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From: beaucham@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: IBM PC /Hercules graphics
Message-ID: <21900170@uiucuxc>
Date: Tue, 12-Aug-86 23:19:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucuxc.21900170
Posted: Tue Aug 12 23:19:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Aug-86 21:42:20 EDT
References: <156@gouldsd.UUCP>
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Nf-From: uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU!beaucham    Aug 12 22:19:00 1986


Re:  request for Hercules graphics tools for the IBM PC/XT/AT
     for the C language.

	There are a number of commercial packages for producing Hercules
	graphics with the C language.  Here's what I've discovered so far.

	First, Hercules sells a graphics package called GRAPH X.  
	For a cost of about $45 this allows you to
	draw vectors, circles, and arcs and do fills.  The version I
	received originally did not include a C binding, but when I
	called Hercules and requested it, they sent me a copy. It works
	with Lattice C.

	In the Hercules Compatible Software brochure they mention
	that HALO (Lifeboat Associates, $140) and GSX Toolkit (Digital
	Research, $350) are available for the C language.  A package
	which is powerful for scientific work is GraphiC (Scientific
	Endeavors, $250) which supports linear, log, semi-log, 3-D,
	contour, polar, and Smith charts with labeled axes. Screen dump
	is also supported.  IBM's graphics packages all utilize the
	VDI driver.  While IBM does not support Hercules, a VDI driver
	can be obtained from a third party (Graphics Software Systems,
	$40) to allow C language graphics control.

	The one I am using currently is PlotDev (MicroPlot, $39), a
	resident device driver that allows you to do either Tek 4010
	or 4027 emulation with C programs (or practically any other
	language) using Hercules, EGA, and a number of other graphics
	boards.  We have concocted a home-brew graphics package (called
	"g_raph") which works on top of PlotDev.  It also includes
	graphics screen dump and is a lot faster than VDI.

	So there is a lot to choose from for the Hercules board and the
	C language, depending on how much you want to pay. Sorry, but
	I haven't seen anything for free.

Jim Beauchamp     ihnp4!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!beaucham