ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF NCAR GRAPHICS VERSION 4.0
===================================================
Greetings NCAR Graphics users,
We are pleased to announce that NCAR Graphics Version 4.0 is now
available! Upgrade order forms have been sent to all Version 3.2.x
site representatives and site representatives should contact us if
they have not received these forms by October 3. Starting October 2,
we will be able to accept VISA and MasterCard. You can send email to
scdinfo@ncar.ucar.edu or call (303)497-1201 for ordering information
or for answers to general questions. A description of some of the new
features and a list of supported UNIX systems is included below.
Note: ordering information and details on NCAR Graphics 4.0 is also
available via the URL:
http://ngwww.ucar.edu/info/ng4.0.html
NCAR Graphics Version 4.0
-------------------------
With the release of Version 4, NCAR Graphics continues its evolution
into an integrated environment for data processing and scientific
visualization. In addition to new features in the traditional upward
compatible utilities (now referred to as the "low-level utilities" or
the "LLUs"), Version 4 adds three new interfaces to make it easier
than ever to create exceptional scientific graphics:
1) Prototype Graphical User Interface (prototype GUI)
For the first time, you can create and edit visualizations at your
workstation in a truly interactive way.
2) NCAR Command Language (NCL)
NCL is a powerful data processing language that provides strong
data handling and data manipulation facilities and supports a
variety of data formats, including Network Common Data Form
(netCDF), Hierarchical Data Format (HDF), binary, and ASCII.
3) High-Level Utility library (HLU library)
The HLU library provides a collection of graphical objects with
which you can easily generate custom visualizations.
Other new features of Version 4 include the following:
- New low-level utilities
"Dashpack" draws curves using dashed-line patterns that may include
gap-portion specifiers, solid-portion specifiers, and label-string
specifiers. Labels can be made to bend with the curve. Dashpack is
intended to replace and unify the old family of NCAR Graphics routines
(Dashline, Dashchar, Dashsmth, and Dashsupr).
"Polypack" allows users to manipulate polygons in various ways.
"Wmap" aids in the production of daily weather maps like the ones you
see in newspapers, plot station model data including wind barbs, and
draw icons to indicate daily weather.
- PostScript driver
PostScript output is now producible directly from the NCAR GKS package
by way of opening any one of several PostScript workstation
types. Workstation types exist for producing color or monochrome
output, for producing portrait or landscape orientations, and for
producing regular PostScript, EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), or EPSI
(Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format).
- Hypertext documentation system
New documentation provides hypertext capabilities for interactive
access to reference material, code examples, and online
animations. You can use online documentation maps and other
navigational aids to locate specific user information.
- Site licenses
With the new NCAR Graphics site license, you can install NCAR Graphics
on all UNIX systems at your site for use by an unlimited number of
staff.
NCAR Graphics Version 4.0 is supported on the following UNIX systems:
- Cray YMP (UNICOS 8.0) (may soon include Cray C90)
- DEC Alpha (OSF/1 3.2)
- DECstation (ULTRIX 4.4)
- HP9000/7xx (HP-UX 9.0) (will soon include HP-UX 10.x)
- IBM/RS6000 (AIX 3.2) (will soon include AIX 4.x)
- SGI (IRIX 5.3)
- Sun 4/Sparc (Solaris 2.4)
- Sun 4/Sparc (SunOS 4.1)
Ordering information, documentation, slides from the NCAR Graphics 4.0
Teaching Conference, Release Notes, and an FAQ for NCAR Graphics 4.0
can all be found via the URL:
http://ngwww.ucar.edu/info/ng4.0.html
or you can call (303)497-1201 for more information.
--NCAR Graphics Staff
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