Vector graphics were also used on the TX-2 at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory by computer graphics pioneer Ivan Sutherland to run his program Sketchpad in 1963. Vector graphics systems were retired from the U.S.
Vector graphic displays were first used in 1958 by the US SAGE air defense system. Since vector display devices can define a line by dealing with just two points (that is, the coordinates of each end of the line), the device can reduce the total amount of data it must deal with by organizing the image in terms of pairs of points. Vector-based devices, such as the vector CRT and the pen plotter, directly control a drawing mechanism to produce geometric shapes.
#Vector art files software#
If a dataset stored in one vector file format is converted to another file format that supports all the primitive objects used in that particular image, then the conversion can be lossless.Ī free software Asteroids-like video game played on a vector monitor In some Vector data, especially in GIS, information about topological relationships between objects may be represented in the data model, such as tracking the connections between road segments in a transport network. In systems in which shapes represent real-world features, such as GIS and BIM, a variety of attributes of each represented feature can be stored, such as name, age, size, and so on. The most common are visual characteristics, such as color, line weight, or dash pattern. In many vector datasets, each shape can be combined with a set of properties. Fractals, often defined as an iterated function system.Irregular three-dimensional surfaces and solids, usually defined as a connected set of polygons (e.g., a Polygon mesh) or as parametric surfaces (e.g., NURBS).Standard parametric shapes in two or three dimensions, such as circles, ellipses, squares, superellipses, spheres, tetrahedrons, superellipsoids, etc.Parametric curves, in which polylines or polygons are augmented with parameters to define a non-linear interpolation between vertices, including circular arcs, cubic splines, Catmull–Rom splines, Bézier curves and bezigons.A Polygon, representing a region of space, defined by its boundary, a polyline with coincident starting and ending vertices.Ī variety of more complex shapes may be supported:.A Polygonal chain or polyline, a connected set of line segments, defined by an ordered list of points.A Line segment, defined by two end points, allowing for a simple linear interpolation of the intervening line.The fundamental geometric primitives are: Because it is a regular shape, a square could also be defined by the location of one corner, a size (width=height), and a rotation angle. For example, a square can be unambiguously defined by the locations of three of its four corners, from which the software can interpolate the connecting boundary lines and the interior space. Because almost all shapes consist of an infinite number of points, the vector model defines a limited set of geometric primitives that can be specified using a finite sample of salient points called vertices.
The logical data model of vector graphics is based on the mathematics of coordinate geometry, in which shapes are defined as a set of points in a two- or three-dimensional cartesian coordinate system, as p = ( x, y) or p = ( x, y, z). This can lead to some confusion in disciplines in which both meanings are used. Vector graphics are based on the mathematics of analytic or coordinate geometry, and is not related to other mathematical uses of the term vector, including vector fields and vector calculus. Some application domains, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and graphic design, use both vector and raster graphics at times, depending on purpose.
Thus, it is the preferred model for domains such as engineering, architecture, surveying, 3D rendering, and typography, but is entirely inappropriate for applications such as photography and remote sensing, where raster is more effective and efficient. While vector hardware has largely disappeared in favor of raster-based monitors and printers, vector data and software continues to be widely used, especially when a high degree of geometric precision is required, and when complex information can be decomposed into simple geometric primitives. Vector graphics is an alternative to raster graphics, each having advantages and disadvantages in general and in specific situations. These mechanisms may include vector display and printing hardware, vector data models and file formats, and software based on these data models (especially graphic design software, computer-aided design, and geographic information systems). Vector graphics, as a form of computer graphics, is the set of mechanisms for creating visual images directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves, and polygons. Example showing comparison of vector graphics and raster graphics upon magnification
