CGNetworks Feature :: 3D Rendering History
Part 1: Humble Beginnings
By: Dmitry Shklyar :: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

Introduction
3D rendering technology has managed to find its way into the lives of millions of people worldwide. Be it a gaming console connected to a television, animation software on a workstation or the latest special effects blockbuster at the movies, we use and experience 3D rendering and harness its power without giving any thought about the marvelous technology behind it. In part one of this feature series, CGNetworks takes a look at the history of 3D rendering, from the first line algorithm to current technologies, we pay tribute to the scientists who made rendering possible. So next time you hit the render button for your latest blockbuster creation, think about what happens behind the scenes with the histories and developments that push the boundaries of current rendering technology.

From Aircraft to Lines
In 1960, designer William Fetter was attempting to devise a new process in order to maximize the efficiency of the layout inside Boeing's airplane cockpits. His final product was a computer generated orthographic view of the human form. Fetter devised the term 'computer graphics' to describe his creation, starting a chain of events that would eventually revolutionize the world of entertainment, advertising and media. One of Fetter's contemporaries, Ivan Sutherland set things in motion in 1963 when he submitted his PhD. thesis, entitled Sketchpad: A Man-machine Graphical Communications System. The software enabled a person, for the very first time, to interactively create an image on a computer display. According to Sun Microsystems, where Sutherland currently resides as vice president, “sketchpad pioneered the concepts of graphical computing, including memory structures to store objects, rubber-banding of lines, the ability to zoom in and out on the display and the ability to make perfect lines, corners, and joints. This was the first GUI (Graphical User Interface) long before the term was coined” [1].