The History Of Interactive Computer Graphics and Animations

[MmmMaarten]

Interested in computers, graphics, animations, games, vr, interactives and internet?

Computer graphics, animations and interactions are now self-evident. You just have to pick up your smartphone, tablet, desktop computer or what else and you feel intuitively when you have to swipe, click, drag or pinch zoom. You also expect nothing less than nice interfaces with smooth animations. But it wasn't always like this...

There were times where there were no editors like Photo and Designer, nor Illustrator, nor Photoshop, and even computers and animations of frames didn't exist...

I wrote a blog series of six where I like to take you on a journey through time with our focus on learning about the development before and during the creation of computers, digital graphics, animations, graphical interfaces, graphics software, interactivity, 3D, a pinch of the first games, the creation of the internet and a touch of virtual reality.

I have made more than 110 illustrations for this series with Affinity Designer and also provide each part with at least one interactive to bring the events alive as good as possible for you.

Part 1 is out there now! Hope you like it and I'm sure you learn something new from it and be surprised by some events! There will be a new part every month from now. Enjoy!

English: History Interactive Computer Graphics - Part 1

Dutch: Geschiedenis Interactieve Computergraphics - Deel 1

[Ninjag-O-G]

This looks awesome, definitely following this!

[A_B_C]

Very nice! I love it … 

[MmmMaarten]

Thanks a lot for your compliments, likes and views guys.

Next part will be about a very interesting time in history... when the computer-age really got started!

... without that part of history nothing we use today in computer graphics and games would even exist! So no Affinity would be here if this part of history would be missing...

Watch this space!

 

@Alfred @Madame @Roger C @GarryP @Wosven @A_B_C @WatcherMagic

[MmmMaarten]

Well, it's been a while, I've been very busy last months and I take writing blogs seriously and like to serve quality content.

So sorry you had to wait sooo long, but the second part of the series will go live soon!

 

...And there will be a little oldfashioned GAME inside!  

(and it's not  or )  

@Alfred @Madame @Roger C @GarryP @Wosven @A_B_C @WatcherMagic

[A_B_C]

Really looking forward to it. 

[Madame]

Hey.. I did'nt see this before! You are so talented and clever! 
Fantastic work! Thank you! 

[MmmMaarten]

On 8/16/2019 at 8:10 PM, Madame said:

Hey.. I did'nt see this before! You are so talented and clever! 
Fantastic work! Thank you! 

Thanks for this nice compliment and nice to see you like it! 

[MmmMaarten]

Yes!! Part 2 is (finally!) out in the open now!  Hope you like it! There will be a new part in between a month and a few months from now, as soon as possible, but quality content. Already working on it. In the end there will be 6 parts in total. Collect them all !  

This time with an oldfashioned game inside that fits this period of history! Enjoy!

English: History Interactive Computer Graphics - Part 2
Dutch: Geschiedenis Interactieve Computergraphics - Deel 2

@Alfred @Madame @Roger C @GarryP @Wosven @A_B_C @WatcherMagic @John Rostron @Renzatic @dutchshader

[dutchshader]

Nooit verwacht dat het idee voor een hyperlink al uit mijn geboortejaar 1965 komt, weer een top blog.

[GarryP]

Very nice work.
Are you aware of the PLATO project from the 1960-80s? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_(computer_system)
It is fairly unknown today but was, allegedly, the first place we saw plasma screens, multi-touch screens, and other technologies that were only re-invented recently.
This podcast episode is very interesting: https://theretrohour.com/plato-the-friendly-orange-glow-ep181/

[MmmMaarten]

On 8/21/2019 at 10:17 AM, GarryP said:

Very nice work.
Are you aware of the PLATO project from the 1960-80s? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_(computer_system)
It is fairly unknown today but was, allegedly, the first place we saw plasma screens, multi-touch screens, and other technologies that were only re-invented recently.
This podcast episode is very interesting: https://theretrohour.com/plato-the-friendly-orange-glow-ep181/

Thanks @GarryP for your compliment and the hint on the PLATO project. Sounds interesting. If I have a little more time I'll take a closer look and listen at it.

[GarryP]

You’re welcome.
You can ignore most of the first 15 minutes or so of the podcast if you don’t care to hear people commenting on retro gaming consoles, but the rest is worth listening to.

[Move Along People]

-

[MmmMaarten]

On 8/24/2019 at 12:03 PM, haakoo said:

Een leuke en interessante leeservaring Maarten, waarvoor dank

Thanks @haakoo. Nice to read you like it. Four parts still to come 

[MmmMaarten]

Yes!! Part 3 is just freshly published in both English as well as in Dutch! 😊 Hope you like it! In the end there will be 6 parts in total. Collect them all ! 😉

This time a very interesting time period with a lot of technical graphics innovations, a steady foundation of 3D graphics, techniques we still often use today, some things you might be surprised by, the beginning of the home console and PC market and more! Enjoy!

English: History Interactive Computer Graphics - Part 3
Dutch: Geschiedenis Interactieve Computergraphics - Deel 3

 

@Alfred @Madame @Roger C @GarryP @Wosven @A_B_C @WatcherMagic @John Rostron @Renzatic @dutchshader @CLC @SrPx @haakoo

[dutchshader]

In de openingstekst staat deel twee van zes, zou deel drie moeten zijn.

Kleinigheidje, maar toch 🙂

[MmmMaarten]

38 minutes ago, dutchshader said:

In de openingstekst staat deel twee van zes, zou deel drie moeten zijn.

Kleinigheidje, maar toch 🙂

Ah,..you're so right. I checked all the rest pretty heavily, but wasn't very focussed on the first part of the intro as it is generic text for the whole series copied and pasted in so had it checked with previous publications already. But I obviously missed at first read the fact that there still was another number in there. Thanks for letting me know. It's fixed now (and in both languages). 😊 

[Move Along People]

-

[MmmMaarten]

46 minutes ago, haakoo said:

Maarten,
Opnieuw een interessant verhaal,top

Thanks. 😉

[MmmMaarten]

Thanks for the likes guys! 😚 Pretty busy at the moment, but three parts more to come after this one and next part will be very interesting!! 😃 

We entered the period for the real interesting stuff now in the history-timeline! 👌

Something nice to read at home during our quarantine 🏡 days! 😉

[MmmMaarten]

Making some extra illustrations for upcoming part four! 😃

[MmmMaarten]

Working hard to finish my blog post on time! It's starting to look like I'm writing a book about interactives, computergraphics and animations!

Part four will go live this week and it's pretty interesting stuff! 😀

[MmmMaarten]

Busy finishing the writing for pt4 now to publish tomorrow.... But wow... the story of Atari vs Amiga vs Commodore is quite something... pretty interesting stuff and impossible to keep it as short as some other items, just because it's such a story! Love it 😎

[MmmMaarten]

Yes! Part 4 just went live, and it has some pretty interesting stuff and things you might not expect... but really happened! 😎

Enjoy it everybody, hope you have as much fun reading as I had researching, writing, illustrating and programming it! 
After this part there will be two more parts (up to six in total). Collect them all 😉

English: The History of Interactive Computer Graphics - Part 4
Dutch: De Geschiedenis van Interactieve Computergraphics - Deel 4

 

@Alfred @Madame @Roger C @GarryP @Wosven @A_B_C @WatcherMagic @John Rostron @Renzatic @dutchshader @CLC @SrPx @haakoo @telemax