Browsing by Author "Williams, Charles M."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    The Automatic Digitizer in Computer Graphics
    Williams, Charles M. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 1974)
    An operational hardware-software system is described which rapidly and economically converts hard-copy drawings into graphic data structures faithfully representing both their geometry and their topology. These facilities permit computer graphic console time to be concentrated on the interactive manipulation and analysis of readily accessible graphic data. They can be used to accomplish a large portion of the tedious and error-prone manual tasks historically used for entering such data into computers. The result is that the power of existing computer graphics systems can be enhanced considerably and their domains of applicability be extended into areas not previously considered economically feasible.
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    A Process for Producing Tactually Perceptible Images of Line Drawings for Use by the Blind
    Williams, Charles M. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 1974)
    A working prototype computer controlled process is described for automatically converting line drawings into raised line images perceptible to the touch. The process uses an automatic digitizer for input and a milling machine for output.
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    The Role of Automatic Digitizers in Computer Aided-design
    Williams, Charles M. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 1974)
    The incorporation of facilities for automatically digitizing documents can considerably enhance the power of computer graphics in computer-aided-design. A hardware-software process is described which rapidly and economically digitizes hard-copy drawings and translates them into computer data structures which faithfully represent both their geometry (including line widths) and their topology (line connectivities). These data structures may be directly interfaced to standard computer graphic manipulation software or they may serve as a source of information for analytic routines. The system thus allows drawings to serve as an immediate source of data for existing CAD processes. The result is that the tedium and inaccuracies associated with inputting graphic information has largely been removed so that the human may better concentrate his energies in the tasks of design and analysis.
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    The Role of Automatic Digitizers in Demography
    Williams, Charles M. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 1974)
    The incorporation of facilities for automatically digitizing maps and drawings can considerably enhance the power of the computer in demographical research. A hardware-software process is described which can rapidly, economically, and automatically digitize hard-copy maps and drawings. The resultant computer data structures are a faithful and accurate representation of both the original geometry and topology and may thus serve as a direct source of data for analysis or display. The potential uses for this system appears to be large for, though maps and drawings are of fundamental importance to demographers, their transduction into computers has historically been stymied by the problems associated with tedious, inaccurate, and incomplete manual methods.
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    The Use of Computer Modulated Drawing in the Teaching of Art
    Williams, Charles M. (Department of Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 1974)
    A hardware-software process is described which automatically creates computer modulated drawings from an artist's own works. The process allows a drawing to act as a constant source of data for a series of renditions of it in widely varying styles. As a result a student of art can study the effects of line structure, line quality, and pen stroking style in rendering truly constant subject material.