awpaeth@watcgl.UUCP (06/04/87)
The IM Raster Toolkit -- a comprehensive C/UNIX-based system which has been a mainstay of raster-based activities at the University of Waterloo is now released. In the last two years, it has completely subsumed the various ad hoc raster file formats previously in use and has provided a unifying framework for new research (e.g. RGBA paint compositing, digital halftoning). A comprehensive technical report (75 pages) describing the tools and the overall toolkit construction is now available on a first-come first-serve basis to a limited set of requests (e-) mailed to the enclosed address. The complete software system of 40+ tools plus source libraries, diagnostics, man pages and sample images is proven across a wide range of hardware and C compilers. The system is available on 1600bpi magnetic tape media at a cost of $50CDN, or free to requesters who provide a blank tape and return postage. ------------------- Attn: IM Raster Toolkit c/o Computer Graphics Laboratory, Department of Computer Science University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 Canada. Tel: (519)888-4534, E-Mail: AWPaeth%watCGL@Waterloo.CSNet ------------------- Abstract Follows: Raster manipulation software is often viewed as an ad hoc means to fine-tune the appearance of digital images or as a means to format them to conform to specific hardware requirements. A universally accepted, machine readable, device-independent specification of a raster image is seldom employed. This stands in contrast to the variety of "standards" for higher-level scene representation. We define a general raster "type", which unifies the design of a toolkit of raster-based software. Operations performed by the tools are closed in the sense that operators map objects having the raster type onto new objects having the raster type. This closure encourages a synthesis of function by allowing composition of operators. Sequences of these operators are surprisingly powerful and have wide application.