An architecture for interactive raster graphics

A radical reappraisal of the 3-D Interactive raster graphics pipeline has resulted In an experimental architecture for a workstation which is currently being evaluated at the CW!. The principal features of this architecture are that It: - concentrates exclusively on real-time interactive 3-D graphics (initially for CAD). - uses object space rather than Image space methods where possible. - avoids using a frame buffer. - only uses custom VLSI where commercial products are unlikely to suffice In the near term. Four years Into the project the system design Is complete and the major components have been acquired and the custom VLSI chips hove been packaged and tested. The current experience with the system is based on detailed simulations which gave a fairiy clear Idea on Its strengths and limitations. A complete, but reduced resolution, experimental prototype system is now being assembled

The Computer Graphics Scene in the United States

We briefly survey the major thrusts of computer graphics activities, examining trends and topics rather than offering a comprehensive survey of all that is happening. The directions of professional activities, hardware, software, and algorithms are outlined. Within hardware we examine workstations, personal graphics systems, high performance systems, and low level VLSI chips; within software, standards and interactive system design; within algorithms, visible surface rendering and shading, three-dimensional modeling techniques, and animation. Note: This paper was presented at Eurographics\u2784 in Copenhagen, Denmark

A survey of new technology for cockpit application to 1990's transport aircraft simulators

Two problems were investigated: inter-equipment data transfer, both on board the aircraft and between air and ground; and crew equipment communication via the cockpit displays and controls. Inter-equipment data transfer is discussed in terms of data bus and data link requirements. Crew equipment communication is discussed regarding the availability of CRT display systems for use in research simulators to represent flat panel displays of the future, and of software controllable touch panels

Acquisition plan for Digital Document Storage (DDS) prototype system

NASA Headquarters maintains a continuing interest in and commitment to exploring the use of new technology to support productivity improvements in meeting service requirements tasked to the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Facility, and to support cost effective approaches to the development and delivery of enhanced levels of service provided by the STI Facility. The DDS project has been pursued with this interest and commitment in mind. It is believed that DDS will provide improved archival blowback quality and service for ad hoc requests for paper copies of documents archived and serviced centrally at the STI Facility. It will also develop an operating capability to scan, digitize, store, and reproduce paper copies of 5000 NASA technical reports archived annually at the STI Facility and serviced to the user community. Additionally, it will provide NASA Headquarters and field installations with on-demand, remote, electronic retrieval of digitized, bilevel, bit mapped report images along with branched, nonsequential retrieval of report subparts

Recent Advances in Embedded Computing, Intelligence and Applications

The latest proliferation of Internet of Things deployments and edge computing combined with artificial intelligence has led to new exciting application scenarios, where embedded digital devices are essential enablers. Moreover, new powerful and efficient devices are appearing to cope with workloads formerly reserved for the cloud, such as deep learning. These devices allow processing close to where data are generated, avoiding bottlenecks due to communication limitations. The efficient integration of hardware, software and artificial intelligence capabilities deployed in real sensing contexts empowers the edge intelligence paradigm, which will ultimately contribute to the fostering of the offloading processing functionalities to the edge. In this Special Issue, researchers have contributed nine peer-reviewed papers covering a wide range of topics in the area of edge intelligence. Among them are hardware-accelerated implementations of deep neural networks, IoT platforms for extreme edge computing, neuro-evolvable and neuromorphic machine learning, and embedded recommender systems

High performance visualization through graphics hardware and integration issues in an electric power grid Computer-Aided-Design application

[Resumo]Esta tese presenta os resultados de traballos de investigación levados a cabo para mellora-la visualización dunha ferramenta de planificación de redes eléctricas. A primeira actuación consistiu en actualiza-lo seu motor de debuxo para explota-lo alto rendemento ofrecido por DirectX. Unha forma fundamental de mellora-lo rendemento dunha visualización é a reducción dos datos involucrados posta que canto mellor sexa seu volume mellor será. o tempo necesario para xera-la visualización. Ademáis a reducción de datos pode mellora-la calidade estética da visualización, facéndoa máis lexible. Presentáronse dous aproximacións á reducción de datos: mediante bases de datos especiais e mediante hardware gráfico. Non son exc1uíntes dado que a información das redes eléctricas normalmente provén dunha base de datos e, empregando as extensións espaciais que proporcionan a maioría dos sistemas de xestión de bases de datos modernos, pódese procesala infonnación para adecuala á visualización a realizar . O hardware gráfico moderno está equipado con potentes GPUs con gran capacidade para a computación paralela de alto rendemento e propósito xeral. Presentáronse tres técnicas que non só debuxan a visualización das redes eléctricas, senón que integran o proceso a simplificación das redes eléctricas para tratar de xera-la visualización máis rápidamente. Según sigan a evoluciona-las capacidades do hardware gráfico novas técnicas podeán ser implementadas e as existentes mellorarán o seu rendemento de forma casi transparente o que fai que este campo sexa altamente dinámico e unha fonte de innovación.[Resumen]Esta tesis presenta los resultados de trabajos de investigación llevados a cabo para mejorar la visualización de una herramienta de planificación de redes eléctricas. La primera actuación consistió en actualizar su motor de dibujo para explotar el alto rendimiento ofrecido por DirectX. Una forma fundamental de mejorar el rendimiento de una visualización es la reducción de los datos involucrados, puesto que cuanto menor sea su volumen, menor será el tiempo necesario para generar la visualización. Además, la reducción de datos puede mejorar la calidad estética de la visualización, haciéndola más legible. Se presentaron dos aproximaciones a la reducción de datos: mediante bases de datos espaciales y mediante hardware gráfico. No son excluyentes, dado que la información de las redes eléctricas normalmente proviene de una base de datos y, utilizando las extensiones espaciales que proporcionan la mayoría de sistemas de gestión de bases de datos modernos, se puede procesar la información para adecuadarla a la visualización a realizar. El hardware gráfico moderno está equipado con potentes GPUs con gran capacidad para la computación paralela de alto rendimiento y propósito general. Se han presentado tres técnicas que no solo dibujan la visualización de las redes eléctricas, sino que integran en el proceso la simplificación de las redes eléctricas para tratar de generar la visualización más rápidamente. Según sigan evolucionando las capacidades del hardware gráfico, nuevas técnicas podrán ser implementadas y las existentes mejorarán su rendimiento de forma casi transparente, lo que hace que este campo sea altamente dinámico y una fuente de innovación

3D APIs in Interactive Real-Time Systems: Comparison of OpenGL, Direct3D and Java3D.

Since the first display of a few computer-generated lines on a Cathode-ray tube (CRT) over 40 years ago, graphics has progressed rapidly towards the computer generation of detailed images and interactive environments in real time (Angel, 1997). In the last twenty years a number of Application Programmer's Interfaces (APIs) have been developed to provide access to three-dimensional graphics systems. Currently, there are numerous APIs used for many different types of applications. This paper will look at three of these: OpenGL, Direct3D, and one of the newest entrants, Java3D. They will be discussed in relation to their level of versatility, programability, and how innovative they are in introducing new features and furthering the development of 3D-interactive programming