RFC 174

UCLA-Computer Science Graphics Overview 🎀

okay bestie, let's get into the deets 💅 This is RFC 174 (NIC # 6799), filed under NWG and written by J. Postel and V. Cerf at UCLA-NMC, Computer Science. It's dated 8 June 71 and categorized as D.6 and I.1. Its References field says 134, and it obsoletes none ✨

I. Hardware 💖

A. Imlac PDS-1

the PDS-1 era 🧚 we have 2 PDS-1 graphics consoles, and each one has 8K 16 bit words of memory 🫶

The display screens are mounted with the long axis vertical 🦋

B. DEC 340

we have a DEC 340 Display Station with a light pen ✨ It's associated with a Rand Tablet and a Lincoln Wand. There's a display processor driving the DEC 340, and it reads its instructions from the XDS Sigma 7 memory through a dedicated memory port. literally so iconic 👑

II. Software 💜

A. Imlacs

we haven't developed any software for the PDS-1 yet 🥲 We've used the Imlac provided text and graphics support software to run the PDS-1's as alphameric and limited graphics consoles (at 1200 baud).

These are only used with the SEX timesharing system 💀

B. DEC 340

over several years we built a package of Library routines* that interface to FORTRAN programs for use with the DEC 340 and its associated devices. This station is only used with a stand alone system (RAD 75).

Several programs have been implemented using these facilities, and among them are:

*SMOG (sub-program manager for On-Line Graphics).

1. MOSAIC

MOSAIC is an experimental computer graphics program that lets a user manipulate the parameters of a fairly complex polar co-ordinate equation. The goal is to explore the space of interesting images that can be produced 🌸 Library facilities are provided so the user can save interesting images, and they can also combine the images in many ways to form mosaic-like patterns. An Arriflex 16mm camera can be driven through this program, and we've used the system to generate several films that served as a basis for video-graphics experiments (TV videotape) 🎥

2. FISHEYE

Using the interactive part of MOSAIC, plus a peculiar, exponential mapping function, studies were made on presenting CRT images too large to fit in normal form on our 10" scope. The images are mapped so that part of the image is shown at linear scale, while the remainder gets squeezed up at the outer edges of the screen. So the global image is always visible, but details are mainly apparent in the linear region 🐠 This study formed the basis of an M.S. thesis 🎓

3. MOVIE

This is a movie script language that lets the user compose a scenario describing the entrance and exit of images on the CRT. Mosaics can be created. Images can fade-in, fade-out, dissolve, expand, zoom, contract, Dramatis personae (in the form of MOSAIC images) can be defined and their movements described. The program computes the movements of all images for the duration of the film, then calls on the MOSAIC generating routines to make the film. Camera control is automatic 🎬

III. Intentions 🌈

A. Imlacs

we intend to equip our PDS-1's with the mouse and keyset configuration used at SRI-ARC 🖱️ We intend to attempt to make use of PDS-1 programs developed at other sites. We intend to develop an assembler for PDS-1 programs. We're thinking about a subroutine Library for PDS-1 graphics for FORTRAN (or other higher level languages) 🧠

B. DEC 340

we intend eventually to bring the DEC 340 hardware and software facilities into the SEX system 🍓

---

[ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry into the online RFC archives by Ignacio Goyret 6/97 ]