7au 190&f &&c ff - ieee computer society · tion include a 60-hz, noninterlaced...

Editors: Carl Machover and John C. Dill

Kodak information management systems offer high-resolution display

Eastman Kodak has introduced KIMSimage-intensive information managementsystems that are available at three levels ofcapacity. All three integrated systems allowusers to view and manipulate digitizeddocument images and computer-storeddata at high-resolution, multifunctionworkstations.At the top of the line is the System 5000,

which brings together a computer data-base and image-processing and communi-cations technologies to capture, store,manipulate, and deliver information.Workstations are linked to computers andsystem peripherals-electronic printers,scanners, file servers, optical disk "juke-box" libraries, robotic microfilmlibraries-through an Ethernet LAN. Thesystem can accept data from mainframesand other networks through gateways andprotocols that include IBM's Systems Net-work Architecture.An optical-disk-based system stores and

retrieves data using a 12" optical disklibrary with a capacity of up to 121 2.6G-byte optical disks. According to the com-pany, as many as 60,000 images per disk,or a total ofmore than 6 million documentimages per disk library, can be accessed bythe system and transmitted to multipleusers in seconds.A microfilm-based System 5000 uses a

robotic film library that holds up to 372rolls of microfilm, enough to store 4 mil-lion document pages.The price of a system is in the $700,000

range. Both types of system can beexpanded beyond these minimum config-urations to access multiple image libraries.Lower level Systems 4500 and 3000 can

be paths to a System 5000. The System4500 is designed to allow users to build andaccess a microfilm base with computer-assisted microfilm retrieval techniques, in

The Kodak KIMS System 3000 is an image-intensive data storage andretrieval system that uses optical disks and includes a desktop scanner andlaser printer.

the expectation of upgrading later. Itincludes a DEC MicroVAX II for indexingand controlling document retrieval, aKodak IMT-350 microimage terminal forretrieval and printing of hard copies, anda Kodak Reliant intelligent microfilmer2000 for capture of document images.The System 3000 is a stand-alone system

that can remain an end solution or serveas an upgrade path. It has a multiserverlinked to one or several workstations. Datastorage and retrieval are done with one ortwo 12" 2.6G-byte optical disk drives.Multiple windowing allows the user to

compare documents, simultaneouslyaccess different images and documents, orexecute multiple operations such as file

checking and word processing. Images canbe zoomed and rotated.Documents can be retrieved through a

fill-in-the-word search or a free-formsearch. Notes of as many as 11 lines of textcan be appended to a magnetic fileassociated with the document image, andrecalled each time the image is accessed.A 200-dpi desktop scanner handles

documents from 5.5" to legal size at a rateof one every 2.5 seconds. Hard copies areproduced on a laser printer at 300 dpi. Anoptional protocol converter will connectthe system to mainframes.The prices of both the System 4500 and

System 3000 are in the $150,000 range.Reader Service Number 20

May 1987 75

7AU 190&f &&C ff

Prime and Silicon Graphics jointly produce graphicsworkstation

Desktop laser printer has pagedescription language

Prime Computer and Silicon Graphicsare cooperatively marketing a new interac-tive 3D graphics workstation. Called thePXCL 5500 by Prime and the IRIS 4D/60by Silicon Graphics, the product delivers7 MIPS using the dhrystone benchmark or,for actual user applications, 5 MIPS.The computer has an RISC processor

linked to a graphics subsystem of morethan 30 custom and semicustom VLSIprocessors. A pipeline of 17 VLSI circuits(10 MHz each) handles object rotation,translation and scaling, six-plane clipping,and perspective or orthographic viewing.According to preliminary figures from

Silicon Graphics, screen coordinates arescaled at more than 140,000 32-bit 3Dfloating-point coordinates per second.The geometry subsystem includes a

16-MHz 68020 Motorola chip thatmanages distributed processing ofgraphics tasks. It communicates with thehost CPU, interprets graphics library com-mands, and manages dataflow through thegeometry pipeline.

When fully configured, the workstation'sframe buffer allows the user to display 16.7million colors in single-buffer mode, or4096 colors in double-buffer mode. It sup-ports a 24-bit z-buffer for hidden-surfaceremoval and the use of underlays andoverlays.A custom VLSI processor allows simul-

taneous display of multiple modes ofoperation-single buffer, double buffer,12-bit color, 24-bit color, and z-buffer-inmultiple windows.Standard configurations of the worksta-

tion include a 60-Hz, noninterlaced 19"monitor with 1280x1024 resolution.RS-170 output is supported; RGB outputhas 646x 485 visible resolution and a framerate of 30 Hz. Video devices can be sup-ported through a genlock option withonboard NTSC color encoder.The standard configuration with two

towers, 4M bytes of main memory, 170M-byte disk, floating-point coprocessorboard, color monitor, keyboard, and mousecosts $74,900.

Reader Service Number 21

Digital Equipment Corporation's newScriptPrinter has the standard features ofthe LN03 line, with the addition of residentPostScript page description language.According to the manufacturer, theenhancement allows the laser printer tocreate publishing-quality pages containingtext, graphics, and scanned images.The printer has 29 resident typefaces

and can print as many as eight pages perminute. The PostScript language allows theprinter to generate text, line art, halftones,images, and patterns in different sizes andshapes.The printer can also print files created

using the ANSI/Sixel, ReGIS, and Tektro-nix 4010/14 protocols, through VAX host-resident software translators. It communi-cates through a standard RS-232 serialinterface.The printer costs $6295.


Videophone transmits movingcolor image

The PXCL 5500 is Prime's version of a graphics workstation marketedcooperatively with Silicon Graphics.

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Vistacom, a Finnish company, hasannounced a videophone that can com-press a moving color image so that it canbe transmitted on a single digital telephoneline at 56 Kbps.The system consists of a picture trans-

mission unit called Video Codec-56 and avideophone terminal with a built-in videocamera and monitor. The Codec unit com-presses the moving color image so that thedata transmitted is 1/1500th of the originalinformation. The system registers only themoving parts of the picture and then trans-mits them to the receiver's terminal.According to the manufacturer, the

videophone draws only 50 watts and canbe used immediately in major US citieswhere AT&T or the local telephone com-pany can provide access to digital tele-phone network transmission at 56 Kbps.Price not provided.


1600 x 1280-resolution monitorfrom Hitachi

Hitachi has announced the HM-5219, acolor monitor with 1600 x 1280 resolution.It uses new shadow-mask technology anda yoke design that achieves 89 kHz.The monitor costs $5200.


IEEE CG&A

Mechanical design software isbased on object-oriented archi-tecture

Intergraph's Engineering Modeling Sys-tem, I/EMS, is a workstation-basedmechanical design and drafting systemusing an object-oriented software architec-ture. Running in stand-alone mode underUnix on Intergraph's 32C engineeringworkstations, it provides wireframe, sur-face, solid, and parametric modeling capa-bilities, as well as detailing and draftingfunctions.The system's object nucleus is com-

plemented by a unified mathematical basisand a double-precision database. Geomet-ric elements are represented as nonuni-form rational B-splines. According to thecompany, this approach is good for geo-metric definition because it can representcomplex surfaces exactly while efficientlyrepresenting basic elements.The system uses a hybrid approach to

solid modeling that maintains a boundaryrepresentation and a record of operationsused to construct the model. Called designprocess representation, it accommodatesthe trial-and-error nature of the design pro-cess. A designer can undo operations andreturn to an earlier design stage.The user interface has screen menus,

tablet menus, and direct key-in commands.Tablet menus can be built by the user.Price not provided.


AutoCAD supportsVAXstation 2000 and GPXworkstations

Autodesk now supports VAXstation2000 and GPX workstations with Version2.6 ofAutoCAD, which operates under theVMS operating environment.According to the company, drawings

generated under PC-DOS or MS-DOS byAutoCAD Version 2.5 or later are compat-ible with those generated by AutoCADunder VMS.TheVMS version offers the drafting and

design features of the PC-DOS/MS-DOSVersion 2.6 and costs $2850.


Low-price graphics design kit

The Texas Instruments TMS34010Graphics Design Kit is intended to helpdesigners accelerate graphics systemdesign and evaluation.The design kit includes a TMS34010

Graphics System Processor, aTMS34070-66 4-bit color palette, fourTMS4461 video RAMs, and a 68-pin PLCCsocket for the TMS34010. Perhaps mostimportant, the kit also provides an assem-bler/linker/simulator package for writingand testing TMS34010 software and afunction library sampler with such pro-gramming examples as circle draw, a sim-ple text function, line draw, filled circles,and filled rectangles.Documentation provided includes a

TMS34010 User's Guide, Assembly Lan-guage Tools User's Guide, and aTMS34010 Software Development BoardUser's Guide. Application reports comewith the kit, including a minimum solutionusing the TMS34010 at 512x512 reso-lution.The kit costs $340.


Precision Visuals updatesGK-2000

Precision Visuals has released GK-2000Version 3, which, according to the com-pany, has passed independent GraphicalKernel System (GKS) certification testswith no errors, and runs faster and usesless memory than the original version.The new version is compatible with over

100 device drivers already developed foruse with DI-3000, the company's device-independent 3D graphics software. It isavailable immediately for VAX/VMS sys-tems, with releases for other systems tofollow.Prices start at $3500, including

documentation, and vary with machineclass. Free software updates will be sent toexisting GK-2000 customers covered bysupport agreements.


Software upgradesSummagraphics MacTablet

Summagraphics has introduced newsoftware for its MacTablet graphics tablet,providing increased compatibility with theMacintosh computer. Version 4.0 is nowincluded with all MacTablets.The software can be installed using

Apple's own Font/DA mover and hasincreased compatibility with hard drives,including the new SCSI drive. It also pro-vides full support for the Macintosh ver-sion of the Summagraphics 18x12SummaSketch Professional.According to the company, the software

can be installed on a diskette in an exter-nal drive, as well as on such Macintosh-compatible hard disks as Apple's HD20and the General Computer Hyperdrive.Version 4.0 is available to current Mac-

Tablet owners at no charge.Reader Service Number 34

Program networks CADresources

OmniCAD, a new program from Ameri-can Technical Services, is designed toallow several users to share simultaneouslymany plotters, printers, PCs, and drawings.The system permits networking ofAutoCAD software: AutoCAD capabilitiesare not limited to a single workstation.

File servers create a database with whichIBM PC XTs and compatibles function asindividual workstations (ATs and fastermachines will enhance the operation). Asmany as five file servers can be used.According to the company, each server canrun up to 40 PCs and seven plotters at thesame time. Also, a PC within the networkcan be used to create drawings on any plot-ter and access drawings from any PC.Features include sequencing of draw-

ings on autofeed plotters with no operatorassistance, communications from PC tofile server at 10 million bits per second,and acceptance of custom-designed con-trol symbol libraries.

Price not provided.Reader Service Number 35

May 1987 77

MSC/pal, now available for Macintosh, does stress analysis.

Software includes real-world environment rendering

Alias Research has incorporated intoVersion 2 of its Alias/I software specialeffects rendering to simulate real-worldenvironments.Environments can be created and ani-

mated interactively to simulate suchphenomena as sunsets and sunrises. Timeof day can be varied and haze, fog, rain,smoke, fire, and other elements can be

Software writes educationalsoftware

The University of Southern Californiahas released PC software that enables anauthor to create educational software.Called SCriptWriter, it was developed atUSC with assistance from IBM.The software includes graphics, text,

and font editors, and a programming lan-guage called IQ. It supports animation andsound.In the authoring mode, the software runs

on an IBM PC XT or AT with 512K. Appli-cations can run on a PC with a minimumof 256K. CGA is supported, and an EGAversion should be released soon.The basic system costs $40. An interac-

tive video component that supports IBM'sInformation Windows laser disk monitorcosts $20.


added to the scene. The environments aretrue 3D representations.

The software uses models of scatteredlight from atmospheric particles; fractaltexturing methods; and bump, texture, andreflection mapping.

Price not provided.Reader Service Number 36

Tool design libraries supplyready-to-use drawings toCADAM users

CADAM has announced that the JergensTool Design Library and the Carr Lane 3DTool Design Library are available for use inthe CADAM system. The libraries supplyready-to-use drawings of a range of stan-dard tool design components.According to the company, the libraries

load onto the mainframe, where theyremain accessible to users throughout thedesign session. In addition to providingstandard library components, the systemsallow components to be modified asneeded to create new components, whichmay then be cataloged within the libraryframework.Prices not provided.


Finite element analysis forMacintosh, CAD to FEAtransfer

The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporationhas made two announcements concerningMSC/pal, a finite element analysispackage.

* MSC/pal is now available for theApple Macintosh. According to MSC, thesoftware takes full advantage of the Macin-tosh user interface and its pull-downmenus and dialogue boxes.Applications of MSC/pal include design

and analysis of mechanical systems, stressanalysis of mechanical components, servo-mechanism vibration analysis, stress anal-ysis of pressure vessels, vibration analysisof printed circuit boards, automotive andaerospace structural strength analysis, andmachinery vibration analysis.The software performs static, natural

frequency, and transient response analy-sis on 3D and 2D models. The program'selement library includes beams, quad-rilateral and triangular plates, plane stressand plane strain membranes, scalersprings, masses, dampers, and generalizedmass and stiffness matrices.

Interactive graphics capabilities include3D wireframe plotting, scaling and rotat-ing, deformed/undeformed overlays, ele-ment and node point numbering, and x-yplotting for element stress scanning anddynamic response. The user can animatethe deformed shape of the model.For the 512K-byte Macintosh, the soft-

ware costs $995; the 1M-byte version costs$1495. The more expensive version cananalyze models with as many as 500 nodepoints, whereas the basic package has anode point limit of 300. Both versions alsorun on a Macintosh Plus.


* New software called ADCAD2, Ver-sion 2, enables users to transfer meshedCAD files from AutoCAD, VersaCAD,CADKey, Anvil 1000, Robo CAD, and otherCAD programs to MSC/pal2 for finite ele-ment analysis. The results can then bereturned to the CAD program. Any CADprogram that uses standard DXF file trans-fer methods can share 2D drawings withMSC/pal2.Once the finite element analysis soft-

ware has created a "deformed" version ofthe drawing that shows structural weak-nesses, ADCAD2 transfers the drawing tothe original CAD program for display as anoverlay on the original design drawing.The drawings can be printed on plotterssupported by the CAD program.ADCAD2 costs $95 but is available free

to registered MSC/pal2 users.Reader Service Number 40

IEEE CG&A78