Standards in computer graphics

GKS, which recently became the International Standards Organization (ISO) standard for computer graphics programming, is the first of a set of interlocking graphics standards. This paper outlines the important ideas behind GKS, describes its relationship with other standards and discusses the benefits of standardization.     

Coordinate-free computer graphics

This paper describes the graphical programming language tuna. tuna is a superset of fortran IV, designed for the writing of interactive graphics programs. The datatype graphical has been added to fortran along with operators which allow the writing of graphical expressions. These operators perform coordinate-free operations such as intersection, concatenation, rotation, and superposition. Other extensions include graphical Boolean operators and statements for communicating with an interactive terminal and light pen.Graphical entities are treated as primitive, rather than as sequences of Cartesian coordinate pairs. The construction operators in tuna are more closely related to the operations of the draftsman than to the algebraic operations of analytic geometry.Pictures are logical trees of points, lines, and subpictures; either DYNAMIC (changing as their subcomponents change) or STATIC. The data structure required to implement this is completely transparent to the programmer.     

Everyday computer graphics

If AR becomes universal, then we can use it for casual, small things that will make our daily lives a bit easier. One of the more logical uses for AR is communication. For example, as many authors have observed, it would be handy to leave notes for each other in cyberspace, yet attach them to physical objects or locations. I suggest some of the applications that I'd like to have available for personal or individual use on an everyday basis. They communicate to users without text. Instead, graphics do all the work.     

Crystal gazing in computer graphics

We, the people, are in the midst of the age of the computer. We are at the beginning of the age of computer graphics. This article will crystal gaze upon a few of the areas of life which are beginning to be and soon will be very affected by computer graphics. Topics vary from homes and cities; hardware and animation; Congress and business; and architecture and drafting to art. These show that the future uses of computer graphics are limited only by the imagination.

Underlying the whole gamut is the theme that computer graphics must be user oriented! The application user must not be required to know anything about computers or their languages or how to manipulate complex mathematics!     

Current trends in computer graphics

A look at the trends in computer graphics is given by analyzing important areas that affect the progress of graphics like hardware, input and output devices for graphics, programming languages, systems developments and advances in techniques and algorithms for computer graphics. Then attention is given to new and expanded application areas for the future, as well as some problems that will persistently confront people working in graphics.     

Implementation of computer graphics exercises in freshman engineering graphics education

The rising application of computer-aided design (CAD) in the industrial environment has precipitated an interest in computer graphics for engineering education. At the University of Texas at Austin, a computer graphics laboratory has been established that is primarily dedicated to freshman engineering graphics education. The laboratory is currently equipped with eight Hewlett-Packard 2647 A intelligent graphics terminals. Five software modules have been developed to introduce the student to the graphics terminal and to demonstrate its capabilities for making engineering drawings. The modules permit the construction of line drawings, pictorials, graphs and charts on the CRT terminal without requiring any programming skill on the part of the student. The laboratory exercises have been successfully used by over 1000 engineering graphics students during the first two semesters of implementation. This paper describes the efforts to date in organizing and implementing this freshman computer graphics laboratory.     

Kinematics with computer graphics

The impact which computer graphics can have on engineering education is illustrated in this paper by considering the subject area of kinematics. Details of the mathematical modeling needed to support the generation of motion curves and computer graphics simulation for kinematic analysis are given, and a comparison is made with the current popular methods of analysis. Several results of computer graphic displays are given to illustrate the wide variety of situations where computer graphics can add to the teaching and understanding of kinematics.     

The business of computer graphics

As 1999 ended, total computer graphics revenues reached $71.7 billion. Applications include CAD/CAM/CAE, art, animation, multimedia, real-time simulation, scientific visualization, graphics arts and virtual reality. As we move into the next millennium, the computer graphics industry will continue to evolve and grow. I forecast that in the year 2000, revenues worldwide will reach $81.7 billion and grow to $149.2 billion by 2005. Web graphics is one of the fastest growing segments. I forecast that about 6.4% of the 2000 world-wide computer graphics revenues and about 9.2% of the 2005 world-wide revenues will come from Internet/intranet application products and services. Certainly, the Internet will affect distribution techniques. In addition to the Internet opportunities, computer graphics can expect to benefit from a number of other “revolutions”, such as the growth of embedded computers, handhelds, DVD, HDTV and wearable computers     

Four decades of computer graphics

Starting from a single display giving test-data feedback on MIT's Whirlwind system, computer graphics grew to a multibillion-dollar industry that revolutionized human-computer communication. Cutting across all application areas-whether engineering and scientific, or business and arts/entertainment-are the fundamental technologies and business issues of computer graphics. The increasing power of the personal computer and the enormous numbers currently installed-on the order of 100 million-provide a tempting base for investment and growth. The author expects selectively healthy industry growth through the end of this decade. Annual growth in the early 1990s has been about 12 percent. How long double digit compound revenue growth can continue, in view of the continuing price pressure, is not clear. However, the author expects to see 10 percent annual unit growth for at least the next five years (1994-99). Certainly, companies continue to form, although professional investors now seem to favor software over hardware start-ups. In particular, companies specializing in graphical user interfaces, object-oriented programming, VR, and parallel processing software appear attractive to investors     

The mathematics of computer graphics

Until relatively recently, researchers in computer graphics paid scant attention to the numerics of their computations. Computation was used as a simple tool to evaluate algorithms or transform data into some appropriate pictoral representation. Thus standard computer graphics texts have little to say about numerical methods, just as earlier numerical analysis textbooks had little to say about computer graphics. This is now changing, for the important reasons outlined in this paper.     

The business of computer graphics

The development of computer graphics products and the growth of the market for those products during the 1980s are reviewed. It is asserted that the market can sustain at least 10%-per-year dollar volume growth over the next five years, and it is estimated that US supplier shipments will exceed $40 billion by 1995, with the highest growth coming from software and systems, closely followed by workstations and PCs. Particulars are given to support these forecasts     

Interactive computer aided design using computer graphics

The development of a software system for general network design using interactive computer graphics poses many problems, which must be solved in a way consistent with the principles of man-machine communication as applied to network design, so as to obtain a system suited both to networks of any nature and also to any type of network design technique.This paper states the principles influencing the development of such a system and presents the design decisions made and the one implementation.     

Using color effectively in computer graphics

In computer graphics, judicious use of colors helps to get the message across. Using several tasks that engage the user in different ways as examples, this tutorial outlines principles for using color effectively in computer graphics. These principles offer a starting point for color choices in the context of user-centered designs. The tutorial provides color selection guidelines based on biological, psychological and technological considerations. Each section ends with a few general guidelines for color selection, summarizing the main points discussed. Prototyping and usability assessment will help you refine and verify your own color choices for each application