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New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab

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New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab
IndustryAnimation
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
FounderAlexander Schure
Defunct1986; 38 years ago (1986)

The Computer Graphics Lab is a computer lab located at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), founded by the late Dr. Alexander Schure. It was originally located at the "pink building" on the NYIT campus. It has played an important role in the history of computer graphics and animation, as founders of Pixar and Lucasfilm, including Turing Award winners Edwin Catmull and Patrick Hanrahan, began their research there.[1] It is the birthplace of entirely 3D CGI films.[2][3][4][5]

The lab was initially founded to produce a short high-quality feature film with the project name of The Works. The feature, which was never completed, was a 90-minute feature that was to be the first entirely computer-generated CGI movie. Production mainly focused around DEC PDP and VAX machines.

Many of the original CGL team now form the elite of the CG and computer world with members going on to Silicon Graphics, Microsoft, Cisco, NVIDIA and others, including Pixar president, co-founder and Turing laureate Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder and Microsoft graphics fellow Alvy Ray Smith, Pixar co-founder Ralph Guggenheim, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief scientist Lance Williams, Netscape and Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark, Tableau co-founder and Turing laureate Pat Hanrahan, Microsoft graphics fellow Jim Blinn, Thad Beier, Oscar and Bafta nominee Jacques Stroweis, Andrew Glassner, and Tom Brigham. Systems programmer Bruce Perens went on to co-found the Open Source Initiative.[6][7]

Researchers at the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab created the tools that made entirely 3D CGI films possible.[8][9] Among NYIT CG Lab's many innovations was an eight-bit paint system to ease computer animation.[10][11] NYIT CG Lab was regarded as the top computer animation research and development group in the world during the late 70s and early 80s.[12][13][14]

The 21st century

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The lab is presently located at NYIT's Long Island campus,[15][16] and NYIT currently offers a Ph.D. program in Computer Science.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Pixar Animation Studios – Company History. Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.
  2. ^ "NYIT and the Birth of Digital Cinema with Tom Sito | Events | NYIT". Nyit.edu. November 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  3. ^ Nieva, Richard (November 12, 2015). "To infinity: How Pixar brought computers to the movies". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  4. ^ "NYIT's Computer Graphics History Is Out of This World | Multimedia | Box Blog | NYIT". Nyit.edu. November 17, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "NYIT Magazine" (PDF). Nyit.edu. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  6. ^ "People Behind the Pixels".
  7. ^ "Brief History of the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab".
  8. ^ "NYIT and the Birth of Digital Cinema with Tom Sito | Events | NYIT". www.nyit.edu. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015.
  9. ^ "To infinity: How Pixar brought computers to the movies".
  10. ^ "Animator Tom Sito Presents the Birth of Digital Cinema | Box | New York Tech".
  11. ^ "Light-years Ahead".
  12. ^ Brief History of the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab (retrieved 30 June 2012)
  13. ^ A compilation of NYIT images and information can be found on Paul Heckbert's site(retrieved 30 June 2012)
  14. ^ "New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)". biosci.ohio-state.edu. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "Facilities & Resources".
  16. ^ "Light-years Ahead".
  17. ^ "Computer Science, Ph.D."
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