Digital Paint Systems: an Anecdotal and Historical Overview
Digital Paint Systems: An Anecdotal and Historical Overview Alvy Ray Smith The history of digital paint systems derives from many things— chance meetings, coincidences and boredom, artistic license, brilliant researchers, a wealthy benefactor, and, of course, lawsuits. Alvy Ray Smith tells the fascinating story—facts first, then anecdotes—in his own words. This article is based on a talk presented in tal 2D (two-dimensional) and 3D modeling and January 2000 at an evening hosted by the animation, film recording, video editing, and Computer History Museum on Moffatt Field, audio synthesis. An excellent rendering of my near Palo Alto, California. I shared the floor time with Dick Shoup (sounds like “shout,” not with longtime colleague Richard G. “Dick” like “hoop”) in the early days at Xerox PARC Shoup who figures highly in what follows. It is (Palo Alto Research Center) can be found in the also based on a document I submitted to the recent book Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Dawn of the Computer Age.4 For other (AMPAS) in 1997 in answer to a call from them PARC references, see Lavendel,5 Pake,6 Perry,7 for information about early paint programs and and Smith.8 their contribution to the film business.1 The time frame dates from the late 1960s to Definitions the early 1980s, from the beginnings of the A digital paint program and a digital paint technology of digital painting up to the first system are distinguished by their functions. A consumer products that implemented it.
[Show full text]