This 1970s film is about the utilization of interactive computer aided design (CAD) and graphics in engineering and design applications at Convair Aerospace, part of General Dynamics. The computer shown is a Digigraphics terminal first produced around 1963; it is connected to a Control Data Corp. CDC 6400 computer, developed in 1965. The Digigraphics was one of the first graphical computer aided design systems, and was originally developed on a PDP-1 computer as EDM (Electronic Drafting Machine) before being purchased by Control Data Corporation and ported to their machines. Systems cost almost $500,000. After several years, CDC decided the concept was unprofitable, and closed the division. Here the cathode ray tube (CRT) is described as a key tool for direct communication, displaying text and drawings, and allowing program modifications via a light pen. The advantages of interactive graphics include time and cost savings, improved product quality, and enhanced creativity. Convair’s approach involves training a broad base of users from various disciplines, developing software for ongoing work, and utilizing advanced computer configurations. The text also includes demonstrations of various programs by different engineers, showcasing applications in synthesizing linkages, monitoring curve-fitting programs, packaging printed circuit boards, developing high lift systems for the Space Shuttle booster, designing and testing control systems, and creating three-dimensional structural analysis models.

0:30-0:56 Ken Bonine, Project Leader for Interactive Graphics at Convair Aerospace General Dynamics, discusses the implementation of interactive graphics in computer-aided design, emphasizing direct user-computer interaction for continuous, uninterrupted problem-solving. He uses a light pen to touch a cathode ray tube.

0:56-2:03 Ken Bonine describes the use of cathode ray tubes for displaying text and drawings, and how users can interact with programs using a light pin for real-time modifications. Highlights benefits like time savings, cost reduction, product quality improvement, creativity stimulation, and gaining a competitive edge.

2:05-2:54 Bonine outlines Convair’s approach with a broad user base from different disciplines, mentions training 140 people, with 25 actively developing programs. Discusses the hardware setup including a Control Data 6400 computer at the Kearney Mesa facility.

3:05-4:53 Don Peterson, Senior Design Engineer at Convair, demonstrates a program for mechanical designers to synthesize four-bar linkages, describing how it aids in pre-design phases, offering options for different motion constraints, and demonstrating with examples like flap configurations.

5:09-6:23 Peterson shows how the program can animate the linkage movement, allowing for immediate visual feedback on design changes.

6:23-8:54 Sandra Yoshihara, Scientific Programmer, discusses a program for mathematical curve fitting, showing how it allows for visual evaluation of fits, using data like sound velocity vs. altitude, and describing the process of segmenting data, fitting with polynomial methods, and scaling displays for detailed examination.

10:25-16:37 Stan Ridglow (?), Research Design Engineer at Convair, describes a program for packaging printed electronic circuit boards, explaining how it aids in component placement and electrical path hookups, offering automation for layouts, drilling, and assembly drawings, with significant time and cost savings.

16:37-20:45 Otto Kurima, Aeronautical Engineer, demonstrates a program for developing high lift systems for the Space Shuttle booster, showing how it simulates and modifies flap systems, calculates aerodynamic forces, and significantly reduces design time compared to traditional methods.

20:45-24:42 Gary Owing, Scientific Programmer, explains a program for control system design using frequency response and root locus methods, showing how these graphical techniques help in understanding system behavior and stability, with options to modify and compare system responses.

24:42-28:58 Michael Kronk (?), Structural Engineer, describes a graphics program for 3D structural analysis, showcasing how it allows for model checks, modifications, and visual analysis of structural loads, deflections, and shear flows, significantly reducing analysis time and cost compared to traditional methods.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com