New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox company The Computer Graphics Lab is a computer lab located at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), founded by Alexander Schure. It was originally located at the "pink building" on the NYIT campus. It has played an important role in the history of computer graphics and animation, as founders of Pixar and Lucasfilm, including Turing Award winners Edwin Catmull and Patrick Hanrahan, began their research there.<ref>Pixar Animation Studios – Company History. Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-03.</ref> It is the birthplace of entirely 3D CGI films.<ref name="autogenerated4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The lab was initially founded to produce a short high-quality feature film with the project name of The Works. The feature, which was never completed, was a 90-minute feature that was to be the first entirely computer-generated CGI movie. Production mainly focused around DEC PDP and VAX machines.
Many of the original CGL team now form the elite of the CG and computer world with members going on to Silicon Graphics, Microsoft, Cisco, NVIDIA and others, including Pixar president, co-founder and Turing laureate Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder and Microsoft graphics fellow Alvy Ray Smith, Pixar co-founder Ralph Guggenheim, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief scientist Lance Williams, Netscape and Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark, Tableau co-founder and Turing laureate Pat Hanrahan, Microsoft graphics fellow Jim Blinn, Thad Beier, Oscar and Bafta nominee Jacques Stroweis, Andrew Glassner, and Tom Brigham. Systems programmer Bruce Perens went on to co-found the Open Source Initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Researchers at the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab created the tools that made entirely 3D CGI films possible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Among NYIT CG Lab's many innovations was an eight-bit paint system to ease computer animation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NYIT CG Lab was regarded as the top computer animation research and development group in the world during the late 70s and early 80s.<ref name="NYIT-progs">Brief History of the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab (retrieved 30 June 2012)</ref><ref>A compilation of NYIT images and information can be found on Paul Heckbert's site(retrieved 30 June 2012)</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The 21st century
The lab is presently located at NYIT's Long Island campus,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and NYIT currently offers a Ph.D. program in Computer Science.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>