SIGGRAPH 1984 Computer Graphics Achievement Award: Clark
Awardee(s):
Award:
- Computer Graphics Achievement Award
Description:
Dr. James H. Clark has been designing and implementing both hardware and software for special-purpose computer graphics and computer-aided design systems since 1970. He holds a MS degree in Physics and was awarded a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Utah in 1974. He then spent three years at the University of California, two years consulting and the last four years as an Associate Professor at Stanford University, Computer Systems Laboratories. He is the author of fifteen technical articles in the fields of Computer Graphics, IC Computer Aided Design, and Solid Geometric Modeling. He founded Silicon Graphics, Inc., in November, 1981 to produce advanced high performance geometric processing workstations based upon his past work in these fields.
The Computer Graphics Achievement Award is being presented to Dr. Clark for his work on the development of the “Geometry Engine,” which brought custom silicon capabilities to the highly demanding area of real-time computer graphics. In doing so, Dr. Clark refined and structured the algorithms needed for 30 display to the point where they could be encapsulated in silicon. The work on refining the algorithms is considered by some to be as significant as the construction of the silicon Geometry Engine itself. This work has provided one of the first examples of compiling high-level graphics functionality into custom silicon thereby demonstrating the benefit of using custom integrated circuitry to realize hitherto unattainable cost-performance ratios.
Source:
- ACM SIGGRAPH Citation
