arnold@ux.cs.man.ac.uk (Toby Howard) (05/12/89)
GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphU raphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK aphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK G phUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK Gr hUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK Gra UK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK Grap K GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK GraphUK Graph Source: Computer Graphics Unit, University of Manchester Articles to GraphUK@uk.ac.man.cs.cgu Administration to GraphUK-request@uk.ac.man.cs.cgu U.S. Distribution: mcconell@dssdev.dec.com or decwrl!dssdev.dec.com!mcconnell ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue number: 21 11-MAY-1989 8 articles today... Distribution (The editors) Nag from C (forwarded from `The Pixel') (NAGADHB@VAX.OXFORD.AC.UK) 1990 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics: Call for Participation (zyda@trouble.cs.nps.navy.mil) Format list (for Graphuk) (Toby) Update on standards (C.Cartledge) image processing for VMS (CBS%UK.AC.ULCC.NOC::UNINETT.HSR::jensen) Image and Imaging Standards Work (C.Cartledge) References for 2-D graphics (Paul Hudson) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: The editors Subject: Distribution Some of you may have received two copies or issue 20, and some of you 0 copies! Please accept our apologies. I'll get the hang of electronic mail one day(wth). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: NAGADHB@VAX.OXFORD.AC.UK Subject: Nag from C (forwarded from `The Pixel') NAG has indeed produced a set of C header files to facilitate the linking of the Mark 13 Fortran Library into C programs (as reported by Kate Crennell last week). Users of a standard C compiler will also benefit from an argument checking capability. Coverage may also be extended to include NAG graphical products. The price has yet to be finalised as NAG considers the costs involved. Early indications suggest it may be in the range 60 - 120 pounds. Please contact David Sayers at NAG (DAVID@UK.CO.NAG.VAX) for further details as they become available. (A C version of the NAG/SERC Image Processing Algorithms Library (IPAL) is also being developed as a separate project. This will be a full C language product, and should be released next year.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: zyda@trouble.cs.nps.navy.mil Subject: 1990 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics: Call for Participation Call for Participation 1990 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics Sponsorship anticipated from the following organizations: Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation USA Ballisic Research Laboratory Ardent Computer, ATT Pixel Machines Digital Equipment Corporation, Evans & Sutherland, Hewlett-Packard NeXT, Pixar Silicon Graphics, Stellar Computer, Sun Microsystems Symposium Specifics Important Dates 18th - 21st of March 1990 Abstracts for contributed papers due: 15 Sep. 89 Snowbird, Utah USA Acceptance notification: 31 Oct. 89 (Proceedings at the symposium.) Final papers for proceedings due: 10 Dec. 89 The focus of the symposium is on the topic: Where is the frontier today in real-time, interactive 3D graphics ? The purpose of the symposium is to look at what research groups are doing with their high-performance, real-time, interactive graphics systems, to find out what special purpose architectures are on the drawing board, to discuss which are the most user-friendly paradigms for interaction with such systems and to learn what applications are still waiting for an appropriate 3D interactive system. The symposium will consist of technical sessions in which formal papers are presented and discussed and of hands-on demonstrations where research groups and vendors of equipment demonstrate the state-of-the-art in this field. In these demonstrations, we want to look at displays on which objects move and with which one can interact. We are particularly interested in such notions as: -- moving through virtual worlds, i.e. visual simulation systems that move us through buildings or cities, over terrain or over the sea at multiple updates per second; -- interactively shaping, building or sculpting objects, using low-level operations to drill holes or cut slots as well as high-level operations making global shape adjustments; -- interactively assembling and manipulating systems of parts, using aids that yield ease of operation without sacrificing precision and give feedback as to real-world geometric constraints; -- interaction technologies and user interfaces for moving through 3D virtual worlds. The technical presentations at the symposium will focus on innovative 3D graphics architectures and hardware, fast rendering algorithms, new man-machine interface paradigms. Performance claims should be supported by actual measurements of values such as polygons per second or updates per second. Full explanations of any special techniques necessary to achieve such real-time picture generation and display should be provided. In addition, we want to discuss the real-time graphics requirements of special applications that do not yet have satisfactory solutions, along with recommendations for new architectures or future hardware additions to existing graphics systems. Symposium Chair Michael J. Zyda Naval Postgraduate School Program Co-Chairs Rich Riesenfeld Carlo Sequin U. of Utah U. C. Berkeley Paper Submissions and Requests for Registration Prospective authors should submit 5 copies of an extended abstract to the Symposium Coordinator's address below before the 15th of September 1989. The abstracts should be 3 to 5 pages long and reflect what will be contained in the final 8 to 12 page paper in the proceedings and in the 25 minute presentation at the symposium. Abstracts should clearly state what has been achieved and how this makes a contribution to the advancement of the state-of-the-art in interactive 3D graphics. Requests for registration forms should also be sent to the Coordinator. Rich Riesenfeld, Coordinator 1990 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics University of Utah Department of Computer Science 3190 Merrill Engineering Building Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 (801) 581-8224 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Toby Subject: Format list (for Graphuk) A short while ago I requested information on graphics formats to try and make sense of them all. Wow! Seems a lot of people wanted to know too! What follows is a rough attempt at this, with *MUCH* missing. Please send me your comments/amendments/more info. Thanks to everyone who's helped in this so far. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Toby Howard Computer Science Department, University of Manchester, U.K. Lecturer janet: toby@uk.ac.man.cs.p1 internet: toby%p1.cs.man.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk earn/bitnet: toby%uk.ac.man.cs.p1@UKACRL uucp: ...!ukc!mup1!toby voice: +44 61-275-6274 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here we go.... First the ones which seem to be the most popular: CGM - International Standard (IS 8632); Computer Graphics Metafile. Used in transfer of picture type files (flat vector data). [Editors: See Chris Cartledge's article below for source] CCITT - this is a common raster format, commonly known as the facsimile coding scheme for Group 3 and 4 facsimile apparatus. CCITT stands for Committe Consultatif International de Telegraphique et Telephonique (or in english, International Consultative Committee on Telegraphy and Telephony). The United States Department of Defense has mandated with Military Standards (MIL-STD-1840A and MIL-STD-28000) that this is the data interchange requirements for raster data. GIF - 'GIF' (tm) is CompuServe's standard for defining generalized color raster images. This 'Graphics Interchange Format' (tm) allows high-quality, high-resolution graphics to be displayed on a variety of graphics hardware and is intended as an exchange and display mechanism for graphics images. IGES - ANSI standard Y14.26M, defines a neutral file format and a standard set of entities which are used to transfer and store product definition data created by computer aided design and engineering systems. Contains object information and can be 2 or 3 D images. NFF - ASCII scene description encoding, for the Standard Procedural Database PCX - PC Paintbrush PBM - Format used by the Portable Bitmap Manipulation package (Jeff Poskanzer). This is a collection of programs for manipulating raster images and converting between many different formats. SUN raster - has magic number for identification, multiple types identified in the header, 1-24 bit depth images and colour maps may be present. See rasterfile.h on a Sun. TIFF - Tag Image File Format. Created by Microsoft/Aldus. XBM - X bitmap ---------------------------------------------------- Summary List ------------ The following is excerpted from a document prepared by Keith Graham, the author of a popular P/D software package called "Optiks". Optiks is more or less a "graphics spreadsheet" concept, in that it can read in many formats, and export quite a few. The document contains a listing of many graphics formats, primarily those that are most commonly found on PC's. The following is a partial list of the many graphics formats that are available. Keith Graham started the list, and H. F. Van Brink added to it. I have added a few more. art PFS First Publisher Clip Art art Ashton-Tate Byline Clipart bas Basic Bload/Bsave (also basic programs) bsg FONTASY (same as RAW) ca NewsRoom Pro ccitt Facsimile coding cgm Computer Graphics Metafile cut Dr Halo, Cut files dat PrintShop dcx Panasonic Fax PCX libraries dd CBM Doodle dhp Dr Halo drw Freelance drw MicroGrafx drw NBI Legend dxf AutoCad eps Encapsulated Post Script ev NCN Execuvision fbm Fuzzy Bitmap Manipulation fg Slidewrite Plus gal Gallery on Exhibit, Graphics Gallery gem GEM Draw gmf Computer Graphics Metafile - Various Venders gif Compuserve Graphics Interchange Format gx1 PC PaintBrush hips Heritable Image Processing System hpc Hewlett Packard's LaserJet Graphics hpg Hewlett Packard Graphics Language iff Amiga Interchange Format File iges CAD format img DataCopy Wips img GEM Paint img IBM Image support Facility img Boeing Graph img ISI format lbm DELUXE Paint II mac Apple Macintosh Macpaint mak Apple Macintosh Macpaint, No Header msp Microsoft Windows Paint nff Neutral File Format (Standard procedural database) p Ashton-Tate Draw Applause pbm Poskanzer Bitmap Manipulation pcr OPTIKS/PCRGB pcx PC PaintBrush pda Palantir Scanner Graphics Files pga IBM Professional Graphics Adaptor image file pi1 Atari Degas uncompressed images pic Lotus pic Mouse systems PC Paint pict Apple graphics format pig Ricoh Pixel Image Generator file prn PostScript, Any print image file ras Show file Ras format raw Basic Array format (OPTIKS reference only) rle Compuserve, Teletext Run Length Encoded sld AutoCad Slide sfl Soft Font Single Letter sfp HP Soft Font shp Printmaster, Newsmaster sun Sun rasterfile tiff Aldus/Microsoft Tag Image Format Files utah Utah Raster Toolkit format wpg Word Perfect Graphics 5.0 xbm X Bitmap Format -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: C.Cartledge Subject: Update on standards Update on standards ------------------- This is designed to tell you the the state of current British and International work that is completed. It covers only work completed or likely to complete this year (1989). There is a lot more following on! Contact Chris Cartledge (JANET C.Cartledge@shef.pe) if you want to get involved in the technical work of graphics standardization. Copies of standards are ordered from BSI. Note that the ISO copies themselves are *very* expensive whereas the BSI ones (which only differ in title and page numbering) are much cheaper. If your organisation is a subscribing member of BSI the the documents can be obtained at a substantial discount by quoting your membership number. As you can see, in the following list I have given up trying to be exact about the name, the BS being different from ISO(/IEC). Ordering information can be obtained from: BSI Standards or in the case of drafts: Sales Administration (Drafts), BSI Milton Keynes Telex: 825777 BSIMK G Linford Wood Fax: 0908 320856 MK14 6LE Tel: 0908 220022 BS 6390 : 1955 ISO 7942 : 1985 Graphical Kernel System (GKS) Functional Description The well known standard. Work is nearly complete to add a standardised GKS metafile along the lines of the CGM and the final draft is available as Draft Ammendment to BS 6390 (document 89/60347). BS 7040 : Part 1 : 1989 ISO 8651-1 : 1988 GKS language bindings - Part 1: FORTRAN BS 7040 : Part 2 : 1989 ISO 8651-2 : 1988 GKS language bindings - Part 1: Pascal Language bindings to the well known standard. The C binding awaits ISO C which will be the same as ANSI C (surely!). The draft is as stable as C itself and will almost certainly be published as a draft BS this year. The Ada binding (part 4) is in publication and the ISO version (expensive) is probably already available. BS 6945 : Part 1 : 1988 ISO 8632-1 : 1987, Computer Graphics: metafile for the storage and transfer of picture description information (CGM) - Part 1. Functional specfication BS 6945 : Part 2 : 1988 ISO 8632-2 : 1987, CGM Character encoding BS 6945 : Part 3 : 1988 ISO 8632-3 : 1987, CGM Binary Encoding BS 6945 : Part 4 : 1988 ISO 8632-4 : 1987, CGM Clear Text Encoding The CGM is being ammended to include GKS support, while retaining the static picture concept. There are (inevitably) four documents which describe the changes (in terms of the ISO and not the BS page numbers!). The updates are Draft Amendment to BS 6945 Parts 1 to 4 with document numbers 89/60348 to 51. ISO 8805 : 1988, GKS-3D Functional Description ISO/IEC 9592: 1988(E) : Part 1, PHIGS Functional Description ISO/IEC 9592: 1988(E) : Part 2, PHIGS Archive file format ISO/IEC 9592: 1988(E) : Part 3, PHIGS Archive file clear text encoding The BS's of all the above are in the process of publication and the (expensive) ISO versions should be available now. The outcome of the final round of comment on these standards was to align them more closely. Indeed a programmer making a transition from GKS to GKS-3D to PHIGS would have no more new concepts to learn than a programmer taking the large step from GKS straight to PHIGS. DIS 8806-1, GKS-3D language bindings: FORTRAN Available as a Draft British Standard, document 88/65655 ISO 8806-3, GKS-3D language bindings: Ada In publication. The final text PHIGS Fortran has been agreed but it has yet to be delivered. The other binding expected to be completed this year is GKS-3D Fortran. The C bindings are believed to be stable (as stable as C) and will almost certainly be published as draft BS's this year. ISO Technical Report 9973 (2) : 1988 Procedures for the Registration of Graphical Items As those familiar with our standards will know we could not agree on everything possible is computer graphics so we left areas of the standards to be agreed at a later - registered. For example, very soon there will be a defined value in GKS for dash dot dot lines as there already is in CGM, and once your implementor implements it you can use it. The procedures say how things can be added to the register, slowly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: CBS%UK.AC.ULCC.NOC::UNINETT.HSR::jensen 10-MAY-1989 20:28:32.63 Subj: image processing for VMS Do somebody know of any public domain (or cheap) image processing packages for vax/vms? Anything that is in reasonable portable C is of interest. Intended use is either under VMS or Macintosh Finder. Also any business/scientific graphics packages are of interest (also those written in fortran that work with DEC VWS). If possible I want to know where (how) to obtain these packages. Thanks in advance for any help. - Tarjei T. Jensen vax/vms manager Rogaland Polytecnic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: C.Cartledge Subject: Image and Imaging Standards Work Image and Imaging standards work -------------------------------- Standards bodies are beginning to look at image processing and and the storage/transfer of images. Two groups are active, to my knowledge. ISO/IEC JTC1 SC2 (previous standards include that ISO character standards like ISO 646 seven bit character sets) are looking at the encoding of bi-level and colour images and will take account of existing CCITT FAX standards and the like. ISO/IEC JTC1 SC24 (of GKS, CGM and PHIGS fame) has a study period on image processing. This has been extended to include transfer and storage. I would be grateful hear views on these topics. Chris Cartledge (JANET C.Cartledge@SHEF.PE) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Paul Hudson Subj: References for 2-D graphics I find I'm having to delve further and further into this .... The sort of stuff I'm interested in is scan-conversion, clipping, representations of curves ( parametric & implicit ), approximation of curves and so on, both uses of & theortical foundations for. Very basic to most of you I'm sure, but we all have to start somewhere! So, what should I be reading? I've read Foley&Van Dam + Newman&Sproull. Papers. journals, books - anything. Paul Hudson MAIL: Monotype ADG, Science Park, Cambridge, CB4 4FQ, UK. PHONE: +44 (223) 420018 EMAIL: paul@moncam.co.uk, ;" FAX: +44 (223) 420911 ...!ukc!acorn!moncam!paul `"";";" "/dev/null full: please empty the bit bucket"