Showing papers on "Graphics published in 1973"

The Use of Faces to Represent Points in k- Dimensional Space Graphically

Abstract: A novel method of representing multivariate data is presented. Each point in k-dimensional space, k≤18, is represented by a cartoon of a face whose features, such as length of nose and curvature of mouth, correspond to components of the point. Thus every multivariate observation is visualized as a computer-drawn face. This presentation makes it easy for the human mind to grasp many of the essential regularities and irregularities present in the data. Other graphical representations are described briefly.

Computer Processing of Line Drawings.

Abstract: : The paper describes various forms of line-drawing representation, compares different schemes of quantization, and reviews the manner in which a line drawing can be extracted from a tracing or a photographic image. The subjective aspects of a line drawing are examined. Different encoding schemes are compared, with emphasis on the so-called chain code which is convenient for highly irregular line drawings. The properties of chain-coded line drawings are derived, and algorithms are developed for analyzing line drawings to determine various geometric features. Procedures are described for rotating expanding, and smoothing line structures, and for establishing the degree of similarity between two contours by a correlation techniques. Some of the applications described include map matching, optimum two-dimensional layout, the searching of a contour map for a specific terrain elevation profile, and the automatic assembly of jig-saw puzzles. (Author)

Computer-aided graphics system including a computerized material control system and method of using same

Abstract: Description is hereinafter had to a digital computer-aided graphics system for producing in a plane having two-dimensional coordinate axes a planar representation of a three-dimensional pipeline described in easy-to-understand coded input format as a series of workpoints paired into overlapping sets, each set containing a dominant and subservient point identified by relative three-dimensional coordinates. This system features automatic selection of valves and fittings for use within the pipeline in accordance with service requirements of the line; automatic calculation of all three-dimensional coordinates of workpoints as well as mating workpoints derived therefrom; automatic provision of isometric coordinates and generation of command signals to select the best view for plotting; automatic creaction of lists of materials in easy-to-understand symbols; automatic monitoring of all material piping items of interest; automatic generation of up-to-date status reports; and automatic creation of purchase orders, as required.

Versatile Interactive Graphics Display System for Molecular Modelling by Computer

Abstract: THE intricacies of constructing molecular models of macro-molecules based on coordinates determined by X-ray crytallography has become a major task in itself, particularly now that a large number of protein structures has been determined. The combination of a computer and a graphics display terminal can be a powerful tool in studies of macro-molecules. Several computer-based systems for the display of molecular structures have been described which differ greatly1–5 and it was recently suggested that smaller computers can provide adequate capability6.

Software for satellite graphics systems

Abstract: This paper has four purposes. Each is addressed in one of the four following sections. In section 2 the motivations for satellite graphics are briefly summarized. Section 3 briefly reviews the past and current technological developments which have made satellite graphics possible. Having set the stage with these two reviews, in section 4 various interactive graphics programming systems which use satellites are presented, evaluated, and found lacking. The basic theme of the section is that hardware technology has outpaced software technology. The fifth section describes several projected improvements to software technology which will substantially narrow or eliminate the hardware-software gap

Graphics and computer-aided design in aerospace

Abstract: In 1964, certain hardware developments in graphics equipment were announced by IBM. The interest of management of the Lockheed-California Company was immediately aroused. Possibilities for the development of highly effective programs through the utilization of this equipment were foreseen and action was started to take advantage of this new technology.

An interactive graphics system for analysis of business decisions

Abstract: Described is an experimental system that enables the user, through an intelligent graphics terminal, to construct, modify, analyze, and store decision trees. With this system, business decisions under uncertainty can be analyzed. This paper discusses the system and its capabilities. Included is a brief discussion of decision analysis, which represents an aspect of financial modeling.

An informal graphics system based on the LOGO language

Abstract: This paper describes an attempt to create an informal graphics system: a system simple, flexible and inexpensive enough to be used by non-professional programmers for day-to-day problems. Informal computer systems of a nongraphical nature, most of them based on the APL or BASIC languages or on the RAND Corporation's JOSS system, are now quite commonplace. They are invaluable for teaching programming and for use by 'occasional' programmers in research and industry. In the future, as graphics equipment costs fall, the use of informal graphics systems is likely to become increasingly widespread.

Interactive graphics in water quality investigations

Abstract: The sheer bulk of STORET (currently about 700 x 106 bytes) coupled with a relatively inefficient mode of retrieval very nearly prohibits an interested agency from making timely and meaningful use of the available data. Moreover, even given the availability of a fast, efficient retrieval program, a printed output is certainly not the best way to present the information. Strong and significant geographical relationships exist among the data which cannot easily be detected from a tabular output. This suggests the applicability of graphically aided retrieval and display techniques. Such an approach is the subject of this paper. A system called INSIGHT INteractive System for Investigation by Graphics of Hydrological Trends) has been developed that makes it possible for a user to display on a cartographic background the locations of selected water quality monitoring stations. The stations are shown not only in relation to each other but also in relation to the surrounding hydrological features, state/county boundaries, and municipal outlines. Parameter data which have been acquired at the stations shown can be displayed graphically or in tabular form. A time history of measurements for a particular parameter can be graphed or a perspective display of a selected reach of a river can be requested, with parameter values super-imposed as a bar graph at station locations. Being interactive (in the best sense of the word), the system allows a user to investigate hundreds of water quality situations in the space of an hour or two. Then, guided by what he sees, he can pursue interesting patterns of water quality degradation, rejecting all those cases which seem to be of little value. The user thus quickly gains an insight which might otherwise be masked by the volume of the data and the labor involved in interrogation by non-graphic means.

CONTUR-A FORTRAN IV Subroutine for the Plotting of Contour Lines

Abstract: : In performing engineering or scientific data analysis or computations it frequently becomes necessary to examine data which is a single valued function of two independent variables. One convenient method of displaying this type of data is with contour plots. The report describes an efficient algorithm for construction of contour lines and the implementation of this algorithm as a FORTRAN 4 subroutine, CONTUR.

Graphics in medicine and biology

Abstract: Interactive graphics is not new to biology. The need felt for intuitively guided, graphically supported model exploration early predisposed physiological modelers to analog systems. Small computers derived from the LINC, which was designed for biomedical laboratory research, have long found favor among biomedical investigators both from experiment control and off-line interactive analyses with graphical displays. The decision to transfer from these "hands-on" approaches to larger digital systems often was made with considerable reluctance, despite the latter's greater capacity, versatility, precision, and rich libraries of statistical and other applications software. Modern interactive graphics terminals time-shared from major digital systems not only obviate the necessity to choose between these types of capability, they enable more versatile and meaningful forms of interaction than heretofore realized.

A microprogrammed satellite graphics system

Abstract: A coordinated research effort in the area of interactive computer graphics using a host-satellite configuration is described. Central to the project is the use of a high-level programming language and two microprogrammable processors. The system as a whole is discussed, as well as the areas of interaction between the design of the satellite's instruction sets and the design of its operating system and the compiler.

Graphics and interactive systems: design considerations of a software system

Abstract: The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) maintains a CDC 6600 and a CDC 7600 computer for doing numerical studies related to the atmosphere. These computers are operated in a batched multi-programming mode by a unique operating system implemented by the system's development staff (seven programmers). Hard copy output from the computers is handled either by the line printers or by the two Computer Output Microfilm Recorders (COM). A large library of graphic routines is frequently used by the applications programmers to produce outputs ranging from contour maps to movie titles. Around 600,000 frames of graphic output are produced each month, and nearly 80 percent of all jobs generate some graphic output.

Computer graphics: a new look at signal progression

Abstract: EFFORTS TO DEVELOP A PRACTICAL REPRESENTATION OF NETWORK SIGNAL PROGRESSION WHICH WOULD ALLOW ALL PARTS OF THE SYSTEM TO BE VIEWED AT ALL POINTS IN TIME RESULTED IN A WORKABLE TECHNIQUE WHICH USES A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO CONVERT THE GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEM DATA, TOGETHER WITH THE NETWORK SIGNAL TIMING DATA, INTO A VISUAL DISPLAY RESEMBLING AN ANIMATED MOVIE USING STANDARD MOTION PICTURE FILM. THE COMPUTER PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED TO PERFORM THE CALCULATIONS NECESSARY TO CREATE ANIMATED TIME-SPACE DIAGRAMS FROM DATA NORMALLY FOUND IN THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER'S SIGNAL TIMING RECORDS. NO PHYSICAL MODEL OF THE NETWORK IS REQUIRED. THE ONLY INPUTS ARE PUNCHED CARD DATA DESCRIBING THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE NETWORK AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING. A FORTRAN COMPUTER PROGRAM GENERATES, FOR EACH TIME INCREMENT OF THE CYCLE, A MAP OF THE NETWORK SHOWING THE CURRENT LOCATION OF THE PROGRESSION BANDS. THE MAP IS DISPLAYED ON A "COMPUTER OUTPUT MICROFILMER" WHICH CONSISTS OF AN OSCILLOSCOPE TERMINAL WITH A BUILT-IN CAMERA WHICH PHOTOGRAPHS THE MAP ASSOCIATED WITH EACH TIME INCREMENT. SINCE THE PATTERN OF PROGRESSION REPEATS ITSELF EACH CYCLE IT IS ONLY NECESSARY FOR THE COMPUTER TO PERFORM CALCULATIONS FOR A SINGLE CYCLE OF OPERATION. THE FILM IS CONVERTED PHOTOGRAPHICALLY INTO AN "ENDLESS LOOP" CASSETTE WHICH WILL REPEAT THE SAME CYCLE INDEFINITELY. THE RESULTS MAY THEN BE VIEWED AND STUDIED BY THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. DATA INPUT REQUIREMENTS ARE SUMMARIZED AND DETAILS ARE GIVEN OF HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS. OTHER USEFUL RESULTS OF THIS TECHNIQUE ARE REVIEWED.

A microprogrammed display processor concept for 3-D dynamic interactive computer graphics

Abstract: In SIGMICRO Newsletter, Vol. 3, Nr. 1 Andries van Dam defined the term "Interactive Computer Graphics" (graphics) and divided its applications into the two broad categories "interactive plotting" and "interactive design". In this paper, we want to suggest a system, which provides all those "necessary features", demanded by A. van Dam. Our suggested system is one of the type "powerful intermediate price, microprogrammed graphics", which may be used in a "stand alone mode" or a "satellite mode".

An interactive city planning model

Abstract: Increased man-machine communications capability can provide improvements in problem solving. This improvement can be achieved by designing flexibility of input and output through the use of interactive graphics. This paper outlines an interactive simulation system for use in city planning. In this system, simulation models of a city's demography, employment, transportation, utilities, and communications systems are interfaced with each other and with a graphics screen through the use of a module called the interface control program. This program functions as a system monitor and recognizes what, where, and when information should be transferred through the system. The interactive city planning model allows applications-oriented problem solvers to effectively use the problem solving capability of the computer to respond to events as they develop during a simulation run.

Graphics in APL

Abstract: This document describes a graphic facility within APL. The terminals are assumed to be inexpensive timeshared graphic terminals equipped with an APL character set. We first describe functions in a graphic workspace and then APL primitives for graphing.Graphic APL is a shared processor at Irvine, called APLG. The current version is 6.1.

Theoretical calculations of mean polarizability derivatives with respect to internal symmetry coordinate

Abstract: The CNDO/2 calculation has been applied to the mean polarizability derivatives, (Remark: Graphics omitted.) and (Remark: Graphics omitted.), where α is the mean polarizability and Sj an appropriate symmetry coordinate. The calculated (α′)’s were proportional to the observed values. The α″⁄α′ ratio increased with the energy-increase of the incident light.

A Graphics Oriented Interactive Finite Element Time Sharing Package (GIFTS)

Abstract: : The report describes a general purpose analysis package (GIFTS) (Graphics oriented Integrated Finite element Time Sharing package) aimed primarily at ship structure design using the finite element method on a time-sharing system. Although the project was started with ship structures in mind, the concept has developed in such a manner as to offer a solution to other problems related to finite element analysis. The end product should provide a nationwide communication system between users enabling them to exchange data, results and programs with relative ease. The system acknowledges and uses some of the latest developments in computer technology, namely, time-sharing, inexpensive graphics terminals, and computer networks. It also may be used advantageously with mini-computers.

Window : a formally-specified graphics-based text editor

Abstract: : WINDOW is a formally-specified text editing program which exploits the graphics capabilities of CRT terminals. Terminal screens are divided into several windows. Each window displays text from any of a number of simultaneously open files. Through the notion of linked pointers, operations upon one file may invoke corresponding operations upon other files. (Author)

Interactive graphics in highway engineering

Abstract: IN SEPTEMBER 1970, AN NCHRP PROJECT WAS INITIATED THAT HAD AS ITS OVERALL OBJECTIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE COMPUTER GRAPHICS SOFTWARE SUSTEM CAPABLE OF BEING USED BY HIGHWAY ENGINEERS IN THE DESIGN OF HIGHWAYS. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN AUGUST 1971 AND CONSISTED OF THE FOLLOWING MAJOR ACTIVITIES: REVIEW AND DEFINITION OF INTERACTIVE DESIGN AND ROADWAY PERSPECTIVE SYSTEM APPLICABLE TO HIGHWAY ENGINEERING; DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIFICATIONS FOR INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS SOFTWARE, USER ACTION REQUIREMENTS, AND MODIFICATIONS TO CURRENT SYSTEM AND PROGRAMS; REVIEW AND DELINEATION OF INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS TERMINAL HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS; AND CONSOLIDATION OF FINDINGS AND DETERMINATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS TO THE HIGHWAY DESIGN PROCESS. THE END RESULT OF THE PROJECT WILL BE A NEW METHOD OF COMPUTER-AIDED ROADWAY DESIGN. /AUTHOR/

Interactive ship design system

Abstract: Some recent developments in graphics and their application to the preliminary ship design are described in this paper. These achievements are referred to as an Interactive Ship Design System (ISDS). Among many features of the system, the graphical man-machine interaction is expected to contribute most to ship production in the future.