In this article, we will delve into the world of Reality Lab to explore its many facets and discover its importance in different contexts. Throughout history, Reality Lab has played a fundamental role in people's lives, impacting the way we relate, work and function in society. From its origins to its relevance today, Reality Lab has been the subject of study and debate, generating endless interpretations and opinions. Through this article, we propose to analyze and reflect on Reality Lab, unraveling its most relevant aspects and offering a critical and comprehensive look that allows us to understand its true scope.
Reality Lab was a 3D computer graphics API created by RenderMorphics to provide a standardized interface for writing games. It was one of the main contenders in the realtime 3D middleware marketplace at the time, alongside Criterion Software's RenderWare and Argonaut Software's BRender.[1]
Reality Lab was a scene graph API providing real-time rendering that would run with acceptable performance on graphics cards or the host computer's CPU.[1]
Founded in 1992 by Servan Keondjian, Doug Rabson and Kate Seekings, RenderMorphics was purchased by Microsoft in February 1995[2] and Reality Lab formed the basis for Direct3D.[3] Microsoft's acquisition statement of RenderMorphics contained a description of Reality Lab:
RenderMorphics' flagship product, Reality Lab(TM), provides high-performance 3-D graphics technology for a variety of personal computer-based games and multimedia applications. Reality Lab has been acclaimed by a wide range of developers, including Autodesk, Creative Labs, Kaleida Labs and Virgin Entertainment.[4]
Architecturally Reality Lab was then separated into a low layer immediate mode API and layered upon it the original scene graph API which was afterwards called retained mode API.[5] Direct3D shipped for the first time in the DirectX 2.0 SDK in June 1996.