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NEW PRODUCTSEditors: Carl Machover and John C. Dill

HP announces low-price CAD plotter

Hewlett-Packard has entered thelow-price PC CAD market with itsDraftPro plotter, which is compatible'with popular PCs like the IBM PC andApple Macintosh. AutoCAD, Anvil- 1000,VersaCAD, and other CAD softwaresupport the plotter.DraftPro creates drawings on paper,

vellum, or polyester film (C/D sizes andAl/A2 metric sizes) with .0005"mechanical resolution and 0.2 percentaccuracy. It has 2g pen accelerationand 15-ips pen speed.

DraftPro's pen-sorting capability en-ables the plotter to draw a full buffer ofvectors for one color before proceedingto another color, reducing plot time byminimizing the number of pen changes.An eight-pen carousel holds and auto-matically caps pens. Fiber-tip, dispos-able liquid-ink, or refillable liquid-inkpens are available in a variety of colors.

DraftPro (HP 7570) costs $5400 witha standard RS-232-C interface. ContactHewlett-Packard, 1820 EmbarcaderoRd., Palo Alto, CA 94303; (415)857-1501.

Reader Service Number 15

The HP DraftPro plotter Is com-patible with the IBM PC and AppleMacintosh and popular CAD soft-ware.

Desktop page reader interfaceswith popular word processorsCompuScan's new desktop PCS page

reader scans typed text and transmitsthe information to popular word pro-cessors such as Honeywell DPS 6-and IBM PC-compatible programs. Itreads about 120 pages per hour andmaintains format codes such as hardreturns, tabs, and page breaks.Documents printed on typewriters,

word processors, or PCs can be stacked,up to 50 sheets at a time, and auto-matically input for storage or furtherediting. The PCS page reader recognizesmost typewriter typestyles as well asthose from impact and letter-qualityprinters, including type that is fixedpitch, right justified, or proportionallyspaced. Documents may be originals orphotocopies.The unit is 8'"x17x79", weighing about

25 pounds. Prices for the PCS with aHoneywell interface start at $6495.Units that interface with PCs start at$5695.Contact CompuScan, 81 Two Bridges

Rd., Bldg. 2, Fairfield, NJ 07006; (800)631-1590.


ANA Tech system eliminates hand digitizing

ANA Tech's large-format automateddrawing conversion system, the VANA,uses a high-resolution scanner to con-vert engineering drawings into CAD-compatible vector files, allowing theuser to process paper backfiles at costsmuch lower than with hand digitizing.According to the manufacturer, the sys-tem can, in five minutes, scan and vec-torize an E-size drawing in real time.

Highlights of the system are the Eagle

scanner, which has 500-lpi CCD imagingoptics and a continuous roll feed, andthe interactive editor, which allows theuser to clean up the drawing databasebefore sending it to the CAD system.Intelligence can be added through anenhance option. The editor also con-tains a layer management menu, allow-ing the user to separate the drawinginto layers matching those alreadyestablished on the CAD system.

VANA is compatible with most CADsystems. In addition to the Eaglescanner, it has a real-time hardwarevectorizer and a CPU workstation, in-cluding a 32-bit processor and 19Nmonochromatic display, capable of1024x800 bitmapped graphics.Price not provided. Contact ANA

Tech, 10499 Bradford Rd., Littleton, CO80127; (303) 973-6722.


IEEE CG&A68

New Image processorfrom GouldGould's IP9000 series image pro-

cessor processes 2048x2048x32-bit truecolor images with a 1280x1024, 60-Hzflicker-free image display. The IP9000enhances and processes images fromany digital format, including RS170video sources.An arbitrated bus structure permits

multiple functions to run concurrently.A user can perform a fast Fouriertransform while simultaneously acquir-ing, processing, and displaying animage.The IP9000 comes with the Gould

library of image-processing software(LIPS-9000), and is compatible with allsoftware developed for the GouldIP8000. It runs with most popular 32-bitminicomputers.The base price for model 9516, a one-

user system, is $74,000. Model 9527, atwo-user system, costs $120,000. Con-tact Gould, 46360 Fremont Blvd., Fre-mont, CA 94538; (415) 498-3200.

Reader Service Number 18Gould's IP9000 Image processor Is available in a one-user system (shown) anda two-user system.

Frame buffer, monitorhave laser resolutionMegascan Technology has introduced

its UHR-3000 monitor and FDP-3000frame buffer/display processor with300-dpi, 4096x3278 resolution. The 19"monitor has a 1.5-GHz pixel rate, a 244-kHz scan rate, and a 72-Hz noninter-laced refresh. According to the com-pany, the resolution matches that oflaser printers.

The FDP-3000 has a 2M- or 4M-byteframe buffer coupled to a display pro-cessor that performs raster-ops (bitblt)at 128M pixels per second while main-taining the 1.5G-bps refresh bandwidth.The display processor has an 8x8 algo-rithm to improve small-area operationslike text painting and airbrushing. Italso draws multiple-bit wide lines at32M pixels per second relatively inde-pendent of angle.

The display processor includes anMC68020 microprocessor to controlimage generation and connects to ahost computer via a 1OOM-bps fiber-optic link. Interfaces for popular com-puter buses will be available.

The UHR-3000 costs $5500; the FDP-3000, $11,000. Contact Megascan Tech-nology, 4005 Vista Vue, Gibsonia, PA15044; (412) 443-5820.


New workstations from SunSun Microsystems has announced the

Sun-3/200 series of workstations. TheCPU features a 25-MHz MC68020microprocessor and a 20-MHz MC68881floating-point coprocessor, with a 64K-byte virtual address memory and ahigh-bandwidth 64-bit processor-to-memory bus that produces four-MIPSinteger performance and 125 KFLOPS.An optional floating-point acceleratorboard can extend performance to 865KFLOPS. Main memory is expandablefrom 8M to 32M bytes.Standard on the Sun-3 /200 series is a

1600x1280 monochrome frame buffer.The Sun-3/260HM has a 19" mono-chrome monitor with 115-dpi resolutionat a 66-Hz noninterlaced refresh rate. Itis controlled by the CPU's on-board256K-byte frame buffer. Also availableare the Sun-3/260C color system andthe Sun-3/260G gray-scale system,which have 19" 1 152x900 monitors.The Sun-3/200 series can be con-

figured as a stand-alone workstationwith 280M to 1. IG bytes of local storage,operating either independently or aspart of a network. Without a disk sub-system, it operates as a diskless node ona network, sharing file and printerresources with other members of thenetwork via Ethernet.An entry-level Sun-3/260HM work-

station costs $33,900, including CPUboard with floating-point coprocessor,

8M bytes of memory, 1600x1280monochrome monitor, 12-slot cardcage, keyboard/mouse, Sun's operatingsystem, and bundled software. Pricesfor the color system start at $44,900;the gray-scale system costs $40,900.Contact Sun Microsystems, 2550

Garcia Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043;(415) 960-1300.


Design station consolidatesimage management

Producerxp, a design station fromDicomed, allows users to create, edit,and store entire visual presentations.Automated multiple slide operationsallow users to create a series of images,such as progressive-reveal animationsequences. A scripting feature allowsthe artist to change colors, figures, andtext.Producerxp also features 16 million

colors, figure interpolation, 3600 rota-tion, zoom, mirror imaging, real-timerubberbanding, and Dicomed's ImageLibrary software.

Price not provided. Contact Dicomed,12000 Portland Ave. S., PO Box 246,Minneapolis, MN 55440; (612) 885-3000.


September 1986 69

Autodesk introduces IBM releases CADwriteAutoCAD 2.5Autodesk has announced Vei sion 2.5

of AutoCAD, which, according to thecompany, incorporates more than 70new features and enhancements. Majornew features include increased editingpower with stretch, trim, extend, offset,rotate, scale, divide, measure, and ex-plode commands; faster pan and zoomoperations; and a general undo capa-bility.The new version also has support for

Lotus/Intel expanded memory or IBMPC AT extended memory. AutoLISP,the interactive programming languagebuilt into AutoCAD, allows direct accessto the drawing entity database, per-mitting customization of AutoCAD forspecific applications. Support for IGES3.0 enables two-way exchange of draw-ings between AutoCAD and other CADsystems supporting IGES.AutoCAD 2.5 is available to users of

earlier versions for the difference be-tween the price of Version 2.5 and theircurrent version. The retail price ofAutoCAD 2.5-for 16-bit MS-DOS andPC-DOS computers or for Unix-basedsystems-is $2750. Contact Autodesk,2320 Marinship Way, Sausalito, CA94965; (415) 332-2344.


IBM has introduced the CADwritelicensed program for IBM PCs. CAD-write is a 2D, entry-level CADD appli-cation that includes a semiautomaticisometric construction function. Ac-cording to IBM, the new software canbe used by those with little or no CADexpertise. A 15-lesson, self-paced train-ing guide and on-screen prompts directthe user through each action required.

Drafting and dimensioning functionsmake CADwrite suitable for a variety of

industries, and it comes with a libraryof more than 1900 frequently usedsymbols. The program runs on the IBMPC, XT, AT, and 5531, 7531, and 7532industrial computers with 512K bytesof memory and a minimum of 1OMbytes of fixed-disk storage.The one-time charge for CADwrite is

$1995. Contact an authorized IBMdealer or IBM, 900 King St., Rye Brook,NY 10573; (914) 934-4000.


Graphical programming for engineers, scientistsNational Instruments has announced

LabView, a graphical diagrammingproduct for the Macintosh. Short forLaboratory Virtual Instrument Engi-neering Workbench, LabView providesan environment for developing scien-tific applications that integrate instru-ment control, data acquisition, dataanalysis, data entry, data management,and report generation.With LabView, the user views appli-

cations as a model virtual instrumentand then creates a front panel for in-

teracting with it. Next, he designs ablock diagram that shows the flow ofdata from input controls or terminals,through internal processing functionsto output display terminals. The usercan then design an icon that representsthe instrument at a higher level, ifneeded.LabView costs $1995. Contact

National Instruments, 12109 Tech-nology Blvd., Austin, TX 78727; (800)531-4742.


Clip art for computersMicrografx has E

introduced a libraryof clip art for theMicrosoft Windowsoperating environment.Windows DrawArt consists of two_diskettes of symbollibraries and sampledrawings that canbe used to spruce up letters or docu-ments created with Windows.Windows Draw Art graphics are com-

patible with the company's WindowsDraw and In-a-Vision, Microsoft'sWindows Write and Notepad, andPalantir's Filer database programs.Draw Art Volume I costs $29.95.

Contact Micrografx, 1820 N. GreenvilleAve., Richardson, TX 75081; (214)234-1769.

Clip art created with In*a*Vision andWindows Draw, printed at 300 dpion an HP LaserJet Plus. A


7EE CG&A70

Graphics environmentfor visual artistsTime Arts has released EVA (En-

vironment for Visual Art), a graphicsprogram that, according to the com-pany, "packs an art store into a PC,"allowing visual artists and illustratorsto create exceptional images for photo-graphic, print, and video applications.EVA, which runs on a 512K-byte IBMPC AT (or compatible) micro, combinesraster and vector display technology.EVA uses 32,000 on-screen colors for

visual images. Original art, objects, orphotographs can be digitized, broughtinto the computer, and manipulated inmany ways. An artist using EVA's digi-tizing tablet and pen can choose frommany electronic brushes, colors, andtypefaces. Other features includemasking, automatic edge smoothing,wet-on-wet effects, texture rendering,and instant full-color tinting.The system uses two monitors-color

for working with images and mono-chrome for keeping track of tools andsystem status. The system can boost thereproduction quality of images fordirect transfer to digital film recorders,as well as make its own color separa-tions and produce 35-mm slides, trans-parencies, video frames and tapesequences, and ink jet, laser, and dotmatrix prints, depending on the outputdevice.An EVA system can be assembled for

$15,000. A fully configured system runsabout $30,000. Contact Time Arts, 3436Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95406;(707) 576-7722.


Desktop CAD forMacintosh usersUpgrade Technologies announced the

release of Professional CAD for Mac, aCADD program for the Apple Macintosh512, Plus, and Lisa/Macintosh XL sys-tems. Features include auto dimen-sioning, IGES 3.0 compatibility, trans-lation, rotation, cross hatching, group-ing, and 48 distinguishable layers. Itaccepts input from a mouse, keyboard,and digitizer, outputting to virtually anypen plotter.

Professional CAD for Mac costs $799.Contact Upgrade Technologies, 23011Moulton Pkwy., Bldg. C1, Laguna Hills,CA 92653; (714) 951-7332.


Low-cost drawing packageAutodesk has introduced AutoSketch,

a drawing package for $79.95 with acomplexity restricted only by thememory of the computer.The program includes pull-down

menus and dialogue boxes providingprompts and on-line assistance to createdrawings with lines, arcs, circles, boxes,polygons, and spline curves. Text canbe placed anywhere on the drawing,and linear dimensions are automaticallycalculated and added. Objects can bedrawn with a choice of line types, andplaced on up to 256 layers.With a mouse the user selects objects

to be moved, copied, or stretched. Posi-tioning is done either with interactivedragging on the screen, using an op-tional visual grid, or with precise pointsentered through the keyboard. Draw-

Paint program for EGA users

RIX Softworks has introduced a paintprogram designed specifically for theEGA user, combining standard designtools with features offered by EGA-specific software.Instead of icons, EGA Paint has small

pop-up menus for full-screen editingand a stationary cursor to keep the userfrom losing position when other func-tions are needed. A WYSIWYG palette-selecting, hue-adjusting, color-mixing,and pattern-making tool facilitatessmooth color gradations and colormixing.A dual-mode zoom function provides

a 24x24 pixel movable window that canbe enlarged four or eight times forprecise touch-ups. The "small save"command saves screens in from 50 to90 percent less disk storage space,

Version 2.0 of Generic CADDGeneric Software has introduced

several new CADD products, includinga new version of Generic CADD.Version 2.0 of Generic CADD features

increased speed and plot spooling,which allows drawings to be plotted inthe background while the operatorcontinues to draw. Rotate, rescale, andsave window functions permit manipu-lation of windowed areas. The newversion costs $99.95.Auto-Convert is a modular add-on

package that transfers drawing filesfrom AutoCAD to Generic CADD andvice versa. It costs $24.95.

ings can be stored on disk and used asparts of other drawings. They can alsobe converted into DXF format and readinto an AutoCAD system.

AutoSketch can be run on the IBMPC, XT, AT and 100-percent compati-kles, with either the IBM EnhancedGraphics Adapter and a color monitor,the Hercules monochrome displayadapter, or the IBM Color GraphicsAdapter running in monochrome. Out-put is either to one of a limited range ofdot matrix printers or to pen plotterssupporting Hewlett-Packard's HP-GL orHouston Instrument's DM/PL.

Contact Autodesk, 2320 MarinshipWay, Sausalito, CA 94965; (415)332-2344.


according to the company. Frequentlyused designs or illustrations can becataloged in an image library for quickretrieval when needed.Also included in the package is a 32-

font text processor with a wide range ofcommands that allow for adjustment ofcolor, size (nine to 72 points), andplacement, as well as for underliningand italics.A screen-capture feature enables the

user to take screens from other pro-grams and use the EGA Paint's featuresto enhance the illustration.EGA Paint runs on IBM PCs and

compatibles. It costs $79. Contact RIXSoftworks, 18552 MacArthur Blvd.,Suite 470, Irvine, CA 92715; (714) 476-8266.


FirstCADD has been designed to bringCADD to the entry-level market. Pricedat $49.95, it operates on minimallyconfigured IBM PCs or compatibleswith a video graphics board, 256K bytes,and two floppy drives. Drawings cre-ated with FirstCADD can be transferredto Generic CADD or-through Auto-Convert-to any package using theAutoCAD DXF file format.

Contact Generic Software, 8763 148thAve. NE, Redmond, WA 98052; (206)885-5307.


September 1986 71

3D modeling for architectsSolid Modeller and Architectural Site

Modeller are being offered by theArchitectural, Engineering, & Con-struction Systems of McDonnellDouglas.

Solid Modeller creates 3D designs bycombining geometric shapes such ascones, spheres, cubes, and cylinders. 3Dcomponents can be created by sweep-ing, skinning, revolving, and extruding2D elements. Users can assemble,rotate, mirror, or repeat components tocreate models of rooms and buildings.Solid Modeller prices start at $ 10,000.

Architectural Site Modeller generates

3D models of proposed building sitesfor visual evaluation of design alterna-tives. Site information is entered elec-tronically through surveying equipmentor interactively through screen menusand a digitizing tablet. Cut-and-fillcalculations, visualizations of direc-tional flow watershed lines, and slopeinformation can be generated auto-matically. ASM prices also start at$10,000.Contact McDonnell Douglas, PO Box

516, St. Louis, MO 63166; (314) 232-3965.Reader Service Number 31

3D graphics forTrue BASIC users

True BASIC's 3D Graphics Libraryoffers 3D graphics enhancement tousers of the True BASIC language sys-tem. The package enables users of anylevel to create 3D graphics on a 192K-byte IBM PC (with a graphics adapter),or an Apple Macintosh or a CommodoreAmiga with 512K bytes.The 3D Graphics Library costs $49.95.

Contact True BASIC, 39 S. Main St.,Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-3882.


Video tutorial on Book illustrates concept of algorithmcomputer graphics

Creative Computer Graphics, a com-pilation on videotape, overviews 14years of advances and accomplish-ments in computer graphics. Subjectsinclude simulation for flight, space,medicine, CAD, engineering, architec-ture, and environmental studies. The60-minute videocassette also presentsthe how and why of state-of-the-artcomputer graphics and looks at busi-ness and management applications.Available in U-Matic, VHS, and Beta

formats, the tape costs $285. ContactComputer Pictures, 330 W. 42nd St.,New York, NY 10036; (212) 947-0020.


Animated Algorithms: A Self-Teach-ing Course in Data Structures and Fun-damental Algorithms, by Michael P.Barnett and Simon J. Bamett, featuresstep-by-step demonstrations of theworkings of algorithms and includesmore than 20 ready-to-run programsthat graphically illustrate the operationof the algorithm.The programs-written in Basic for

use with IBM PC or compatible com-puters (equipped with 128K bytes and agraphics card)-show how to sort andsearch lists of data, browse throughmenus and retrieve information, dealsystematically with text and symbolic

information, and explore paths aroundnetworks of facts and ideas. The sampleprograms provide blocks of code forimplementing algorithms.The 293-page book is designed for

readers with no advanced knowledgeof computer science or programming.Sorting, searching, file directories,merging, linked lists, stacks, queues, andtrees and graphs are explained.The book costs $26.95 in hardcover,

$19.95 in paper. Contact McGraw-Hill,1221 Ave. of the Americas, New York,NY 10020; (212) 512-3493.


Creating imagery and animation

Written by Issac Victor Kerlow andJudson Rosebush, Computer Graphicsfor Designers and Artists presents thefundamentals of computer graphicsfrom the perspective of the visualcreator. Both the authors have donecomputer animation and designs forDigital Effects.The book puts computer graphics

technology in a historical perspectiveand guides the reader through the basicoperational principles of a computersystem. It also presents an array of artand design case studies in which the

computer is used as the primary crea-tive tool, describing in detail the stepstaken to create imagery and animationfor applications from industrial designto film. Among the subjects covered are2D imaging, solid modeling, 2D inter-active systems, and the design andproduction of material goods.Computer Graphics for Designers and

Artists includes 180 color illustrationsand costs $34.95. Contact Van NostrandReinhold, 115 5th Ave., New York, NY10003; (212) 254-3232.


Zen and MacintoshRunning Press describes its new re-

lease Zen & the Art of the Macintosh, byMichael Green, as a "combination ofhow-to applications and a magicalgraphics tour of the realm wherehuman and artificial intelligence inter-act." It is intended for readers of alllevels of expertise, covering computergraphics, art, and desktop publishing.The 256-page book has black-and-

white illustrations and costs $16.95(paper). For more information, contactRunning Press, 125 S. 22nd St., Phila-delphia, PA 19103; (215) 567-5080.


IEEE CG&A72