[comp.graphics] Iris plotting packages.

soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu (Robert Soosaar) (10/20/88)

We are currently looking for a 2-D/3-D plotting package for
our Silicon Graphics Iris 3130 and Personal Iris workstations.

Freeware ( or Cheapware) would be nice, however, any software or
information about sources would be appreciated.

Also, the ability to drive Postscript would be handy.

Thanks...		Rob Soosaar
			University of Toronto
			Aerospace
			soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu

jmb@patton.SGI.COM (Jim Barton) (10/31/88)

In article <717@mv06.ecf.toronto.edu>, soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu (Robert Soosaar) writes:
> We are currently looking for a 2-D/3-D plotting package for
> our Silicon Graphics Iris 3130 and Personal Iris workstations.
> 
> Freeware ( or Cheapware) would be nice, however, any software or
> information about sources would be appreciated.
> 
> Also, the ability to drive Postscript would be handy.
> 
> Thanks...		Rob Soosaar
> 			University of Toronto
> 			Aerospace
> 			soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu

Two packages available from SGI take you at least part of the way.  We supply,
as LaserWriter support, the Adobe Transcript package, which will allow you
to push PostScript out to a laserwriter or elsewhere.  (This package is
available on both 4D and 3000 series machines).

In addition, we also supply Documentor's Workbench 2.0 from AT&T, which
includes facilities for 2D graphing and pictures, which can then be
converted to PostScript via the Transcript package.  (I believe this is
available on both 4D and 3000 series machines).

Note also that 4Sight is NeWS based, and thus handles PostScript directly
in a window.  The 'psview' facility, as of release 3.1, can show you what
LaserWriter documents will look like directly in a window.  (Not available
on the 3000 series ... yet).

There has been some publicly available software posted to comp.sources
for converting to/from PostScript and troff, which may help as well.

As to 3D plotting, it seems like it should be easy, but I've never
seen any software to do it.

-- Jim Barton
Silicon Graphics Computing Systems    "UNIX: Live Free Or Die!"
jmb@sgi.sgi.com, sgi!jmb@decwrl.dec.com, ...{decwrl,sun}!sgi!jmb

  "I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused."
			- Elvis Costello, 'Red Shoes'
--

ciemo@bananapc.SGI.COM (Dave Ciemiewicz) (11/01/88)

In article <717@mv06.ecf.toronto.edu>, soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu (Robert Soosaar) writes:
> We are currently looking for a 2-D/3-D plotting package for
> our Silicon Graphics Iris 3130 and Personal Iris workstations.
> 
> Freeware ( or Cheapware) would be nice, however, any software or
> information about sources would be appreciated.
> 
> Also, the ability to drive Postscript would be handy.
> 
> Thanks...		Rob Soosaar
> 			University of Toronto
> 			Aerospace
> 			soosaar@ecf.toronto.edu

Well, it isn't free or cheap (relatively speaking) but you can use
Mathematica for 2D and 3D plotting of formulas and empirical data.
Mathematica also supports PostScript display of plots for printing.
In fact, this is the way static plots are displayed under 4Sight,
Silicon Graphics window system based on NeWS.  The PostScript display
of plots is NOT a requirement of working under 4Sight.  I believe
the PostScript imaging of plots was just the quickest and easiest
way for Wolfram Research, Inc. (WRI), the developers of Mathematica,
to bring up Mathematica on the IRIS since they had already developed
a PostScript interface for use on other systems.

WRI also provides a "live" viewer with Mathematica for dynamically
displaying and manipulating 3D plots on the IRIS 4D series of computers
from Silicon Graphics which includes the Personal Iris.  This is a feature
which I don't believe WRI provides for any platform other than the IRIS 4D.

Another thing about using Mathematica is that you may be able to do some
or all of your analysis of your data in Mathematica.  One package for
most of your work instead of a bunch of packages.

I am sorry to say though that Mathematica is not available for the IRIS 3000
series.

Mathematica is one of those programs I wish was available to me when I was
in college.

	Dave Ciemiewicz (ciemo)
	Copyleft (l)* Silicon Graphics, Inc.

	* Three copylefts make a copyright don't they?
--
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I wanted to say something witty and clever here but I forgot what it was.

						--- Dave Ciemiewicz aka Ciemo
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