SGI Octane: What can a $30,000 computer from the 90's do ?

In the 90's one company dominated the world of 3d graphics SGI, used in industry, university science labs, and the film and tv industry. They where used to edit and create some of our favourite Films and TV shows (and some terrible ones too).

[thomasbriggs]

So nostalgic for SGI boxes. Irix was my favorite OS of any I have used. I was hugely disappointed to have to switch to NT by around 2000. My friend and mentor Richard Baily rendered the entire building collapse for the film Fight Club on two Octanes in his basement. I helped him a bit with shader development. 24 hours a frame but rock solid.

[philipford]

Here's a true story: Way, way back in the mid 90s, I was wandering about in Central London and happened upon Soho Square. There was SGI's Training Centre (quite close to Paul McCartney's MPL Communications, as it happens). As a young graphic designer with an interest in 3D design I decided (who knows why?) to pop inside SGI 'just to have a look'. Amazingly, not only did I get to have a look about, but one of the sales reps there allowed me to enter the demo room and gave me a free hour or so playing about on a top-end SGI system. He must have known I had no intention of spending any money but was nevertheless perfectly accommodating. I was just a curious young designer dreaming of a system I would never, ever be able to get my eager mitts on in the real world - and yet there I was, not only in SGI's UK HQ but mucking about with one of their top-end systems. This is an experience I have never forgotten, and I have always been especially grateful to that anonymous SGI sales rep. What a guy. What a time.

[markharrisllb]

Why did this come up as an 'ad' rather than a recommendation? First ad I’ve ever purposely clicked on and I ended up subscribing.

[SabrinaSandford]

Thanks for not showing what the $30, 000 computer from the 90's can do in a video called What can a $30, 000 computer from the 90's do.

[atlanteum]

Working at Dreamworks in the late 90s, when animation was still very much in the hybrid world of 2D/3D, I would routinely go home and knock out test shots on my PC in a fraction of the time those agonizingly slow Octanes would take. I remember opening one of their storage rooms once, a little smaller than your average bedroom perhaps, stacked with boxes of Octanes. I said - "Look... two million dollars worth of boat anchors!"

[ian_b]

Intel managed to destroy nearly all of their competition with a product that never worked. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

[lopeo]

I got this as an ad and I ended up liking the channel!

[charleyweinhardt]

It would have been cool if in these 17 minutes we got to see what a $30, 000 computer from the 90s can do...

[tomhaws]

I worked for a computer animation company in the 1980s, where the department I worked in designed our own high end frame buffers to get video into and out of our software and hardware system package. We originally designed for the Sun 3 platform, and later for SGI. We had many SGI machines around, so it was great to take this walk down memory lane. Thanks!

[cbenson]

I feel like Cray was the stuff of legend for casual-computer nerds in the 80's. Silicon Graphics held that title in the 90's. A fun walk down memory lane... cheers.

[PixelPipes]

Maybe the biggest failure of SGI is how much raw talent they leaked out over the years. They spawned more rivals from their own ranks than perhaps any other technology company in history. Great video video though, and nice collection!

[makingtechsense]

SGI came to my high school and showed my computer class one of their systems. It was SO impressive and I so badly wanted to have one, or even work for SGI to be around them. By the time I made it into the professional workforce SGI had all but disappeared.

[djslip_irie]

My buddy's dad had an architect firm that had 5 onyx's, in 95 it was like seeing a Lamborghini. They showed off 3d renders of buildings where you could virtually walk around the design pre build. Was awesome for the time!

[MammaApa]

I studied 3D graphics (mostly then Alias Wavefront Maya) at a university in Sweden 1999-2000, and the classroom we all worked from had all SGI machines running NT, I cannot remember the name of them. What I however discovered fairly fast was that I could run Maya just fine on my newly built mid tier PC at home, so I spent very little time in the actual classroom. I guess the SGI machines in question already was a bit outdated. Another fun thing about that education was that at one point we had a guest teacher, an employee of Alias Wavefront, and one of the first questions he asked the class was: So... how many of you have pirated Maya at home? And a few hands were slowly and reluctantly raised, to which he replied "Good! Then you know what software you want the companies you will be working for later to licence."

[retroaudis]

I was watching LGR and got this video as an ad, perfect timing, and now I’m a subscriber! Love your channel

[irisfailsafe]

SGI also managed to sign an accord with Microsoft in which they gave them all of their IP. Supposedly they were going to develop things together but Microsoft decided instead to go alone and release DirectX

[TheTrueChuckNorris]

My parents met while working at SGI. They were married in 1988 and I was born in 89, same year SGI teamed with Cray. Watching the technology revolution happen in real time, at ground level and as I was growing up, truly felt like I lived in a different world at times. Nostalgic. My brother and I have joked about getting the Silicon Graphics logo tattooed since it was literally our entire world till around 98 or so. Great video

[TongsSung]

As as (relatively) young Flame op, this was awesome to see old Flame running on original hardware. The reels are so iconic- I'm glad they still exist.

[TheJonathanc]

As a geek/nerd kid growing up in the 80s / 90s, having an SGI box was the stuff of my dreams.

[Kendingro]

I can thank being on an LGR video and accidentally tapping the next video button and immediately being shown an SGI machine and now i’m a subscriber. Good content mate. Keep it up.