Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!kgdykes
From: kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ken Dykes)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: thick lines, circles and ellipses
Keywords: computer graphics, circles, ellipses, algorithms
Message-ID: <16183@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 88 12:39:43 GMT
References: <694@prefix.liu.se>
Reply-To: kgdykes@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ken Dykes)
Organization: S.D.G. UofWaterloo
Lines: 32

In article <694@prefix.liu.se> ingwa@prefix.liu.se (Inge Wallin) writes:
>in the same genre. How do you, efficiently, draw lines, arcs, circles
>and so on with a line width bigger than 1?
>
>Although I have read many articles about fast line and circle drawing
>algorithms, I have never seen anything about thicker ones.  Neither
>have I seen any algorithms in any computer graphics books. I find this
>a bit strange since such algorithms seem to me to be very important.
>An obvious example is in a laser printer.
>
>                             /Inge Wallin
 I myself a few years ago during a night decided that i needed to do
this in some page-printer software i was doing.
Not having taken any graphics courses, and not having a reference
library on-site where i was working, i ended up doing the obvious
"concentric circles" (you now, plotting N circles simultaneously where
 N=thickness)
this hack has bothered me ever since everytime i think about this
software.
in the next few months i may be getting an opportunity to revise this
program so i too would appreciate info/references. (especially ones
that dont assume a graduate degree in computer graphics)
(ps: i wont mention that even for "simple" circle drawing i suspect
 that i used the most brain-damaged childs algorithm one can dream
 up with no sleep).
[and if it turns out that i *am* using the most optimal way for what
 i need -- i will loose all faith in the mystery of computer science! :-]
         -ken
-- 
          - Ken Dykes,   Software Development Group, U.of.Waterloo
              kgdykes@watmath.uucp     kgdykes@water.bitnet
              kgdykes@waterloo.csnet