Abstract

This paper follows the proliferation of the “line-drawing algorithm,” a method for encoding lines into digital media that saw widespread application in early interactive computing. The algorithm reveals a tightly linked complex of graphical technologies which integrated disparate hardware and software into continuous, real-time operation. Generated by this algorithm, the rasterized line offered an interactive form of graphic production, one categorically distinct from the inscribed line of orthographic representation. It transformed geometry into a computable entity, reproduced the line in an array of display technologies, and standardized its usage through the practices of computer graphics programming. As an automated method that produced lines from data manipulated by a user, the algorithm illuminates a shift in the work of graphic representation from drawing to modeling. This change is considered against discourses that posit line drawing as integral to an architectural notion of representation, examining the capacity of the algorithmic line to mask historical discontinuities and suggesting that drawing and line, rather than denoting stable disciplinary categories, are constantly constructed within broader technological regimes.

摘要

本文跟随“画线算法”的扩散，这是一种将线条编码到数字媒体中的方法，在早期的交互式计算中得到了广泛的应用。该算法揭示了一个紧密关联的图形技术复合体，这些技术将不同的硬件和软件集成到连续的实时操作中。由该算法生成的光栅化线提供了一种图形制作的交互形式，与正字法表示的内切线截然不同。它将几何图形转化为一个可计算的实体，在一系列显示技术中复制线条，并通过计算机图形编程的实践标准化其使用。作为一种根据用户操作的数据生成线条的自动化方法，该算法阐明了图形表示工作从绘图到建模的转变。这种变化被认为是反对将线条画作为表示的建筑概念不可或缺的话语，检查算法线条掩盖历史不连续性的能力，并建议绘图和线条，而不是表示稳定的学科类别，是在更广泛的技术范围内不断构建的制度。