Graphic language translation with a language independent processor

Since January 1963 when "Sketch Pad, A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System" by Ivan E. Sutherland was published as a Ph.D. Thesis at M.I.T., graphic displays on computers have been used for a variety of experimental and production purposes. The motivation behind the system described here, is to provide an interactive graphic input/output facility to a number of existing software systems. Our business, like many others, has developed over the past 10 years a number of sophisticated and complex "Computer Aided Design" systems. These systems include principally numerical control part programming systems and engineering design analysis systems. Although these systems have proven themselves to be a necessary part of the design, and manufacturing process, nevertheless preparing input and assimilating output is still a time consuming process for the users. The interactive display speeds up these processes. Its output is more meaningful, too, since pictures as well as numbers and text are used as communication media between the man and the machine.