#10 - Origins of BIM

In 1963, Ivan Sutherland is considered by many to be the creator of Computer Graphics and an Internet pioneer. Starting with his Ph.D. thesis, named Sketchpad, which is one of the most influential computer programs ever written by an individual, Sutherland has contributed numerous ideas to the study of Computer Graphics and Computer Interaction. He introduced concepts such as 3-D computer modeling, visual simulations, computer-aided design (CAD), virtual reality, etc.

Since the 1960s, modeling of 3D geometry has been an important research area. The development of new 3D representations had many potential uses, including movies, architectural and engineering design, and games. The ability to represent compositions of polyhedral form for viewing was first developed in the late 1960s and later led to the first computer-graphics film, Tron (in 1987).

These initial polyhedral forms could be composed into an image with a limited set of parameterized and scalable shapes but designing requires the ability to easily edit and modify complex shapes. In 1973, a major step toward this goal was realized. The ability to create and edit arbitrary 3D solid, volume enclosing shapes was developed by three groups: Ian Braid at Cambridge University, Bruce Baumgart at Standford, and Ari Requicha and Herb Voelcker at the University of Rochester. Known as Solid Modeling, these efforts produced the first generation of practical 3D modeling design tools.

Next article, What is not BIM?

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