Computer-Generated
Pen-and-Ink Illustration

Robie House illustration Click to view full-resolution 600dpi image

Overview

Over the past two decades, computer graphics has evolved to a point where intricate scenes can be rendered with impressive realism. However, although photorealistic rendering certainly has its place in many applications, communicating complex scenes in a truly effective manner requires a different approach. The field of graphic illustration provides many techniques to create images that are artistically pleasing and engaging while they communicate their subject effectively to the viewer.

Pen-an-ink illustration is a medium with many advantages of its own. Formost, because it used only black ink on white paper, it reproduces very easily and inexpensively with relatively little loss of information. It also allows fine detailing, and harmonizes well with text. For these reasons, it is widely used in textbooks, newpapers, and other publishing media. In a computer environment, it has the added advantage that the outputs can be produced on inexpensive laser printers.

The goal of the pen-and-ink computer generated illustration project is to apply graphics techniques borrowed from pen-and-ink illustration to the automatic rendering of three-dimensional scenes.

Personnel

Publication

Computer-Generated Pen-and-Ink Illustration. Georges Winkenbach and David H. Salesin. Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 94 (Orlando, Florida, July 24-29, 1994). In Computer Graphics, Annual Conference Series, 1994. Also available as technical report TR 94-01-08.