Computer Graphics.

Computer graphics have been called the most exciting development in computer technology. At the University of Michigan, three kinds of graphics output equipment are now being used: symbolic printers, line plotters or drafting devices, and cathode-ray tubes (CRT). Six examples are given that demonstrate the range of graphics use at the University. (1) Computer-animated movies can be made inexpensively by any faculty member in as little as two hours, using a camera, a bi-stable storage tube of the Computek Model 400/20, and a subroutine package called Polygraphics. (2) A system of architectural graphics, called ARCH:GRAPHIC, allows the user to manipulate a set of elementary objects such as cubes, quarter circles, ochtahedrons, stick figures, and any other unit he creates. (3) A graphic presentation of fibrillation of the heart is provided by computer printouts and on the CRT. (4) Of interest to industrial designers, systems have been worked out that present free-form surfaces and time-cost schedules. (5) Geographers use computers as automatic draftsmen and pictures processors. (6) Two application systems give engineering students opportunities to experiment at the CRT instead of at the drafting board. (MF)