Jan 20, 2016 A Visual Encyclopedia of the Computer Graphics Technologies Developed at The U

The Audio Visual Archive of Special Collections houses moving images and sounds representative of the history of Utah and the West.  In addition to showcasing the region’s arts and culture, the Audio Visual Archive also documents Utah’s role in and response to important developments in many 20^th and 21^st century technologies.

The David C. Evans audio visual collection (A0159) is a visual encyclopedia of the computer graphics technologies developed and utilized in Utah in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1965, Evans became the first chair of the University of Utah’s brand new Computer Science Department, and the university has been at the forefront of the field ever since, http://www.cs.utah.edu/about/history/.

This fascinating collection contains digital images developed by Evans and other University of Utah faculty and students, including Ed Catmull’s halftone animated hand. The collection also includes graphics and demonstrations of software produced by commercial partners, Evans & Sutherland, a computer graphics firm co-founded by Evans and fellow faculty member Ivan Sutherland. These include simulations created for aeronautical and medical science. Footage from this collection has been exhibited at the Computer History Museum, http://www.computerhistory.org.

All of the materials detailed in the finding aid http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv84585 are available to view and listen to in the Special Collections Reading Room on DVD and CD.

Please visit the Special Collections Reading Room on Level 4 of the J. Marriott Library, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Screen captures from cassette 3 Computer Animations F001-006, F101-F104