Computer graphics “Made in Germany”: Darmstadt, the leading “Computer Graphics and Visual Computing Hub” in Europe: The way from 1975 to 2014

Abstract

The paper reports on the 40 years of development of Computer Graphics and, more recently, Visual computing (VC) at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, from its beginning in 1975 to the leading “Computer Graphics and Visual Computing Hub” in Europe as of 2014. This development is described along three axes. First, the institutional development and its rational to establish Computer Graphics as a discipline of Computer Science and as an enabling technology for developing our Knowledge Society, are described. Second, the scientific and technological impact based on the teaching activities and the large number of theses submitted in Darmstadt for the area during these 40 years are addressed. Finally, the research road maps of the Computer Graphics and Visual Computing Hub in Darmstadt are presented relatively to the different stages of CG and VC research, relatively to a scientific view to the large number of projects implemented over these 40 years and, finally, also relatively to the project results as seen from the media. In order to manage the quantity as well as the complexity of the information available, the description of these road maps is divided in four time periods: 1975–1984, 1985–1994, 1995–2004 and 2004–2015. The paper also gives the view of the authors on how they see the future of Computer Graphics and Visual Computing. At the end, the paper includes an extensive list of references for the reported content.