TheFLY

1976

MITs Visible Language Workshop founded by Muriel Cooper

Ed Catmull develops "tweening" software (NYIT)

Jim Clark's Hierarchical model for visible surface detection [Ref: J. H. Clark. Hierarchical geometric models for visible surface algorithms. Communications of the ACM, 19(10):547-- 554, 1976.)

N. Burtnyk , M. Wein, Interactive skeleton techniques for enhancing motion dynamics in key frame animation, CACM, V19, #10, Oct 1976, 564-569

Dolby sound

Jim Blinn develops reflectance and environment mapping (University of Utah)

Nelson Max's sphere inversion film

Ukrainian Pysanka Egg erected in Vegraville, Canada by Ron Resch (University of Utah) to commemorate the RCMP

Sony Beta home video

Ampex VPR-1 Type C 1" video recorder

"Artist and Computer", by Ruth Leavitt

Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics (David Rogers) published

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak start Apple computer.
1977

Apple Computer incorporated

JVC VHS home video

Apple II released

TRS-80 introduced

Frank Crow introduces antialiasing (Ref: Franklin C. Crow, The aliasing problem in computer-generated shaded images, Communications of the ACM, v.20 n.11, p.799-805, Nov. 1977 )

Jim Blinn introduces a new illuination model that considers surface "facets" (Ref: Models of light reflection for computer synthesized pictures
James F. Blinn , Proceedings of the 4th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques July 1977, V11, #2, pp192-198)

Computer Graphics World begins publication (started by Joel and N'omi Orr as Computer Graphics Newsletter)

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences introduces Visual Effects category for Oscars

Nelson Max joins LLL; Jim Blinn joins JPL

R/Greenberg founded (Richard and Robert Greenberg)

GKS (Graphical Kernal System) graphics standard introduced

Fuchs multiprocessor visible surface algorithm (Ref: Fuchs, Henry. Distributing A Visible Surface Algorithm Over Multiple Processors. Proceedings of the ACM National Conference 1977, p. 449-451. )

Larry Cuba produces Death Star simulation for Star Wars using Grass at UICC developed by Tom DeFanti at Ohio State
1978

Tom DeFanti's GRASS system rewritten for Bally home computer (Zgrass)

E&S goes public

AT&T and Canadian Telidon introduce videotex graphics standard (NAPLPS)

Digital Effects founded (Judson Rosebush, Jeff Kleiser, et al)

Lance Williams curved shadows paper (Ref: Lance Williams, Casting curved shadows on curved surfaces, Proceedings of the 5th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, p.270-274, August 23-25, 1978 )

Ikonas frame buffer - England/Whitton

Leroy Nieman uses Ampex AVATM video art system to draw (on air) football players in Super Bowl XII

1st CGI film title - Superman (R. Greenberg)

James Blinn produces the first of a series of animations titled The Mechanical Universe

DEC VAX 11/780 introduced

video laser disc

Bump mapping introduced (Blinn) (Ref: Simulation of wrinkled surfaces, James F. Blinn, Proceedings of the 5th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques August 1978, V12, #3, pp 286-292.)
1979

National Computer Graphics Association (NCGA) organized

IBM 3279 color terminal

Atari 8-bit computers introduced

Disney produces The Black Hole using CGI for the opening

SIGGRAPH CORE Graphics standard

Sunstone - Ed Emshwiller (NYIT)

George Lucas hires Ed Catmull, Ralph Guggenheim and Alvy Ray Smith to form Lucasfilm


1980

1980

Vol Libre - Loren Carpenter of Boeing

Apollo Computer founded

Turner Whitted of Bell Labs publishes ray tracing paper (Ref: Turner Whitted, An improved illumination model for shaded display, Communications of the ACM, v.23 n.6, p.343-349, June 1980 )

First NCGA conference - Arlington, Virginia - Steven Levine, President

IBM licenses DOS from Microsoft

Apple Computer IPO - 4.6M shares @ $22

Aurora Systems founded by Richard Shoup

Disney uses computer graphics for the movie Tron

MIT Media Lab founded by Nicholas Negroponte

Pacific Data Images founded by Carl Rosendahl

Hanna-Barbera, largest producer of animation in the U.S.,begins implementation of computer automation of animation process

Sony Walkman

Quantel introduces Paintbox
1981

Sony Betacam

Tom DeFanti expands GRASS to Bally Z-50 machine (ZGRASS) - University Illinois - Chicago Circle

IBM introduces the first IBM PC (16 bit 8088 chip)

DEC introduces VT100

IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications published by IEEE Computer Society and NCGA

Digital Productions formed by Whitney and Demos

Cranston/Csuri Productions founded by Chuck Csuri, Robert Kanuth and Jim Kristoff.

R/Greenberg opens CGI division (Chris Woods)

MITI Fifth Generation Computer Project announced by Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry

REYES renderer written at LucasFilm

Penguin Software (now Polarware) introduces the Complete Graphics System

Looker includes the virtual human character Cindy (Susan Dey) - 1st filkm with shaded graphics(III)

Adam Powers, the Juggler produced by III

Carla's Island - Nelson Max
1982

The Last Starfighter (Digital Productions)

The Geometry Engine (Clark) (Ref: Clark, James H. The Geometry Engine: A VLSI Geometry System for Graphics. Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH 82 Proceedings) 16(3) July 1982, p. 127-133.)

Jim Clark founds Silicon Graphics Inc.

Alain Fournier , Don Fussell , Loren Carpenter, Computer Rendering of Stochastic Models.Communications of the ACM, v.25 n.6, p.371-384, June 1982 (Fractal Rendering paper)

Skeleton Animation System (SAS) developed at CGRG at Ohio State (Dave Zeltzer)

Sony still frame video camera (Mavica)

ACM begins publication of TOG (Transactions on Graphics)

Tom Brighham develops morphing (NYIT)

Adobe founded by John Warnock

Toyo Links established in Tokyo

Symbolics Graphics Division founded

EPCOT Center opens

Atari develops the data glove.

Where the Wild Things Are test (MAGI) - digital compositing used to combine CG backgrounds and traditional animation

AutoDesk founded; AutoCAD released

ILM computer graphics division develops "Genesis effect" for Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan
1983

Particle systems (Reeves - Lucasfilm) (Ref: Reeves, William T. Particle Systems: A Technique for Modeling a Class of Fuzzy Objects. Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH 83 Proceedings) 17(3) July 1983, p. 359-376. )

SGI IRIS 1000 graphics workstation

Road to Point Reyes - Lucasfilm

Jim Blinn receives the first (1983) ACM SIGGRAPH CG Achievement Award

Ivan Sutherland receives the first (1983) ACM SIGGRAPH Steven A. Coons Award

Steve Dompier's "Micro Illustrator"

Utah Raster Toolkit introduced (Spencer Thomas)

Autodesk introduces first PC-based CAD software

Alias founded in Toronto by Stephen Bingham, Nigel McGrath, Susan McKenna and David Springer

mip-mapping introduced for efficient texture mapping (Williams - NYIT) (Ref: Williams, Lance. Pyramidal Parametrics. Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH 83 Proceedings) 17(3) July 1983, p. 1-11. )

Sony and Philips introduce 1st CD player