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From: pcb@basin06.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Scene Description Standard
Message-ID: <30504@rouge.usl.edu>
Date: 5 May 91 18:15:43 GMT
References: <1991Apr30.003612.16050@mks.com> <30137@rouge.usl.edu>
Sender: anon@rouge.usl.edu
Organization: The Center for Advanced Computer Studies
Lines: 47

In article <30137@rouge.usl.edu> msr@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Srinivas R. Manapragada) writes:
>In article <1991Apr30.003612.16050@mks.com> david@mks.com (David Rowley) writes:
>>One of the harder problems in producing snazzy computer graphics seems
>>to be the modelling, rather than the rendering.  One reason for this is
>>the lack of a standard modelling format.
>>
>>Would it make sense to define a new, say text-based, format to describe
>>a world, such that a renderer could use as much information from it
>>as possible, and chuck the rest ?
>> ...
>>Does it make sense ?  Anyone interested ?
>
>Yes it would be nice to have a standard. However it should be more expressive
>and powerful than the language of say rayshade, which allows hierarchical
>objects to be defined rather easily. However one should also have some kind of
>procedural features. For example say while describing a forest I should be able
>to define it as

I just finished a dissertation that proposes an object-oriented framework
for concurrent graphics in heterogeneous environments.  In particular, the
modeling primitives, messaging protocols, and Scene composition are presented.
The oo approach accomplishes (by far) modeling facilities found in PHIGS and
HOOPS but adds some really neat capabilities, like the ability to model
with high level primitives (and user defined primitives) and have the
renderer (camera) break the objects into primitives into those tailored
for a specific platform. 

I can't post the dissertation (260 pages) but it is going to UMI now and
will be in our library next month.

Title: AN OBJECT-ORIENTED FRAMEWORK FOR CONCURRENT GRAPHICS
                  IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

(we call the prototype "GO||" for concurrent graphics objects)

The first paper will appear in an oo graphics edited series book by 
John Wiley, due out Fall 91.


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| Peter C. Bahrs                                                         |
| The USL-NASA Project                                                   |
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