What’s In Store: VU-3D

When Timex Computer Corp. began showing the TS 2068 Color Computer last fall, the star of every demonstration was a graphics package called VU-3D. It’s a fascinating program that duplicates the capabilities of some of the lower end professional Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems which sold for tens of thousands of dollars only a few years ago.

With VU-3D you can create, in perspective, images of three-dimensional objects. Once drawn, these objects can be rotated, magnified, and made to look “solid” by removing lines that lie on unseen surfaces. You can “illuminate” them by creating shadows cast by hypothetical light sources located in any of nine positions.

To give you an idea of the power of the program, I can barely draw a straight line without the help of a ruler. With VU-3D and a few hours of work. I was able to design and modify the boat you see pictured here. To draw three-dimensional objects like this one, you use the cursor keys and a few special keystrokes.

The sailboat shown here represents my most ambitious attempt to date. It took several hours to plan and execute. It’s actually my second sailboat effort. The first turned out rather lopsided and not very seaworthy. I developed this design in five stages, which corresponded to the ship’s various components: hull, pilot house, mast, and two sections of the keel.

At first I made a “wire diagram” with all lines and corners visible. Then, in picture mode, I removed the hidden lines and added shading. I could rotate the sailboat either horizontally or vertically while the computer quickly redrew the figure to simulate the changed perspective.

VU-3D gave me an insight into the draftsman’s art and drawing techniques. From the enthusiastic responses of my two teenage sons, I’d recommend it as a fun computer activity as well as a valuable instructional.