A review is given of recent developments in computer graphics, with emphasis on displays. The principles of refresh, storage and raster-scan technologies are outlined, followed by an examination of developments in intelligent raster graphics terminals, displays for 3D computer graphics, and the emergence of powerful personal graphics workstations. Co/our hardcopy is needed to complement today's co/our raster displays, and ink-jet and electrostatic devices are described. A summary is given of the current status of international standards for computer graphics, and the paper concludes by pointing out some likely areas for future development.
display technologies, raster graphics, electrostatic devices, future developments
In the early 1960's Ivan Sutherland's pioneering work on computer graphics generated quite a lot of excitement and it was predicted that this new field would have a major impact on the use of computers. As often happens, it has taken longer than expected for this to become true, but the last five years have seen a massive growth in computer graphics resulting from big improvements in price/ performance. The proliferation of new hardware has created a serious problem for users: advances are being made faster then they are able to keep up with them.
An examination of developments shows that most of the advances have followed an incremental pattern. It is therefore instructive to study early display systems and to see how their capabilities have influenced the design of today's displays. The three main types of display technology are refresh, storage and raster scan.