first days of computer aided geometric design robert e. barnhill rich riesenfeld & elaine cohen...

First Days of ComputerAided Geometric Design

Robert E. BarnhillRich Riesenfeld & Elaine Cohen Career Celebration University of Utah, October, 2015

Rich & Elaine Career Celebration 2015 2

Motivation

Horace Walpole: “Men are often capable of greater things than they perform. They are sent into the world with bills of credit and seldom draw to their full extent.”

Robert E. Barnhill


The Sundance Kid to Butch Cassidy

“Who are these guys?”

Robert E. Barnhill

REB Background

•Degrees from Kansas U. & U. of Wisconsin

•U. of Utah Mathematics: 22 years– Numerical Analysis– Computer Aided Geometric Design

•Chair of CS at ASU: 5 years

•Vice President, Research at ASU, KU & UT System of 15 universities: 15 years

•Years in England, Scotland, ONR, NSF

Rich & Elaine Career Celebration 2015 4Robert E. Barnhill


Rich Riesenfeld & Elaine Cohen

•Rich– Steven Coons, Bill Gordon– Ph.D. Computer Science, Syracuse, 1973

Applications of B-spline Approximation to Geometric Problems of Computer-Aided Design

•Elaine– Daniel Waterman– Ph.D. Mathematics, Syracuse, 1974

On the degree of approximation of a function by partial sums of its Fourier series

Robert E. Barnhill


•Philip Davis, Brown U., REB: 1966-1967– Interpolation & Approximation 1963– “Perhaps they (Bernstein poly’s) will find application when the properties of the approximant in the large are of more importance than the closeness of the approximation (p. 116).”

Suggested conference on “graphics & mathematics”at 1971 ONR Conference (slide 8 below).

•Bill Gordon, GM Research Labs, REB: summer 1969– Coons Patches, Boolean sums

Robert E. Barnhill

REB CAGD

Robert E. Barnhill Kaiserslautern University May 30, 2011 7

Davis book


University of Utah

•REB arrives 1964•David Evans arrives 1965-Computer

Science Department• Ivan Sutherland arrives 1968• Interactive computer graphics begins•REB at Gen. Motors Res. Lab. 1969•Numerical Analysis Workshop-ONR 1971•REB John Gregory, Brunel U 1971•Rich Riesenfeld arrives 1973•The stage is set.

Robert E. Barnhill


How to Establish a New Subject

•Background in the 1970s:– CAD/CAM: trivial shapes/objects (ancient

Greeks)– Many possible applications of CAGD

Cars, planes, brain mapping, oil deposits,…

•The crucial partnership: REB & RFR

•ONR 1974 for first conference

•NSF 1974 first federal research support

Robert E. Barnhill

REB & RFR Partnership

•Diversity of– Science (Numerical Analysis & Computer

Graphics)– Approaches/Styles– Personalities

•Trust– Many discussions

•Willingness to try something new (risky)

Robert E. Barnhill Rich & Elaine Career Celebration 2015 10


Computer Aided Geometric Design

•The signature conference: 1974– Participants: Coons, Bezier, Forrest,

REB, Bill Gordon, RFR, John Gregory, Ed Catmull

– The edited proceedings 1974 What grad student did we wait for?

– Enthusiasm!

Robert E. Barnhill


CAGD book

Robert E. Barnhill


Sailboats & Sard Kernels* - ONR

Book cover by Agnes Barnhill & David Pilcher

*REB & John Gregory 1971 f. in England & Utah re Error Analysis


•Create a properly refereed journal

– SIAM—insufficient editorial flexibility– North-Holland (Wolfgang Boehm)—

1974

•Create a SIAM Special Interest Group in Geometric Design

– REB first Chair, Elaine current Chair– First meetings in Tempe, AZ, 1989-

1993– Current meeting in SLC, UT 2015

Robert E. Barnhill

How to Establish a New Subject, continued


CAGD Journal

Robert E. Barnhill

Robert E. Barnhill Kaiserslautern University May 30, 2011 17

REB Closing Thought

•Voltaire: “The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.”


Looking Back from Kansas:A Career in Research

•Painting by Bob Zerwekh, KU, 2003

Robert E. Barnhill


REB Zerwekh picture

Robert E. Barnhill

More on CAGD & Collaborations

These slides go beyond “First Days of CAGD” into later parts of my research & research administration careers.



Robert Barnhill, Wolfgang Boehm and Gerald FarinSIAM Geometric Design Conference, Tempe, AZ 1991

Robert E. Barnhill


Early CAGD: Some of the Topics

•Design of curves, surfaces, volumes,…– Bezier/Coons Patches – Geometry processing, such as

surface/surface intersections – “Old” geometry, such as surface curvatures,

geodesics,…

•Representation of data– Surfaces: bivariate, trivariate,…– Multiquadrics, Shepard’s surfaces,…– Wide variety of applications: medical,

energy,…

Robert E. Barnhill


CA prison project: use psychological testing data from many thousands of inmates to determine parole possibilities.REB and Frank Little used scattered data interpolants, then multivariable cross sections to display the underlying phenomena.

Lockheed-CA skunk works project: develop accurate numericalintegration algorithms for integrals involving singularities. REB andFrank Little used adaptive cubatures, a key part being guided by computergraphics. A decade later the aircraft involved became called stealth aircraft and the integrals measured incident radar on their piecewiseplanar sufaces, which minimized the incident radar waves.

Foot Solutions custom orthotics: ESRI’s “Arc View” GISprogram—major portion was created 25 or so years ago by REB and Gerald Farin using networks of C1 quintic patches over triangulations.

A few personal examples of ‘big data’ (at the time)

Robert E. Barnhill


Computer Aided Geometric Design

Robert E. Barnhill


Evans & Sutherland CorporationSilicon Graphics Inc. (SGI)Boeing (“dreamliner”)General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, ToyotaPixar & other Hollywood CGI placesESRI, Redlands, CADecision Theatre at ASU (Mesa, AZ’s water supply)Phoenix hospitals (brain mapping)+ many more, worldwide

A few examples of companies and organizations using CAGD

Robert E. Barnhill


REB Counsel

•Leave a legacy of quality– Accomplishments– Collegiality

•“Help others”

•“Keep learning”– (ASU President Lattie Coor)

Robert E. Barnhill


REB Closing Thought

•Voltaire: “The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.”

Robert E. Barnhill


Leadership

Sir George Solti: “When you go before an orchestra, you need to have a clear idea in your mind-a sound image-of what you are trying to achieve…If your imagination is clear, then you will communicate with the orchestra even if your beat and technique are not first-rate…I learned that they generally played below the level they were capable of achieving, and that they were happier when I made them play at their highest level. A sense of accomplishment is the best gift that any conductor can bestow on an orchestra.”

Robert E. Barnhill


REB Background-details• Programmed 1st computer at KU as a freshman in 1958, for

the physical chemists • 1st Ph.D. in family: Mathematics, U. of Wisconsin, 1964• U of Utah 1964-86 (Full Professor 1971)

– Charge: “Start numerical analysis at the U.” (1964)– “What is this new ‘computer graphics’?” (early 1970s)

• Arizona State U. 1986-97: Chair of CS (5 years), Vice President, Research (6 years)

• Kansas University: Vice Chancellor, Research, 1997-2004• University of Texas System: Vice Chancellor, Research,

2005-6• Semi-retirement: SACNAS Vice President, Science Policy &

Strategic Initiatives, 2009-present, Council of Science Society Presidents, Vice President 2011-2013

• Consultant, from about 1970-present: many areas of science & engineering research & education and research administration.

Robert E. Barnhill


CAGD rolls forward

•Oberwolfach: Surfaces in CAGD

•SIAM: Geometric Design Group

•Dagstuhl: Geometric Modeling

•IMA: The Mathematics of Surfaces

•The CAGD Journal

Robert E. Barnhill


Oberwolfach books

Robert E. Barnhill


REB: Some Less Explored Topics

•Multidimensional surfaces: both mathematics and visualization– Surfaces defined on surfaces, such as

functionalities/human brain– Finite elements combined with design, see

SIAM News, April 2011

•Wider application of higher order smooth patches for esthetics and/or aerodynamics

•Extension of geometry processing to more difficult and/or higher dimensional problems

Robert E. Barnhill


CAGD Research: a Personal Summary

•Many successful students & colleagues

•Over a 30-year scientific career:

– Peer reviewed federal support

NSF, Dept of Energy, NASA, …

– Industrial support

Lockheed-California, Control Data, Silicon Graphics,…

•Teamwork, multi-nationalRobert E. Barnhill


Looking back at CAGD from 2014

• Proudest macro-level accomplishments– Initiating & establishing a useful field of science &

engin.– Many successful worldwide collaborations with

students/colleagues/sponsors/society

• Micro-level– Coons Patches: Boolean sums (Bill Gordon), twist

incompatibilities (John Gregory)– Convex combinations (Jim Brown, Dundee)– Adaptive cubatures (Frank Little)– Triangular patches (Gerald Farin)– Geometry processing (Hans Hagen)– Visual, aka geometric, continuity (Greg Nielson)– Scattered data interpolation (Dick Franke, Sarah

Stead)

Robert E. Barnhill

Rich & Elaine Career Celebration 2015 35Robert E. Barnhill


ML Summary

•Partnership and collaborations

•Passion and clarity of vision

•Complex environments

•Partners

•Opportunities

•Longevity of collaborations

Robert E. Barnhill


Key Elements for Collaborations

•Trust

•Winning– REB: “We have no failures, only pauses

between successes.”

•Vision– Proverbs: “Without vision, the people perish.”– N. Podhoretz: “Creativity represents a

miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.”

Robert E. Barnhill


Key Elements, continued

•Strategic planning– Less amateurism, more professionalism

•Strategic intent– Competing for the Future, Hamel & Prahalad

– “Only extraordinary goals provoke extraordinary efforts.”

– REB KU Merrill Center articles, 2000 and 2001

Robert E. Barnhill


Key Elements, continued

• Innovative thinking– The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen

– “Disruptive technologies”Disruptive thinking

Application to research and research admin.

– Thomas Edison: “Hell, there are no rules here, we’re trying to accomplish something.”

– P.B. Medawar: “The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein: it rejects it.”

Robert E. Barnhill


Key Elements, concluded

•Tipping point (Ian Gladwell)– A relatively few people can have a large impact.

– Leadership at every level is needed for research competitiveness (AAAS, 1995).

– “On Friday afternoons he would discuss only Great Thoughts and he would invite people to share a table, provided they were willing to think big.” (R. Hamming)

•Collegiality– “The music that can deepest reach,

And cure all ills is cordial speech.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Robert E. Barnhill

first days of computer aided geometric design robert e. barnhill rich riesenfeld & elaine cohen...

Documents

reb backgrounddegrees

reb rfronr

reb john gregory

geometric problems of

university of utahreb

spline approximation

interpolation approximation

degree of approximation