Faster Calculation of Superquadric Shapes

Nonparametric methods of calculating points on the curve produce the recently introduced superquadric objects at great savings in time

A fast hidden line algorithm for plotting finite element models

Effective plotting of finite element models requires the use of fast hidden line plot techniques that provide interactive response. A high speed hidden line technique was developed to facilitate the plotting of NASTRAN finite element models. Based on testing using 14 different models, the new hidden line algorithm (JONES-D) appears to be very fast: its speed equals that for normal (all lines visible) plotting and when compared to other existing methods it appears to be substantially faster. It also appears to be very reliable: no plot errors were observed using the new method to plot NASTRAN models. The new algorithm was made part of the NPLOT NASTRAN plot package and was used by structural analysts for normal production tasks

Geometric computing and uniform grid technique

If computational geometry should play an important role in the professional environment (e.g. graphics and robotics), the data structures it advocates should be readily implemented and the algorithms efficient. In the paper, the uniform grid and a diverse set of geometric algorithms that are all based on it, are reviewed. The technique, invented by the second author, is a flat, and thus non-hierarchical, grid whose resolution adapts to the data. It is especially suitable for telling efficiently which pairs of a large number of short edges intersect. Several of the algorithms presented here exist as working programs (among which is a visible surface program for polyhedra) and can handle large data sets (i.e. many thousands of geometric objects). Furthermore, the uniform grid is appropriate for parallel processing; the parallel implementation presented gives very good speed-up results. © 1989

Illustrative Informationsvisualisierung

Mit wachsender Größe von Daten wird es zunehmend schwerer, die in der Informationsvisualisierung erzeugte visuelle Repräsentation zu interpretieren und die relevanten Informationen adäquat darzustellen. Die Illustration beschäftigt sich seit längerem mit der Kommunikation wichtiger Bildinformationen. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es deshalb, illustrative Verfahren in Techniken der Informationsvisualisierung zu integrieren - sowohl konzeptuell als auch in praktischer Anwendung. Als Ergebnis unterstützen die neu entwickelten Lösungsansätze die Kommunikation dargestellter Informationen