to the industry standard API.
(2)	Easy development of sophisticated applications using maximizes capabilities of PowerVR MBX-Lite
	OpenGL ES Library is optimized to extract the full performance of the PowerVR MBX-Lite 3-D accelerator built into the SH-Mobile3. Thus, while conforming to the standard API, OpenGL ES Library can realize performance of 500,000 polygons per second or better when the accelerator is operating at its maximum frequency of 54 MHz. This level of rendering capability delivers top-quality 3-D graphics on a QVGA-size screen and makes it easy to develop a wide variety of sophisticated 3-D applications.

Product Background

In recent years mobile phone systems have come to employ an expanded range of multimedia applications incorporating video and audio content. At the same time, there is strong demand for multimedia applications with improved image quality, both to differentiate a company's products with those of its competitors and to provide customers with a higher level of service. As a result of this trend, higher quality 3-D rendering functions have come to be seen as an important technology for gaining advantage over the competition in the years ahead. Such technology can be used in the development of games, wallpapers, and videophone capabilities, among other applications.

As a specification for 3-D rendering, the OpenGL graphics API has practically attained the status of a worldwide standard for PCs and workstations. The OpenGL specification has been codified by the Khronos Group, and OpenGL ES is a subset of it designed for the development of applications for embedded devices such as mobile phones. OpenGL ES is expected to become the standard for developing applications incorporating 3-D rendering functions for embedded devices, and support for it is therefore becoming indispensable.

Renesas Technology produces the SH-Mobile Series^*3 of processors specifically for mobile phone applications. The top model in the SH-Mobile Series, SH-Mobile3, has a maximum operating frequency of 216 MHz and incorporates the PowerVR MBX-Lite high-performance 3-D graphics accelerator.

OpenGL ES Library was developed as a development solution for applications employing the PowerVR MBX-Lite.

Product Details

OpenGL ES Library runs on the ¥ìITRON ^*4 4.0 operating system.

For application developers, the ability to use an API conforming to OpenGL ES V1.0 means that they can make use of programming technology developed for the PC when creating applications for mobile phones. This provides substantial gains in terms of application development efficiency and portability.

In addition, OpenGL ES Library is optimized to extract top performance from the PowerVR MBX-Lite 3-D graphics accelerator. This makes it possible to achieve rendering performance of 500,000 polygons per second or better when the accelerator is operating at its maximum frequency of 54 MHz, sufficient for top-quality 3-D graphics on a QVGA-size screen. Developers can create a wide variety of 3-D applications featuring rapid and smooth movement of graphical elements.

OpenGL ES Library comprises five principal components: (1) an operating system-dependent component, (2) an MBX-Lite driver component, (3) display driver components for LCD panels, etc., (4) window manager components, and (5) the main OpenGL ES component. Of these, the display driver components (3) and window manager components (4) can be customized by the user to be compatible with a variety of different display systems. This makes it easy to implement changes to accommodate a specific display system and enhances development efficiency.

OpenGL ES Library will be distributed as a software development kit (SDK) combining user-defined segments and library segments in order to allow embedding in Renesas Technology's HEW (High-performance Embedded Workshop) integrated development environment. This will allow users to get started with application development immediately after installing the SDK.

Renesas Technology plans to continue to supply application development solutions in the years ahead in order to provide users with environments and software that enable enhanced development efficiency.

Note:	1.	OpenGL® ES: OpenGL is a programming interface for 3-D graphics processing developed principally by Silicon Graphics Inc. of the United States. Its outstanding feature is its cross-platform compatibility. OpenGL ES is an API that corresponds to a subset of OpenGL and is designed for embedded devices. The OpenGL specification was codified and is being promoted by the Khronos Group. Khronos Group Web site URL: http://www.khronos.org/ OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc. used by permission by Khronos.
¡¡	2.	PowerVR® MBX-Lite: This is a 3-D graphics IP from Imagination Technologies, Ltd., of the United Kingdom. PowerVR is a registered trademark of Imagination Technologies, Ltd.
¡¡	3.	SH-Mobile (SuperH¢â Mobile Application Processor): This processor for mobile phone systems from Renesas Technology connects to a baseband LSI and is designed specifically for multimedia applications incorporating audio and video. SuperH is a trademark of Renesas Technology Corp.
¡¡	4.	¥ìITRON: TRON stands for "The Real-time Operating System Nucleus" and ¥ìITRON for "Micro Industrial TRON."

* Other product names, company names, or brands mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Typical Applications

- Mobile phone systems using SH-Mobile3

Specifications

Item	Specifications of OpenGL ES Library for SH-Mobile3
Support device	SH-Mobile3
Support operating system	HI7700/4 (Renesas Technology Corp.): ¥ìITRON 4.0 operating system
Functions	3-D graphics rendering, display, and associated memory management - Multitexture support - Support for screen sizes up to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels - 32-bit color (both texture and frame buffers)
Rendering performance	500,000 polygons per second or better at 54 MHz operation
Work memory	Min. 3 Mbytes

Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.