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From: jon@msunix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Re: Funding/Sponsors need for graphics project
Message-ID: <265@msunix.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Sep-86 02:06:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: msunix.265
Posted: Wed Sep 10 02:06:23 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Sep-86 05:58:06 EDT
References: <136@ndmath.uucp>
Organization: Via Visuals Inc.
Lines: 56
Summary: Such machines already exist

In article <136@ndmath.uucp>, milo@ndmath.uucp (Greg Corson) writes:
> I am currently seeking funding for a project who's eventual object is to 
> produce an artists/photographers computer workstation.  The goal of the 
> project is to create a workstation with the capabilities of color painting,
> digitized image editing/retouching and compositing of high resolution images.
> Another major goal is to attempt to keep the price down through the use of
> stock microcomputers (ie: AT's with frame buffers, Sun workstations or something
> similar).

An admirable goal.  Many companies build such machines already.  Genigraphics,
Dicomed, Lightspeed, and CGL come to mind, and the company I work for, Via
Visuals.  Generally, these systems include a video camera to scan in images,
and a paint system to mix graphics and text, and allow electronic touchup
of scanned in pictures.  We and Lightspeed are on 68K UNIX boxes, Geni and
Dicomed are on PDP-11/73s running RSX-11, and I believe CGL is on a PC-AT.
The items you want to provide are exactly what these companies sell.
 
> The workstation will allow artists to capture art with a camera/scanner store
> it, edit/retouch it and create composite pictures.  It will also offer the 
> capability of freehand drawing/retouching similar to Macpaint or Deluxe Paint.

...deleted 

> In general the system will allow sophisticated manipulation of both captured
> and hand drawn images for eventual output to film or other printing systems.
> The system could be used for artwork as well as to create sophisticated
> business presentation graphics.  The system will have sufficient color
> resolution to reproduce photo or TV quality images.

These systems are typically used for presentation graphics.  But you're going
to need a *lot* more resolution for output.  I think Dicomed and Geni put
out 8K by 8K to their film recorders.  It's easy for them because they are
vector systems.  You need a minimum of 2K resolution, anti-aliased
for good looking slides.  TV requirements are way lower, about 656 x 485
for NTSC encoded RGB.  For retouching photos for prepress, you're going
to need 1000 dots per inch, or 8500 x 11000 for a full page, or over 240
megabytes for full color, full page picture.  And that's a raster system,
not a vector system.

You may be interested in contacting the companies I mentioned above, to
find out what their boxes are capable of doing.  Don't expect to get
rich selling your box.  There are a lot of people out there selling
machines, and they've been doing it for a lot of years.  If you want
to see some intense picture retouching at about 8.5K x 11K, full color,
check out a Scitex Response 300 system, made in Israel.  About $500K.

I don't mean this to be a plug for my company; I know it's against the
spirit of the net.  I tried to mention our competitors more than
ourselves.


"If we did it like everyone else,	  Jonathan Hue
what would distinguish us from		  Via Visuals Inc.
every other company in Silicon Valley?"	  sun!sunncal\
						      >!leadsv!msunix!jon
"A profit?"				amdcad!cae780/