Sutherland's Volkswagen

Last updated
3D Model of Sutherland's Volkswagen Utah VW Bug.stl
3D Model of Sutherland's Volkswagen

Sutherland's Volkswagen, or the Utah VW Bug, is a 3D model. It is a mathematical model of a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle and one of the earliest 3D computer models, aside from Catmull's hand.

Contents

The Volkswagen model was created by students [1] of Professor Ivan Sutherland in 1972 [2] at the University of Utah. The students created the model by measuring a real version of the car with yardsticks. Only the car body is modeled, not the wheels or chassis. The model became slightly iconic after all the various parts, as measured by students, were pieced together, with the necessary rotations, scaling, and translations. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen</span> Automobile brand of the Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen, abbreviated as VW, is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-World War II by the British Army Officer Ivan Hirst, it is known for the iconic Beetle and serves as the flagship brand of the Volkswagen Group, the largest automotive manufacturer by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's biggest market is in China, which delivers 40 percent of its sales and profits. Its name is derived from the German-language terms Volk and Wagen, translating to "people's car" when combined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Beetle</span> Car model

The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German der Käfer, in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, intended for five occupants, that was manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Sutherland</span> American computer scientist and Internet pioneer

Ivan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subject at the University of Utah in the 1970s was pioneering in the field. Sutherland, Evans, and their students from that era developed several foundations of modern computer graphics. He received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in 1988 for the invention of Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal computers. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the National Academy of Sciences among many other major awards. In 2012 he was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for "pioneering achievements in the development of computer graphics and interactive interfaces".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah teapot</span> Computer graphics 3D reference and test model

The Utah teapot, or the Newell teapot, is a 3D test model that has become a standard reference object and an in-joke within the computer graphics community. It is a mathematical model of an ordinary Melitta-brand teapot that appears solid with a nearly rotationally symmetrical body. Using a teapot model is considered the 3D equivalent of a "Hello, World!" program, a way to create an easy 3D scene with a somewhat complex model acting as the basic geometry for a scene with a light setup. Some programming libraries, such as the OpenGL Utility Toolkit, even have functions dedicated to drawing teapots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Karmann Ghia</span> Motor vehicle

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1974) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1974) body styles by Volkswagen. Internally designated the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 (Beetle) with styling by Italy's Carrozzeria Ghia and hand-built bodywork by German coachbuilding house Karmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baja Bug</span> Automobile manufacturer

A Baja Bug is an original Volkswagen Beetle modified to operate off-road, although other versions of air-cooled Volkswagens are sometimes modified as well. Baja bugs often race in off road desert races such as the Baja 1000. There are different classes for bugs, namely class 11, class 5 1600, and class 5 unlimited. According to desert racing association Score International, class 11 is a stock VW beetle with modifications limited to ground clearance and strength. Class 5 1600 rules state that a 1600 cc VW engine must be used and the car must have the exterior appearance of a "baja bug" with body modification limited to whatever cutting is needed to install a consumer baja kit. Class 5 unlimited is any 4 cylinder VW-style engine, and it must have Baja-style fenders and side panels, and VW-style suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Type 3</span> Compact car built from 1961 to 1973

The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961-1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later as the Volkswagen 1600, in three body styles: two-door Notchback, Fastback, and Station Wagon, the latter marketed as the 'Squareback' in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout</span> Automotive design

In automotive design, an RR, or rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bumper. Although very common in transit buses and coaches due to the elimination of the drive shaft with low-floor buses, this layout has become increasingly rare in passenger cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer History Museum</span> Museum in Mountain View, California

The Computer History Museum (CHM) is a museum of computer history, located in Mountain View, California. The museum presents stories and artifacts of Silicon Valley and the information age, and explores the computing revolution and its impact on society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen New Beetle</span> Compact car

The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the front wheels, with luggage storage in the rear. Many special editions have been released, such as the Malibu Barbie New Beetle.

Bui Tuong Phong was a Vietnamese-born computer graphics researcher and pioneer. He invented the widely used Phong shading algorithm and Phong reflection model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbie</span> Anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle, a character that is featured in several Disney motion pictures

Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film The Love Bug. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, and is often a serious contender in auto racing competitions. Throughout most of the franchise, Herbie is distinguished by red, white and blue racing stripes from the front to the back bumper, a pearl white body, a racing-style number 53 on the front luggage compartment lid, doors, engine lid, and a yellow-on-black '63 California license plate with the registration "OFP 857".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Hahn</span> German businessman

Carl Horst Hahn is a German businessman and former head of the Volkswagen Group from 1982 to 1993. He served as the chairman of the board of management of the parent company, Volkswagen AG. During his tenure, the group's car production increased from two million units in 1982 to 3.5 million a decade later.

Major Ivan Hirst, was a British Army officer and engineer who was instrumental in reviving Volkswagen from a single factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, into a major postwar automotive manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Golf Mk1</span> Motor vehicle

The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 is the first generation of a small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen. It was noteworthy for signalling Volkswagen's shift of its major car lines from rear-wheel drive and rear-mounted air-cooled engines to front-wheel drive with front-mounted, water-cooled engines that were often transversely-mounted.

The Model K was an early relay binary adder built in 1937 by George Stibitz, a scientist at Bell Laboratories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkswagen Beetle (A5)</span> Motor vehicle

The Volkswagen Beetle is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen introduced in 2011 for the 2012 model year, as the successor to the New Beetle launched in 1997. It features a lower profile while retaining an overall shape recalling the original Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Utah School of Computing</span> School in University of Utah

The School of Computing is a school within the College of Engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PDP-8/e</span> 1970 model of the DEC PDP-8 line of minicomputers

The PDP-8/e was a model of the PDP-8 line of minicomputers, designed by the Digital Equipment Corporation to be a general purpose computer that inexpensively met the needs of the average user while also being capable of modular expansion to meet the more specific needs of advanced user.

References

  1. "vw.JPG". excelsior.asc.ohio-state.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  2. 1 2 McDermott, Robert (2003). "Robert Remembers: the VW Bug" (PDF).