Edwin H. Blake - Böcker

"Eurographics" is a series of workshops, an international forum where researchers convene to exchange knowledge and experience related to the theme of creating realistic computer animation based on the simulation of physical and biological phenomena. The papers in this volume are a sampling and overview of current solutions to the problems of creating graphically-based systems. The presentations investigte the applicability, merits and problems of various programming paradigms in computer graphics for design, modelling and implementation. The papers are grouped into four parts: object-oriented, constraints, functional and multi-paradigm. This essentially takes the reader on a tour of the issues. Firstly, there are the impressive benefits and power of object-oriented approaches, both as, conceptually, tools for design and as programming frameworks. In constraints, though, the limitations are exposed and addressed. Functional programming provides an alternative approach with some recent breakthroughs conceptually (for example, the use of monads to express state) and in practice.Finally, some approaches to resolving (or at least enumerating) the multiplicity of approaches enountered are presented.

Object-oriented systems have gained a great deal of popularity recently and their application to graphics has been very successful. This book documents a number of recent advances and indicates numerous areas of current research. The purpose of the book is: - to demonstrate the extraordinary practical utility of object-oriented methods in computer graphics (including user interfaces, image synthesis, CAD), - to examine outstanding research issues in the field of object-oriented graphics, and in particular to investi- gate extensions and shortcomings of the methodology when applied to computer graphics. Papers included in the book extend existing object-oriented graphical techniques, such as Smalltalk's "model view controller" or "constraints", introduce the use of complex and persistent objects in graphics, and give approaches to direct manipulation interfaces. The reader is presented with an in-depth treatment of a number of significant existing graphics systems, both for user interfaces and for image synthesis. There are theoretical surveys and chapters pointing to new directions in the broad field of computer graphics. Computer language scientists will find a useful critique of object-oriented language constructs and suggested ways to extend object-oriented theory.