13.016 Introduction to Geometric Modeling and Computation

Graphics Software

The first graphics software provided a direct interface to the hardware.

• For vector graphics, this meant that the program had to supply a sequence of screen coordinates.
• For raster graphics, the program had to set the appropriate pixel values.
  • Scan conversion

Software Standards

Initially, various proprietary packages became de facto standards.

• CalComp HBCS
• Tektronix 4010

These commercial standards were tied to specific hardware systems. For example, the Tektronix 4010 standard assumed a low bandwidth communications channel, necessitating a coordinate encoding scheme based on the maximum screen resolution. When the resolution was increased with the 4014 display, Tektronix had to introduce an elaborate extension to the encoding scheme.

In the mid-1970's, efforts began to create device independent standards under the auspices of official standards groups (e.g. ANSI, ISO) or non-commercial organizations (e.g. ACM SIGGRAPH).

• Core Graphics System, 1977
• Graphic Kernal System (GKS), 1985
• Programmers Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System (PHIGS), 1988

Unfortunately, due to the delays necessary to fulfill national or international rules for standards development, these standards tended to be technologically outdated before they were formally introduced.

The most useful (and the most used) standards remain those introduced quickly by commercial firms or small academic groups.

• OpenGL, SGI
• PostScript, Adobe Systems
• Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), W3 Consortium
• X, MIT/X Consortium

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