1.2 History of computer graphics

The study of the history of CGI (computer generated imagery) is an important part of our overall educational experience, not necessarily to build on the historical precedent, but to gain an understanding of the evolution of our discipline and to gain a respect for the key developments that have brought us to where we are.

Computers, and in particular their visual capabilities, are profoundly altering the way in which we create and distribute images.

The early computer models were called mainframe because all their bulky components were housed in large steel frames.

During the 1960s two types of computers were developed to satisfy different needs:

	Microcomputers (smaller and less expensive than mainframes computers).
	Supercomputers (usually bigger and more expensive than mainframes computers).

Microcomputers were developed in the mid-1970s.

1.2 History of computer graphics

The super-microcomputers (also called workstations) and the parallel computer were developed during the 1980s and have had a great effect on the way visual people use computers.

The super-microcomputers are microcomputers built around a powerful CPU that is customized to excel in the performance of a specific task, for example, three-dimensional computer animation.

Computer graphics technology was developed in the early 1950s to make visible what was invisible to the human eye.

Most of the earlier CG applications were related to the military, manufacturing, or the applied sciences and included, for example:

	Flight simulators to train fighter pilots without having to fly a real plane;
	Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CADAM) systems to allow electrical engineers to design and test electronic circuits with millions of components.
	Computer-aided tomography (CAT) scanners to allow physicians to peek into the human body without having to physically open it.

1.2 History of computer graphics

During 1950s and 1960s, the early years of computer graphics technology, the computer systems and techniques for creating images were rudimentary and very limited.

During that period very few artists and designers even knew that computers could be used to create images. The phrase "Computer Graphics" was coined in 1960 by William Fetter, a graphic designer for Boeing.

Computer graphics can be said to have formally begun with the work of Sutherland in 1963.

In 1963 Ivan Sutherland presented his paper Sketchpad at the Summer Joint Computer Conference. Sketchpad allowed interactive design on a vector graphics display monitor with a light pen input device. Most people mark this event as the origins of computer graphics.

During the 1970s and 1980s computer technology became more practical and useful, and a significant number of visual creators changed their attitude and started to get interested in using computers.

During 1990s a significant drop in the prices of computer systems and an increase in their computing power occurred.

1.2 History of computer graphics

This situation encouraged many visual professionals to purchase the technology and to integrate it into their daily professional practices. The computer technology necessary for creating 3D imagery and animation has evolved tremendously since the first systems were developed in 1950s. Within just a few decades the capabilities of hardware and software for creating 3D environments went from simple to highly complex representations that often fool our visual perception.

1950s and 1960s

	The decade of the 1950s and 1960s saw the development of the first interactive computer systems, which were further improved during the following decade.
	The field of CG was so new then that most of the technological innovations from this period are not very spectacular in terms of the results they produced.
	The first computer to use CRT displays as output channels was the Whirlwind computer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the early 1950s.
	This system was used to display the solutions to differential equations on oscilloscope monitors.
	During the 1960s various technology-intensive organizations developed the first computer-aided design and manufacturing (CADAM) systems.

1.2 History of computer graphics

	One of the first CADAM systems was developed by General Motors, and it included various time-sharing graphic stations for designing cars.
	Other companies, including Boeing Aerospace, IBM, General electric and Lockheed, developed similar systems.
	Early attempts to create computer-generated movies took place in several research institutions.
	Short pieces of animation were produced at Boeing by William Fetter and Walter Bernhart in the early 1960s.
	Only a few commercial companies were involved in CG research during these two decades.
	The first interactive system, called Sketchpad, was developed in the early 1960s by Ivan Sutherland at MIT.
	Most people mark this event as the origins of computer graphics.
	This system allowed users to interact with simple wireframe objects via a light pen.
	This system made use of several new interaction techniques and new data structures for dealing with visual information.
	By themed-1960s the first algorithms for removal of hidden surfaces were developed, and the systems for producing full-color surface-shaded animation in real time were improved.

1.2 History of computer graphics

1970s

	The 1970s was a significant decade for the development of 3D computer graphics and imaging technology.
	Many of the basic rendering techniques still in use today were formulated during the 1970s.
	From the point of view of computer hardware, most of the research and production work done during this decade was based on microcomputers.
	The new microcomputer systems greatly contributed to the popularization of computer-generated graphics, mainly in the form of videogames.
	During this decade the University of Utah became a primordial force and a center of innovation in 3D computer graphics research.

1980s

	It was during the 1980s when CG technology leaped from being a curiosity into becoming an area of proven artistic and commercial potential.
	Technologically speaking, Silicon Graphics Inc., the company that pioneered visual workstations with its Geometry Engine, was started by James Clark in 1982.

1.2 History of computer graphics

	Commercially speaking, this decade started with a handful of companies (for instance, Digital Effects on the East Coast, and Robert Abel Associations on the West Coast) that pioneered the production of 3D computer graphics and imaging.
	The bulk of the software research and development during this decade was spent in refining the modeling and shading techniques inherited from the 1970s.
	The RenderMan shading language was released by Pixar in 1988.
	Some of the leading academic centers in North America involved in 3D graphics research during this period, for instance: The University of California at Berkeley (Spline modeling), New York University (procedural texture), The University of Toronto (procedural techniques), the University of Montreal (character animation and lip syncing) and the Ohio State University (hierarchical character animation and inverse kinematics).

Early 1990s

	The first half of the 1990s witnessed a major move toward smaller and/or considerably more powerful computer systems.
	Supercomputers, or workstations, kept increasing in power while decreasing in price, or remained at the same price but with additional features.

1.2 History of computer graphics

	Research and development was mostly centered on issues of efficiency, cost, and ease of use.
	Two additional trends of this period include the rebirth of the electronic game industry, as well as the fact that, overall, the computer industry became friendlier and less technical as it tried to mass-market its products to the consumer market.

Late 1990s

	During the second half of the 1990s the worlds of computer graphics, animation and visual effects production were impacted by the many changes and technological advances that took place in the computer hardware and software industries.
	Some of the more influential events include the popularization of the Windows NT and Linux computer operating systems.
	This trend evolved to a point where even SGI, the company formerly known as Silicon Graphics Inc., and a traditional stalwart of the UNIX operating system, offered NT-based computers in 1990.
	Powerful graphics co-processors designed to accelerate the speed of three-dimensional computations also continued to evolve.

1.2 History of computer graphics

	Some ended up being bundled on the motherboard of PCs, and others continued to be sold as add-on graphics cards.
	Computer networks became vital to digital production due to the popularization of rendering frames and production in multiple locations.
	Major advances in video industry also had an impact on computer animation and visual effects production.
	Digital video became a reality in the mid-1990s.
	Sony introduced a high definition digital video camera, and in 1999 the company announced that 24 frame-per-second version was in development.
	In the same year the filmmaker George Lucas made statements about his plans to shoot with such a camera the live action in the Star Wars second prequel.
	The success of 1999 alternative films like The Blair Witch project and the Danish the Celebration facilitated the entry of digital video into mainstream production.
	The advent of digital movie projectors was another significant development of the late 1990s.
	Texas Instruments became an early leader in the field of digital projectors when it introduced its first DLP model in 1998.

1.2 History of computer graphics

	The great popularity and growth of experienced by computer games and platform games translated into many jobs for three-dimensional computer animators, who created hundreds of real time and pre-rendered content for personal computers and game platforms such as Sony's PlayStation, and Nintendo 64 and Sega's Dreamcast.
	In 1999, Sony demonstrated prototype versions of a game console code-named PlayStation 2 scheduled for release in 2000.
	This system is built around 128-bit processor co-developed with Toshiba, and is currently capable of drawing up to 66 million polygons per second.
	In the area of software tools, there were several significant developments during the late 1990s. the modeling technique of subdivision surfaces allows users to build three-dimensional models with different geometry resolutions throughout the model.
	This technique was developed at the University of Washington and then perfected at Pixar, where the 1997 award-winner Geri's game became the test-bed for this and other new modeling techniques.
	Nonrealistic rendering techniques became increasingly popular during the late 1990s to create three-dimensional computer animation and still images that looked as if they were created with traditional techniques.
	There are many approaches to nonrealistic rendering; some are based on three-dimensional rendering techniques and others on two-dimensional image processing techniques.