computer science

Quantum3D

Quantum3D is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Quantum3D rather than just read about it. In short: Quantum3D Inc. is an American computer graphics company. It was founded in 1997 as a spin-off from 3dfx that was created to bring 3dfx's scalable graphics technologies (the Voodoo family of graphics chips) to the game enthusiast, coin-op/arcade/location-based entertainment (LBE) and visual simulation and training markets.

Key takeaways

Quantum3D belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Quantum3D to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Quantum3D from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Quantum3D Inc. is an American computer graphics company. It was founded in 1997 as a spin-off from 3dfx that was created to bring 3dfx's scalable graphics technologies (the Voodoo family of graphics chips) to the game enthusiast, coin-op/arcade/location-based entertainment (LBE) and visual simulation and training markets. Despite its close relationship with 3dfx in its earlier years, it was founded as an independent, venture-backed company.

History Quantum3D was founded principally by ex-3dfx employees, although it also counted staffers from Gemini Technology, SGI, Intel, Sun Microsystems among its co-founders. The co-founders include Ross Q. Smith, John Archdeacon, Charles "Herb" Kuta, Dan Downum, Phil Huelson, and Dale Stimson. The company's flagship line of Obsidian boards were initially marketed by 3dfx toward the coin-op/LBE market starting in March 1996, based on their Voodoo chipsets. On Quantum3D's foundation, the co-founders acquired the rights to the Obsidian trademark and patents from 3dfx. In 1998, it attempted to market video cards based on the Obsidian technology directly to consumers with the high-end Obsidian2 X-24 and X-16 line of AGP cards, as well as the low-end Obsidian2 S-12 PCI card. The company has developed a range of 3dfx and now Nvidia-based board level and system level products for advanced, realtime 3D graphics and video intensive applications. Quantum3D was instrumental in bringing advanced graphics products to the PC-game enthusiast market, introducing the first graphics cards featuring a dual SLI configuration on one board with the X-24. It also brought commodity PC-based, open architecture systems to both the coin-op/arcade/LBE market and to the visual simulation and training market for both military and commercial applications. In addition, Quantum3D has also been a pioneer in bringing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) graphics subsystems into the embedded visual computing (EVC) market for avionics, vetronics and command and control applications. Concurrent with the sale of 3dfx assets to Nvidia in 2000, Quantum3D switched to Nvidia as its primary graphics technology supplier in early 2001. Since that date, Quantum3D has introduced a number of VSST and EVC products, including the AAlchemy and Independence family of COTS image generators for flight simulation and other training applications as well as the Sentiris PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC), ExpeditionDI dismounted infantry training system, Thermite tactical visual computer and Farsight programs that have resulted in COTS technology being placed in numerous commercial and military avionics and vetronics applications. The company also has a dedicated US Federal subsidiary, CG2, which provides visual computing related services and products to the United States Department of Defense via SBIR and BAA programs. An initial public offering was planned for 2002 but never realized. In 2004, Quantum3D moved its primary 3D-rendering R&D studio from Huntsville, Alabama, to Orlando, Florida. The company is privately held and had approximately 50 employees as of August 2020.

References

Further reading Platoni, Kara (July 1999). "The Pentagon Goes to the Video Arcade". The Progressive. Vol. 63, no. 7. p. 27–30. ProQuest 231950872.

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Quantum3D

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Quantum3D claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Quantum3D before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Quantum3D ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Quantum3D

In research: Quantum3D appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Quantum3D in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Quantum3D is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in San Jose, California, Companies established in 1997, Computer companies of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Quantum3D outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Quantum3D in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Quantum3D means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Quantum3D out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Quantum3D in simple terms?

Why does Quantum3D matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Quantum3D?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Quantum3D.