An integrated systems architecture for real-time contour surface display generation

Description

We present in this study an integrated systems design for a VLSI multiprocessor capable of generating contour surface displays in real-time. We begin by examining a proposed architecture of one such contour surface display generator, and the particular application that initiated the design of that architecture [1]. In the course of the discussion on the original architecture, we detail problems discovered with that architecture. We then propose a new architecture for the contour surface display generator that is both precise in detail, and more technologically realistic. Categories and subject descriptors: I.3.1 [Hardware Architecture}: architectures, parallel processing, VLSI implementations; I.3.2 [Graphics Systems]; multiprocessing systems; I.3.5 [Computational Geometry and Object Modeling]: data structures, discrete planar contours, modeling molecules, surface approximation, surface generation, surface representation, surfaces, 3D graphics; I.3.6 [Methodology and Techniques]: contouring, interactive systems, parallel processing; I.3.7 {Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism]: line drawings, line generation algorithms, real-time graphics, surface plotting, surface visualization, surfaces; I.3.m [Miscellaneous]: VLSI.

Subjects