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rNEW PRODUCTSEditors: Carl Machover and John C. Dill

iHiA WARE

Graphics display controlleroffers 512 x 512 resolution

The STD-800 color graphics display con-troller from Matrox Electronics Systems pro-vides 512 x 512-pixel resolution with 16 colorson a single STD bus board. The board uses aGDC 7220 VLSI graphics controller chip toprovide hardware vector and circle genera-tion; high-speed character drawing; DMAcapability; and split-screen, smooth-scroll,and pan functions. The card also features acomplete on-board 4096 color lookup tableand a light pen interface.The STD-800 has a read/write memory of

128K bytes with 64K RAMs, which can beexpanded to 512K bytes with 256K RAMs.Either interlaced (30 Hz) or noninterlaced (60Hz) operation can be selected.The STD-800 is designed for high-resolu-

tion, cost-sensitive applications such as pro-cess control, medical electronics, businessgraphics, and low-end CAD/CAM systems.Pricing on the Matrox board is $995. Deliveryis from stock.

Reader Service Number 30

Light pen system controlsgraphics overlays on video

New Media Graphics Corporation is offeringa light-pen-controlled display system capableof generating graphics overlays on video pic-tures coming from videodisc, videotape, or aTV camera. The Graph Over 9500 system can

be used for interactive training, video produc-tion, presentation graphics, point-of-sale trans-actions, and military data analysis.The LT- I00 light pen allows the operator to

select functions from a menu, draw directly ona screen, or control sophisticated graphicsoverlay generation. The output of the systemcan be recorded on a videotape, or it can bedisplayed on any RGB or NTSC monitor.The system list price is $10,900; quantity dis-

counts are available and delivery is immediate.


Graphics system automates printed circuit fabrication

Scitex Corporation, Ltd., has introducedan integrated, turnkey computer graphicssystem to perform printed circuit preproduc-tion steps from incoming inspection to pro-duction-ready tooling. The Insight systemprocesses computer-generated or conven-tional artwork, converting artwork informa-tion to a digital format and storing the data onmagnetic tape or disk.

Insight consists of a laser scanner/plotter, acolor-display workstation, and supportingcomputer and peripheral equipment. Input isaccomplished either by magnetic and papertape for CAD-produced designs or by scan-ning films. The workstation provides a meansto interact with a virtual image of what is tobecome the production tooling; every pixel on

the screen is equivalent to a laser-producedspot on the soft tool. Capabilities are pro-vided to correct defects or design-rule viola-tions, make engineering changes, automati-cally digitize and sort drill holes, and enlargeor reduce features. Output is directed to thelaser plotter, which features a 42 x 75-inchformat, 0.5-mil resolution, one-mil accuracyand repeatability, and independent scaling inX and Y in increments of 0.2 mil. Drill androuter data is output via paper or magnetictape.

Scitex's Insight system sells for $490,000and is available for delivery in 90 days.


The Scitex Insight computer graphics system is dedicated to printed circuit fabrication. Inputartwork on magnetic or paper tape or film is digitized and converted to a color virtual image fordesign-rule checking, design changes, and enhancements. It is then stored and output on paper,Mylar, or tape for transfer to a CAD system.

April 1984 85

Color terminal uses Tektronix 4027 protocol

Psitech has introduced the GTC314 colorgraphics terminal, which includes a bit-mappeddisplay, a 4K color palette, polygon fill-in coloror pattern, and programmable character sets.Utilizing Tektronix 4027-compatible protocol,the GTC314 can display arcs, circles, pies, vec-tors, bars, and polygons. In addition, a Tek-tronix 4010 emulation mode permits use of ex-isting software such as the Tektronix Plot 10,Issco's Disspla and Tell-A-Graf, and PrecisionVisuals' D-3000. The dual-processor architec-ture dedicates one microprocessor to the graph-ics display in order to provide a high rate ofgraphics throughput.

Three character sets are available; one isfixed and yields a display of 85 characters perline with 48 lines, and two are programmable.The programmable sets permit the user todefine sizes of fonts and cells up to 256x 128pixels. Text can be displayed with individuallyselected background and foreground colors orin an overstrike mode. Superscripts and sub-

scripts can be displayed by use of the dot-addressable features.

An optional tilt-swivel stand is available forthe 14-inch, 512 x 480 monitor. The 12 x 12-inch,0.31mm-pitch monitor is factory preset andlocked to eliminate field adjustments. The ter-minal features a detached keyboard with theVT-100 layout designed to DIN ergonomicsstandards, and a built-in, solid-state, micropro-cessor-controlled keyboard uses noncontactkeys. Four cursor-control keys manipulateboth the text and graphics cursors. TheGTC314 has two RS-232-C ports, which oper-ate at speeds up to 19.2K baud, and an auxiliaryport that can be used to support graphics inputdevices such as a mouse, trackball, joystick, ordigitizer tablet, and a color printer for output.

Psitech's GTC314 graphics terminal sells for$2895; quantity discounts are available.


Graphics board offers Version 2.0 software

The Electro-Screen BT-1 is a plug-in SS-50and SS-64 bus graphics board from Privac,Inc., with an on-board 6809 microprocessor.The BT-1 provides a bit-mapped 512 x 480-res-olution graphics display and 84 x 48-line textdisplay with flexible text and graphics integra-tion, composite and TTL-level video output,and an eight-channel, eight-bit A/D converter.The board is supported by Version 2.0 soft-

ware, which provides 19.2K-baud-equivalentcharacter throughput and includes a 2-D graph-ics package with scaling, rotation in one-degreeincrements, translation, and a graphics primi-tive drawing set. The graphics set includescircles, arbitrarily bounded object flood, out-lined rectangles, solid rectangles, and variable-size auto-clipping viewports to relieve the hostcomputer of the software burden. Other soft-

Desktop CADD system iscompatible with IBM PCs

Protean from CAD Counsel is a draftingand design computer graphics system thatenables users to create and edit electro-mechanical drawings, logic symbols, andprinted circuit components by using either adigitizing tablet or a keyboard .

Fully compatible with the IBM PC and PC-XT, Protean includes a 16-bit 8088 micropro-cessor, 8087 numerical processor, a 12-inchcolor monitor with 630-line resolution, andexpandable 256K RAM. Its CPU features aROM-resident basic I/O system compatiblewith the MS-DOS. The CP-88 CPU board ismounted separately from the motherboardfor ease in servicing. Twelve expansion slotsand two 360K-byte disk drives are provided,as is an RS-232 serial port, a parallel printerinterface, a keyboard, and a Hitachi Tigertablet.

Protean costs $7500.


ware features include TV-950 graphic characteremulation, TV-912 terminal emulation, andtext qualities such as overstrike, underline, linewrap, and reverse video.

BT-I Version 2.0 software has double-heightand/or double-width character options as wellas the ability to upload multiple character fontsand switch among them while accepting a lineof characters.

Pricing for the BT-1 graphics board with theenhanced Version 2.0 software is $795. A Ver-sion 2.0 upgrade EPROM set is $195.


e SIGGRAPH `84* The

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* 1984 ExhibitionThe most intense display ofhigh performance computergraphics equipment for currentand future applications.

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CAD Counsel's Protean electronic drafting board produces 31-color, 40-character graphicswith a screen resolution of 640 x 200 dots for output to an optional printer or plotter. A de-tached keyboard with LED indicators on selected keys and a digitizing tablet allow input ofgraphic data as well as access to menu commands.

April 1984 87

Video capture system is IBM PC compatibleAn IBM PC-compatible video capture

system, designed for graphics/image process-ing, surveillance/security, quality assurance,motion analysis, machine vision, and trainingapplications is available from Chorus DataSystems, Inc. The PC-Eye Series 1000 interfaceboard occupies one IBM PC or PC-XT expan-sion slot and permits the user to capture videoimages directly from inexpensive video camerasor recorders at eight frames per second. Theimages can be digitized with one or two bits ofintensity for compatibility with the IBM high-resolution graphics adapter or with four bits ofintensity (640 x 400-pixel resolution) for dis-play by other compatible graphics adapterboards.

Images are transferred under DMA controldirectly into the IBM PC main memory at up to

one megabyte per second. Successive framescan be captured and stored for off-line com-parison or postprocessing. Cameras and re-corders offering EIA RS-170 or NTSC inter-faces can be connected directly to the PC-Eye,and noninterlaced and interlaced scanning canbe supported. A crystal clock and digitaldivider ensure accurate timing and stable syn-chronization. Software support is offered forprinter output, annotation, storage, com-parison, compression, and transmission of thevideo information.

Delivery for PC-Eye is 30 days ARO, andprices are less than $500 in quantity. Discountsare available to qualified customers.


CAD/CAM workstation aids plant design process

Prime Computer, Inc., has announced aCAD/CAM system for the design of chemicalprocess plants, nuclear power plants, and othercomplex plant engineering projects. The systemincludes Cadtrak Corporation's DS-1 interac-tive workstation and is based on Prime's plantdesign and management system (PDMS) soft-ware and 50 Series computer.The DS-I is an intelligent workstation with

the ability to perform individual local process-ing or function in a network when worksta-tions are linked and share access to PDMSsoftware. Other system features include theability to design in three dimensions; to move,rescale, and view areas from several directionsat the same time on local DS-ls; and to panand focus on areas of particular interest.Complex plant views also appear in full color.The DS-1 workstation can be located at con-struction sites or wherever it is needed, since itcan communicate with the PDMS system overtelephone lines.

Using PDMS, designers can create in adigital database a three-dimensional model of

an entire plant, including all piping, vessels,and structural components. The software in-cludes an extensive library of commonly usedcomponents, permitting project managers toassign company part numbers to components,add custom components, and specify andrestrict use of certain components for in-dividual projects. With all information storedin a central database, PDMS can generate ac-curate inventories of material components atany stage in the design cycle, providing ma-terial controllers with flexibility and rapid ac-cess for material procurement, tracking, andmanagement purposes.

The basic PDMS/DS-I configuration in-cludes a 2250 computer (with 68M-byte disk),basic PDMS software license, and two work-stations. This package is priced at $480,000.Purchased separately, a single workstationcosts $99,500.


Prime Computer's CAD/CAM-based plant design and management system (PDMS) softwarehas been combined with Cadtrak Corporation's interactive DS-1 workstation. With this system,a user can design in three dimensions, accept individual design changes through a centraldatabase, and transmit the revised design to all systems users through its networking andsystems architecture capabilities.

VLSI simulation systemruns on Scaldsystem

Valid Logic Systems, Inc., has introducedRealchip, a patented simulation technologythat uses integrated circuit chips mountedwithin Valid's Scaldsystem to permit users tocreate, simulate, and validate designs contain-ing complex VLSI devices such as microproces-sors, peripheral chips, floppy-disk controllers,gate arrays, or custom chips. According to thecompany, simulation speeds are increased byone or two orders of magnitude, since simula-tion is performed at hardware rather than soft-ware speeds.When Realchip is used with Scaldsystem,

system level designs can be debugged withoutusing in-circuit emulators, logic analyzers, andmanually constructed breadboards. Users cancreate their own models of custom or sampledevices, with all Scaldsystem capabilities(schematic capture, timing verification, logicsimulation, and timing diagrams) available.The Realchip interface for these capabilities isindistinguishable from other Scaldsystem soft-ware models.

Realchip simulation is a detailed, nano-second-by-nanosecond display of signal activi-ty such as would be provided by a logic analyz-er. Whereas a hardware breadboard providesonly a typical representation of a design,Realchip simulation supplies a worst-case dis-play based on worst-case timing specifications.

Prices for the Realchip boards and devicedrivers begin at $29,500.


Workstation is VT-100compatible

Wyse Technology has introduced the WY-75display station, which incorporates the ANSIX3.64 standard and is designed to be fully soft-ware compatible with the VT-100 terminal.The smart-editing, tilt-and-rotate, alphanu-

meric display station features a 14-inch, non-

glare green phosphor screen and user-selectable80- or 132-column widths. These expanded dis-play capabilities are intended for use in spread-sheet or editing applications that require an in-creased number of characters visible on thescreen.

The station's keyboard is detached andequipped with an adjustable two-position base.The board has 16 programmable function keyswith 32 separate control codes, as well as a fulltypewriter section and full numeric pad, for atotal of 101 keys. The workstation includes anonvolatile memory that eliminates the usualDIP switches and enables all parameters suchas cursor type, transmission speed, and oper-ating mode to be entered from the keyboard.The WY-75 workstation has a list price of

$795.


IEEE CG&A88

Image processor plugs into IBM PC expansion slot

Imaging Technology Incorporated has an-nounced the PC Vision Frame Grabber, a real-time video image acquisition and displaymodule for the IBM PC and PC-XT. The mod-ule converts a standard analog video signal(RS-170) from a camera to digital data at a10-MHz rate and stores the resulting six-bit pix-el data in an on-board 512 x 512 frame mem-ory. The architecture of the module enables itto simultaneously acquire and display 30frames per second, and programmable lookuptables on the output signal allow arbitrarytransformation of pixel intensity prior todisplay on an external monitor.Each location in the on-board frame mem-

ory is eight bits deep and stores six bits of digitaldata (one of 64 gray-scale intensities) with the

remaining bits enabling two planes of graphicoverlays. These graphic overlay planes can beused for generating and positioning text orgraphics anywhere on the image without dis-turbing the stored video data. In addition, theframe memory is mapped into the IBM PC ad-dress space, enabling direct access to the storedimage and facilitating image processing by theIBM PC.

The Frame Grabber includes a hardwaremodule that plugs directly into a PC expansionslot, software driver routines, user documenta-tion, and interconnecting cables. It is priced at$2995.


Kaypro 4 micro features telecommunications modem

Kaypro Corporation's Kaypro 4 microcom-puter incorporates a built-in 300-baud modemfor telecommunications and databank access-ing and features a display with 5 x 7-pixel typefont, graphics capability, blinking cursor, dualintensity, and highlighting.The personal computer processes informa-

tion at 4 MHz and incorporates on-screen

graphics. For word processing applications, theKaypro 4 features the industry-standard80-column by 25-line display.

The Kaypro 4 is priced at $1995.


Business graphics system produces slides on IBM PCs

Image Resource Corporation has introduceda business presentation graphics system thatproduces 35mm color slides from an IBM Per-sonal Computer. The Samurai system is de-signed to eliminate the aliasing commonlyassociated with the low resolution of slides pro-duced with PC graphics. Samurai uses a pro-prietary, continuous-writing technology thatdoes not use the discrete pixel format of or-dinary video graphics screens. According to themanufacturer, slides from commercially avail-able instant or regular slide film can be ready todevelop at a typical exposure rate of 20 to 30slides per hour, and slides can be correctedrapidly for last-minute changes.The physical configuration of Samurai con-

sists of a self-contained, IBM PC-styled, 35mmfilm recorder weighing 50 pounds; a singlegraphics processor board that plugs into anIBM PC expansion slot; and a single 10-footmulticonductor, shielded-cable interface. Sa-murai's film recorder is self-loading and self-threading with autoadvance and rewind cap-abilities, requiring no adjustments by users. Allexposure operations fall under the automaticcontrol of Samurai.Samurai graphics utilities include a pro-

prietary IBM PC-resident graphics protocollanguage called SIGHT and a group of periph-eral device drivers. SIGHT provides a commongraphics input format and enables Samurai toproduce kerning and proportional spacing oftype, both serif and sans-serif fonts. It cangenerate resolution-independent primitives,such as lines, polygons, rectangles, arcs, andcharacters. Samurai's device drivers, developedby Graphics Software Systems, translate

SIGHT-coded images to the appropriate out-put formats that drive a variety of impact andnonimpact color and black-and-white printers.The Samurai system also offers Image 1, an

optional IBM PC-resident, menu-driven and-prompted business graphics applications pack-age. Image I creates SIGHT protocol descrip-tions of slides and provides a variety ofpredesigned, parameterized graphics tools, in-cluding title, word, pie, column, and barcharts, and line graphs.

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A complete Samurai presentation graphicssystem is priced at $9850. The optional Image Ibusiness graphics applications package costs$490.


The Samurai 35mm-slide, business presentation graphics system from Image Resource Corpora-tion consists of a stand-alone film recorder, a circuit board for IBM PC plug-in, cable interface,and SIGHT utility software. The system features built-in antialiasing technology by EdsunLaboratories.

April 1984 89

CAD system features dualmonitors

Cascade X from Cascade Graphics is a

CAD system designed for engineering and ar-

chitectural applications. In addition to thestandard 12-inch monochrome CRT, the

Cascade X features a 19-inch nonglaremonitor that provides 1024x798 resolution.The dual monitors allow the user to view themenu on one screen and draw on the other.

The system also includes a Motorola 68000microprosessor with 756K RAM, 5M-bytehard-disk storage expandable to 80M bytes,and a double-sided, standard 5l/4-inch floppy-disk drive for inputting the Cascade softwareand updating or storing drawings. Availableas options are A-size through E-size plotters, adot matrix printer, and a workstation cabinet.Owners of other Cascade units can upgrade tothe Cascade X, since the products are com-patible. Up to eight workstations can be net-worked.

The CAD system sells for $30,000. Cascade X from Cterface CPU for p

Reader Service Number 43 centering joystick.

Desktop unit allows unattended plotting

Hewlett-Packard's HP 7550A graphics plot-ter offers automatic cut-sheet paper feed thatprovides unattended plot reproduction forengineering and scientific applications. Theplotter, featuring 31.5-ips plot speed and 6g ac-celeration, includes a liquid crystal display withfunction keys for reporting plotter status andprogram messages and a Replot feature thatdraws up to 99 copies of an original graphwithout rerunning the program. According to

Slaved to a UV/visible spectrophotometer, thisHewlett-Packard plotter provides hard-copyoutput of kinetics measurements. Featuring aReplot function and automatic cut-sheet mediafeed, the HP 7550A is designed for unattendedand automatic plotter applications.

ascade Graphics features dual monitors, a 68000 microprocessor, and an in-eripherals such as keyboard, stylus, 11 x 11-inch digitizing tablet, and self-

Laser photoplotter generatesprinted circuit board artwork

Optronics International, Inc., has intro-duced a laser photoplotter system designed spe-cifically for the generation of printed circuitboard artwork. The Optronics 2420 is a single-pass, raster film recorder. Moving at a speed of31,200 ipm, the unit employs an argon-ion lasergenerating a projected aperture to produce anartwork image made up of thousands of squareelements or pixels laid down in grid fashion.Because the unit makes only a single pass overthe film, high-speed image plotting can be donein minutes; a 14-inch board, for example, canbe plotted in less than 12 minutes.The standard variable-sized aperture shapes

available include squares, X shapes, rectangles,crosses, circles, donuts, oblongs, ellipses, dia-monds, and three- and four-hole heat reliefs.As many as 99 computer-generated aperturesare available in computer memory for plottinga single board. Users can also generate theirown shapes, such as company logos. User-directed functions include reversals, 90- and180-degree rotations, X and Y mirroring, cor-rective position scaling in one or both dimen-sions, N-to-I scaling (with aperture scaling),on-line step and repeat, merges (pad masters,multiple wheels, MIL-spec, or independentboards), queueing of boards, and accountinginformation.Maximum film size accepted by the laser unit

is 20x24 inches; maximum plotting size is18 x 22 inches. Overall accuracy, states thecompany, is ± 0.001, with a line-and-pad-width range of 0.0005 inches and up.The Optronics 2420 laser photoplotter sys-

tem includes an M-68000-based controller, aWinchester disk, and a magnetic tape unit fordata entry from a variety of CAD systems. Thesystem is priced from $125,000.


the company, the HP 7550A can make letters ateight to 10 characters per second, which is theequivalent of drawing a full page of 10-point,single-spaced type in four minutes.

The desktop plotter is designed to be used inproduction areas to generate unattended plotsfor automatic-test systems and for process con-trol; in CAD/CAM operations to produce asworking copies and for viewing sections oflarger plots; in business applications as aperipheral to desktop computers, high-end per-sonal computers, and multiuser business com-puters; and in the computer room as a centralsource of hard-copy graphics.

The HP 7550A offers up to 10 colors and twoline widths of fiber-tip, roller-ball, and liquid-ink pens. These pens are loaded onto the plotterin eight-pen carousels, which provide automat-ic plotter settings by pen type for pen speed andpressure. The plotter accepts 11 x 17-inch and81/2 x 11-inch paper, transparency film, vellum,polyester film, and tracing bond.

Additional features include 20 internationalcharacter sets in two fonts, including JapaneseKatakana and most European languages; user-definable character-set capability; an arc andcircle generator; a line-pattern generator;polygon definition and area-fill commands;point digitizing; a built-in self-test capability;and block-mode l/O error checking andrecovery for the RS-232-C interface. A large12K-byte I/O buffer speeds system communi-cations.

Price of the HP 7550A plotter is $3900;estimated delivery is four to six weeks ARO.


IEEE CG&A90

SOFTWARESpace management systemruns on Vax computers

Decision Graphics, Inc., has released an in-teractive graphics package for space manage-ment and planning. Fames allows the facilitymanager to accurately capture space alloca-tions, report on them, and plot drawings show-ing the space utilization. Tracking the past andplanning for the future are also supported bythe system.Fames is linked to the other packages in-

cluded in the general-purpose PEAC CADDsystem, which provides capabilities for detaildrafting, schematic planning, layout design,and inventory.The Fames graphics package runs on a Vax

computer system, supports a variety of ter-minals and plotters, and sells for $10,000.Fames combined with graphics hardware sellsfor up to $40,000, depending on configuration.


Tektronix-compatible softwareruns on Apple's Lisa

Mesa Graphics has introduced a Tektronix-compatible software application for Apple'sLisa computer. Tekalike is a graphics terminalcommunication package that supports com-

munication to remote computers as an ASCIIterminal. In supporting the Tektronix 401Xprotocol for graphics terminal input and out-put, Tekalike makes the Lisa plug-to-plug com-patible with the 4010, 4012, 4014, and 4016graphics terminals. As a result, Tekalike iscompatible with Issco's Tell-A-Graf, Cuechart,Tell-A-Plan, and Disspla; Megatek's Tem-plate; Precision Visuals' DI-3000 and Graf-maker; SAS/graph; and SPSS/graph-as wellas Tektronix's Plot 10 and Easygraph. Tekalikealso provides local facilities for saving pictures,zooming, and plotting pictures.The software package sells for $350.


Advanced graphics tool kit announced for IBM PC

Metagraphics' Metawindow is an advancedgraphics tool kit designed for use with the IBMPC. The kit provides IBM application develop-ers with graphics capabilities similar to those onthe Xerox Star and Apple Lisa workstations.Metawindow allows users to create and

delete pop-up menus, windows, and icons; in-teractively move graphical objects or text on ascreen; display multiple, proportionally spacedfonts; control raster-op transfer modes; andperform rapid bit-mapped screen transfer oper-

ations. Written from assembly language formaximum speed and minimum code size, thetool kit is designed for developing graphics win-dow managers rather than for use as a windowmanager itself.Metawindow is available on three system dis-

kettes with both Pascal and C libraries, con-tains integrated support for graphics displayadapters and mice, and costs $150.


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Engineering, educational programs announced

BV Engineering is offering three softwarepackages designed for the engineering andeducational markets. Acnap, SPP, and Plotproare stand-alone programs that share commondata files.Acnap is a general-purpose electronic circuit

analysis program that analyzes passive and ac-tive circuits consisting of resistors, capacitors,inductors, controlled-current sources, opera-tional amplifiers, transistors, and FETs. Theprogram analyzes the response of any linearnetwork having up to 21 nodes and 60 com-ponents. Commands are either menu driven orprogram prompted. Circuit topology data isstored in a named file or retrieved from apreviously generated file for further analysis orediting. According to the company, Acnap'soptimized code can calculate the response of atypical five-node circuit in 0.4 seconds.SPP is a general-purpose signal processing

program containing an integrated set ofroutines that analyze linear and nonlinearsystems and circuits and their effects on user-specified time-domain waveforms. The basis ofmuch of SPP is a 512-point fast Fourier trans-form and its inverse. Linear processing is con-ducted in the frequency domain, and nonlinearprocessing is performed in the time domain.The utility of this program is enhanced by its

ability to switch rapidly between the time do-main and the frequency domain.

Plotpro is a set of four linked MicrosoftBasic programs that produce scientific graphson 80- or 132-column printers. Plotpro cancreate linear, semilogarithmic, and full log-arithmic plots with one or two Y axes and plotmultiple functions on the same graph. Forcedscaling and autoscaling are both supported,along with optional grid lines to aid in graph in-terpretation.The Plotpro program also creates templates

of the physical appearance of a graph. Thesetemplates specify the type of scaling (linear,log, forced, or autoscale); graph, axis, and plotlabeling; and ranges for each axis. It is compati-ble with the Acnap electronic circuit analysisprogram and the SPP signal processing pro-gram. Data files for Plotpro can be generatedby a user program in Basic or Fortran, or datacan be entered manually.

All three software programs are available inboth 51/4- and 8-inch CP/M formats, includingthe Apple 11+, CP/M, IBM PC, and Victor9000, and in TRS-DOS for the TRS-80 modelsI/III/IV. Acnap sells for $49.95, SPP for$59.95, and Plotpro, Version 2.0, for $49.95.


Hierarchical design systemruns on IBM PC-XTs

Strides, a hierarchical CAE design packagefor use on IBM PC-XTs, is an editing systemfrom Future Net Corporation that can elimi-nate redundant drawing ofcommon elements.As an add-on package enhancing the com-

pany's Dash-I schematic design workstation,Strides can be used for complex computer-aided engineering projects that must besegmented into subparts, use low-level ele-ments, or require accurate block diagramdocumentation.

Strides is designed to simplify the manage-ment of up to 99 subordinated levels ofdocumentation, managing an entire docu-ment tree from the top block diagram down toindividual components that include VLSIequivalents at the gate-array or chip level.Progressively finer detail emerges as suc-

cessively lower levels in the document tree are

selected. A change in one document isautomatically incorporated into the overalldesign, including updates of pin lists, net lists,and lists of materials.

Priced at $1900, Strides is available im-mediately.


April 1984 91

Software packages added to CAD systems

Calma Company has announced two addi-tions to its computer-aided design systems forthe architectural, engineering, and constructionmarkets. The Calma-Draft architecture andCalma-Draft facilities layout packages are usedin conjunction with the company's DimensionIII core system software.The architecture program is intended for the

design and drafting of plans, sections, eleva-tions, and details. The facilities layout softwareis intended for use by facilities planners andbuilding managers in the planning, remodeling,and management of commercial and industrialfacilities. Both packages feature on-screen

menus and present information to the user in asequence and format designed to lead himthrough the system and reduce training re-quirements.The Calma-Draft architecture and facilities

layout packages are available on the full rangeof Calma systems from the stand-alone Apollo-based D3200 workstation to top-of-the-lineVax-based systems. The price of each softwarepackage is dependent on the system, varyingbetween $5000 and $10,000, in addition to thebase price of the Dimension III system.


AT&T upgrades videotex tool

AT&T Consumer Products has announced abasic software package with 40 features to runits frame creation system. The frame creationsystem is a production tool for system oper-ators and information providers who formatand edit information for delivery to videotexcustomers. Videotex service offers consumersat-home shopping, banking, and informationthrough the use of a television, telephone line,and AT&T's Sceptre videotex terminal.The 3.0 release, an upgraded version only

available to present users, is designed to speedthe work of the graphics designer by reducingthe operation of editing frames to one step, sav-

ing time, and allowing frames to be producedfaster by using fewer bytes per frame. As aresult, sophisticated frames can be stored in lessspace on a mainframe and transmitted in lesstime to customer terminals. The 3.0 release alsosupports a peripheral port on the system, whichallows a printer or camera output device to beconnected to the system.AT&T Consumer Products states that it will

upgrade present customers' software immedi-ately at no charge.


Real-time animation programruns on home computers

Movie Maker from Interactive Picture Sys-tems is a real-time home computer animationsystem that can record up to 300 frames at atime with six actors, color, zoom, and pan. Itoffers 32 notes and special effects. With no pro-gramming and five keystrokes, a user can pro-duce, direct, and design computer motion pic-tures with a four-track sound system.

Operating on Apple, Atari, IBM, and Com-modore 64 PCs, Movie Maker can be used inconjunction with a video cassette recorder.Movie Maker emulates traditional cel anima-tion techniques, allowing for the creation ofpainted and automatically sequenced cels.These cels are recorded in real time or singleframe, and animated sequences can then beedited and enhanced. Features include colortransposition, scaling in X or Y, fully in-tegrated text, three recordable zoom levels,frame-by-frame editing, and real-time anima-tion input.

Movie Maker sells for $60.


Contour-plotting softwareexpanded to Vax-based systems

CAD and mouse combined in one package for PCsA ready-to-run package that combines Op-

tomouse, a digital optical mouse, with AutoCAD, a drafting and design software system,has been introduced for IBM PC compatiblesby USI Computer Products. With Optomouse,

USI Computer Products' Optomouse/AutoCAD software package permits cursor move-ment and command execution by moving theall-digital, four-button mouse on a desktopgrid pad. The Auto CAD drafting and designsoftware creates, edits, and stores drawings ofany size and scale.

users can move a cursor on a screen and executecommands by making corresponding moves ona desktop grid pad. About the size of a deck ofcards, Optomouse operates accurately atspeeds of up to 20 inches per second, accordingto the manufacturer.Auto CAD, produced by Auto Desk Incor-

porated, offers design and drafting applica-tions, including architectural and landscapedrawings; drafting for mechanical, electrical,chemical, structural, and civil engineering; andprinted circuit design. Auto CAD acts as aword processor for drawings, allowing users tocreate and edit drawings of any size to anyscale. Drawings are stored on disk, along withbasic design elements, such as lines of anywidth, circles, and arcs. Whole drawings or anycombination of the various design elements canbe moved, copied, modified, erased, rotated,or rescaled through commands entered on akeyboard or by moving the mouse or activatingone of its four command buttons. Users candecide which often-used commands are to beactivated by the buttons. To execute all othercommands, users need only move Optomouseto point the cursor at the chosen on-screencommand.The Optomouse and Auto CAD package

retails for $1200.


Radian Corporation has extended its CPS-1contour-plotting software for use on Vax-basedgraphics systems from Intergraph Corpora-tion. Designed for geological mapping applica-tions, the CPS-I software allows users of thegeneral-purpose CAD/CAM graphics systemsto create contour maps for oil and energy ex-ploration and other specialized seismic applica-tions. The Intergraph systems to which CPS-Ihas been interfaced are system models 731, 751,and 781-enhanced versions of the DEC Vax11/730, 11/750, and 11/780.

Two versions of the extended CPS-1 exist.The standard version allows users to createdesign files of 2-D and 3-D contour maps andto interactively modify files by adding, manip-ulating, and deleting graphics elements. It alsopermits placement of 3-D fishnet surface dis-play or raised contour display in a design filefor examination by rotation and specificationof colors at execution time. The faulted-contouring version of CPS-1 provides accuratecontouring directly up to a fault trace; contour-ing within a subarea of an area of interest;drawing of gradient contours that follow agiven angle of inclination; and ZOXYcontour-ing, i.e., computing of the surface level(Z-value) ofany X, Ypoint and then contouringat that level.

CPS-1 contouring software configured torun on Intergraph systems is priced from$24,000 and is available immediately.


IEEE CG&A92

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