[comp.windows.x] 3D graphics under X

chrisp@bilby.cs.uwa.oz.au (Christopher Pudney) (10/11/90)

G'day,

	I am interested in writing an X application which displays 3D
polyhedral solids.  To prevent myself reinventing the wheel I would
like to know whether the following are PUBLICly avaialable:

1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
	under X, and

2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.

AtDhVaAnNkCsE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Pudney 

Department  of  Computer  Science,    PHONE: (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 380 3455
University  of Western  Australia,   
Nedlands, Western AUSTRALIA, 6009.    FAX:   (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 382 1688 
E-MAIL:  chrisp@wacsvax.cs.uwa.oz.au
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Pudney 

Department  of  Computer  Science,    PHONE: (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 380 3455

chrisp@bilby.cs.uwa.oz.au (Christopher Pudney) (11/20/90)

A while back I posted the follwoing enquiry:

> 
> G'day,
> 
> 	I am interested in writing an X application which displays 3D
> polyhedral solids.  To prevent myself reinventing the wheel I would
> like to know whether the following are PUBLICly avaialable:
> 
> 1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
> 	under X, and
> 
> 2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.
> 

The following is a summary of the reponses I received:

From: echidna@munnari.oz.au
Message-Id: <9010110657.12539@ecr.mu.oz.au>
To: chrisp
Subject: Re: 3D graphics under X
In-Reply-To: your article <chrisp.655626044@numbat>
News-Path: munnari.oz.au!uniwa!bilby.cs.uwa.oz.au!numbat!chrisp

	
> 1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
> 	under X, and

	Yes. Anonymous FTP pub/vogle.tar.Z from gondwana.ecr.mu.oz.au
	[128.250.1.63]

> 2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.

	If your polyhedrons are convex, (or is that concave?) then
	you can use backface removal (which is part of vogle anyway)

	Failing that, I have the source to a program from a book called
	"Interactive 3D computer Graphics" by a bloke called Leendert
	Ameraal (or something), that does hidden surface and line 
	elimination. I can make that temporarily FTPable as well.

-----
From: larryc@puente.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Larry Carroll)
Message-Id: <9010112242.AA23613@puente.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>
Subject: Re: Graphics packages for X
To: chrisp@numbat (Christopher Pudney)
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 90 15:36:00 PDT
In-Reply-To: <9010110550.AA13045@wacsvax.cs.uwa.oz.au>; from "Christopher Pudney" at Oct 11, 90 1:47 pm
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL4]

> In comp.windows.x you write:
> 
> I am also in search of a similar library.  Would you mind letting me know
> the results of your findings?  In particular, what is PHIGS and whence is it
> available?

Chris, PHIGS is the Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics Standard.
Several implementations of it are available, some from hardware vendors such
as Sun (SunPHIGS) and one called FIGARO from Template Graphics Software, a 
United Telecom Company.  TGS's address is 3510 Dunhill Street, San Diego, 
CA 92121.  PHIGS is still relatively new in the commercial market place, so 
some of the implementations are incomplete & inefficient.  That situation will 
probably change; there seems to be a ground swell of use and support for it.
As far as I know there aren't any non-proprietary standards for 3D work.  GKS 
doesn't yet (as far as I know) offer 3D support, and CORE seems to be pretty 
much dead.

-----
From: crdgw1!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!oscsunb!bpowell  (Brian Powell)
Organization: The Ohio Supercomputer Center
Subject: Re: Graphics (apE)
Message-Id: <1022@sunc.osc.edu>
References: <9888@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Sender: crdgw1!expo.lcs.mit.edu!xpert-request
To: xpert@expo.lcs.mit.edu
Status: RO


In article <9888@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>, larryc@poe.jpl.nasa.gov (Larry Carroll) writes:
> Besides PHIGS, are there other graphics libraries/packages that will do 
> 3D graphics within X?


Well,  there is a very nice (and very cheap at $75.00) package called apE created by The Ohio Supercomputer Graphics Project (OSGP) at the Ohio Supercomputer Center.  The package is higher level than PHIGS and is a scientific visualization package as well as a 3D graphics system.  There is really nothing like it under
X Windows (except maybe AVS by Stardent at about $3000.00 a copy).

For more information about apE, send email to:
	Michelle Messenger - michelle@osgp.osc.edu

Or call and leave a message at: (614) 292-0006

-- 

+--The Ohio Supercomputer Center----------------------------------------------+
|                                            Brian S. Powell  bpowell@osc.edu |
+--"My other computer is a CRAY" ---------------------------------------------+


-----
From: gershon@cs.utah.edu (Gershon Elber)
Message-Id: <9010111835.AA14596@cs.utah.edu>
To: chrisp
Subject: 3D graphics under X and hidden line removal

>> 
>> G'day,
>> 
>> 	I am interested in writing an X application which displays 3D
>> polyhedral solids.  To prevent myself reinventing the wheel I would
>> like to know whether the following are PUBLICly avaialable:
>> 
>> 1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
>> 	under X, and
>> 
>> 2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.
>> 

ftp the files poly3d*.zip from

simtel20.arpa directory PD:<MSDOS.IRIT>

or from:

wuarchive.wustl.edu directory mirrors/msdos/irit.

The files do exactly what you decribe:

poly3ds.zip - C source code archive for displaying polygonal based data on
	various machines including X11 under unix.
poly3dhs.zip - C source code archive for hidden line removal implementation.

The poly3d.zip and poly3d-h.zip hold IBM-PC executables for the above two
programs. These two programs are part of a C.S.G. based solid modeller
named IRIT available on the same directory.

have fun

Gershon
-----
From: miente@cwi.nl
Message-Id: <9010120948.AA00841@papegaai.cwi.nl>
To: chrisp
Subject: Re: 3D graphics under X
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,comp.windows.x
In-Reply-To: <chrisp.655626044@numbat>
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Cc: 

In article <chrisp.655626044@numbat> you write:
>G'day,
>
>	I am interested in writing an X application which displays 3D
>polyhedral solids.  To prevent myself reinventing the wheel I would
>like to know whether the following are PUBLICly avaialable:
>
>1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
>	under X, and
>
>2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.
>
>AtDhVaAnNkCsE.
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Chris Pudney 
>
>University  of Western  Australia,   
>Nedlands, Western AUSTRALIA, 6009.    FAX:   (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 382 1688 
>E-MAIL:  chrisp@wacsvax.cs.uwa.oz.au
>Department  of  Computer  Science,    PHONE: (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 380 3455

There are two (or perhaps more) possiblities:

1)	You take PEX, a 3D extension of X, based on the
	emerging standard PHIGS PLUS; PEX supports rendering,
	and curved surfaces
2)	You take GKS-3D (in C or Fortran) with an interface to
	X; GKS-3D is a less-known International Standard for
	3D graphics. I supports the drawing of planar faces in
	3D space and HLHSR; there are some C implementations,
	inter alia by DEC (Nashua, NH) and by Scientific
	Software Ltd (at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK)

-- 
_________________________________________
|					|
| Miente Bakker 			|
| CWI 					|
| Kruislaan 413				|
| 1098 SJ Amsterdam			|
| Netherlands				|
|					|
| phone:	+31-20-592-4122		|
| fax:		+31-20-592-4199		|
| email:	miente@cwi.nl 		|
|					|
|_______________________________________|
-----
From: miente@cwi.nl
Message-Id: <9010151318.AA02544@grutto.cwi.nl>
To: chrisp@bison
Subject: Re: 3D graphics under X
Cc: miente@cwi.nl

PEX is currently available as a public domain version. You can probably
obtain it from MIT. It is now abnout 2 years old and is
roughly based on the 1987 version of PHIGS + and X10 or X11. A
new release is under way and is due in 1991, possibly under
the name X-3D.
GKS-3D is International Standard since September 1988 as ISO 8805.
Its Fortran binding (ISO 8806-1) has been published this year.
Its C binding (ISO DIS 8806-4) is currently at Draft
International Standard available and is based upon ANSI C (ISO
9899). Implementations of GKS-3D/C are availbale at

Xelion b.v.
Box 88
2600 AB Delft
Netherlands
Phone:	+31 15 622 121
Fax:	+31 15 621 760

Scientific Software Limited
Rose Industrial Estate
54 Marlow Bottom
Marlow, Bucks. SL7 3ND
United Kingdom
phone:	+44 628 890011
fax:	+44 628 890012

Prior Data Sciences Ltd.
240 Michael Cowpland Drive
Kanata Ontario
Canada K2M 1P6
phone:	+1 613 5917235
fax:	+1 613 5910343

DEC
110 Spit Brook Rd.
Nashua NH 03062
USA
phone:	+1 603 8812285
fax:	+1 603 8810120


I hop to have informed you sufficiently.

Best regards, Miente Bakker
_________________________________________
|					|
| Miente Bakker 			|
| CWI 					|
| Kruislaan 413				|
| 1098 SJ Amsterdam			|
| Netherlands				|
|					|
| phone:	+31-20-592-4122		|
| fax:		+31-20-592-4199		|
| email:	miente@cwi.nl 		|
|					|
|_______________________________________|
-----
From: black@seismo.CSS.GOV (Mike Black)
Message-Id: <9010141041.AA03286@beno.CSS.GOV>
To: chrisp
Subject: Re: 3D graphics under X
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,comp.windows.x
In-Reply-To: <chrisp.655626044@numbat>
Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA

In article <chrisp.655626044@numbat> you write:
>G'day,
>
>	I am interested in writing an X application which displays 3D
>polyhedral solids.  To prevent myself reinventing the wheel I would
>like to know whether the following are PUBLICly avaialable:
>
>1.	a library of routines (other than PHiGS) for performing 3D graphics 
>	under X, and
>
>2.	source of a hidden-LINE removal algorithm.
>

There's a couple ones around, one of which is PLPLOT, a c library which has
several terminal drivers, although X-windows isn't one of them (it does
have an xterm driver).  It should be fairly easy to write your own driver
for it though.  It is basically a plotting package and you can find it on
abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov in amiga/plplot-2.6b.zoo.  This zoo file contains
the unix sources too.  I've gotten it working on a Dec 3100 using the xterm
driver with no problems.  Has several examples.
Also, I may still have a 3d poly drawer at work.  It was in an issue of
Doctor Dobb's Journal late last year (graphics issue).  I'll take a look and
if I have it I'll send (it is X-Windows).
Mike...
-- 
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-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Pudney 

Department  of  Computer  Science,    PHONE: (local: 09) (int'l: +61 9) 380 3455

gilles@cannes.Eng.Sun.COM (Patrick-Gilles Maillot) (11/21/90)

Hi,

In your list, you are missing XGL, from Sun Microsystems. XGL does 3D graphics
in the X environment. It is an immediate mode library, providing standard
primitives such as polylines, polygons, nurbs curves, text... in 2D ad 3D.
XGL also provides lighting/shading, hidden-line/hidden-surface removal and
depth cueing.

For more information, contact your Sun representative.

-Patrick

klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) (11/23/90)

In article <chrisp.659079791@warabi>, chrisp@bilby.cs.uwa.oz.au
(Christopher Pudney) writes:
|> [...]
|> 
|> The following is a summary of the reponses I received:
|> [...]

If my English is not too bad what you posted was not the sum (summary)
itself but all its separate terms instead. A real summary would have
consisted of a few lines "summing up" the statements in the messages and
perhaps a conclusion.

-- 
  Dipl.-Inform. Rainer Klute      klute@irb.informatik.uni-dortmund.de
  Univ. Dortmund, IRB             klute@unido.uucp, klute@unido.bitnet
  Postfach 500500         |)|/    Tel.: +49 231 755-4663
D-4600 Dortmund 50        |\|\    Fax : +49 231 755-2386

herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (11/27/90)

In article <2811@laura.UUCP>, klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) writes:
> In article <chrisp.659079791@warabi>, chrisp@bilby.cs.uwa.oz.au
> (Christopher Pudney) writes:
> |> [...]
> |> 
> |> The following is a summary of the reponses I received:
> |> [...]
> 
> If my English is not too bad what you posted was not the sum (summary)
> itself but all its separate terms instead. A real summary would have
> consisted of a few lines "summing up" the statements in the messages and
> perhaps a conclusion.
> 
> -- 
>   Dipl.-Inform. Rainer Klute      klute@irb.informatik.uni-dortmund.de
>   Univ. Dortmund, IRB             klute@unido.uucp, klute@unido.bitnet
>   Postfach 500500         |)|/    Tel.: +49 231 755-4663
> D-4600 Dortmund 50        |\|\    Fax : +49 231 755-2386

Rainer,

I think what you have encountered is that "summary" is no longer an
English word on the net.  I have been watching this usage in several
newsgroups in the few months I have been reading news.  They say
"summary", but what they mean is all the responses catenated together
with some of the routing noise (usually) edited out.  The thing
that gets posted under the word "summary" does not even justify
using a word like "digest".  Perhaps "gurgitation" would be appropriate
- they just vomit out all that came in.

Your English is well formed and colloquial (not pedantic or stilted or
academic).  The American network does not use that language.  Unfortunately.

Netiquette is strange.

dan herrick
herrickd@astro.pc.ab.com