Common Questions about Computer Graphics

Aug 16th, 2010 by sonu.

X Welcome Googler! If you find this page useful, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. You were searching for "briefly narrate the history of graphics hardware technology". See posts relating to your search 1. What is the need for computer graphics? Ans.Graphical communication is an old and more popular method of exchanging information than verbal communication and is more convenient when computers are utilized for this purpose. As the volume of information increases, problem of storage arises. Also, in the 21st century people do not have time to read huge number of pages. This problem was solved by computer graphics. This can be clearly understood with the help of an example where we wantwe want to present the performance of a factory since 1980. For this, we requirewe require a number of pages to render this large volume of information related with financial, numerical and statistical information. It will take a lot of time to analyze such a long report. We canWe can easily represent this data in a pictorial form thus making it simple to understand. Pictures can represent a huge database in the form of bar charts, pie charts, and so on. Two other prominent applications of graphics are in the field of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). In CAD, graphics techniques are used to produce the drawings of certain parts of a machine from any viewing angle. In CAM computer graphics techniques, one may display the manufacturing layout for a given part and trace the path taken by machine tools for a given manufacturing process 2. Define computer graphics and Interactive computer graphics? Ans. Computer graphics can be defined as the use of computers to define, store, manipulate, interrogate, and present pictorial output of the data. Interactive computer graphics refers to devices and systems that facilitate the man-machine graphic communication. 3. Briefly, narrate the history of graphics hardware technology? Ans.

In early days, the high cost of the hardware for computer graphics remained the obstacle, which prevented their widespread use. Computers have been getting progressively more inexpensive and it has become a household article these days. The microelectronics revolution and the subsequent reduction in the price of the digital hardware have completely changed the situation. Due to this price reduction, it is now realistic to expect that all computers with graphic display hardware capability will be making extensive use of computer graphics. The announcement of the IBM personal computer using 16-bit Intel 8088 microprocessor on August 12, 1981, can be regarded as a historic event, which had a profound effect in the world of computers. These computers significantly improved the state of display technology in the world of computers. The next major change in PC display technology was announced by Apple Company in 1984, when it introduced the Macintosh PC. It was the first PC that did not include a text-based display but provided only a graphic display. The application programs developed for the Macintosh advocated WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) style of interface. This concept has become a basic requirement in the area of desktop publishing (DTP). The PowerPCs from IBM, Apple, and other vendors created a new standard for DTP computers. With such a development, computer graphics and multimedia has become a necessity for all types of users. 4. How to make graphics processing faster? Ans. Video/Graphic processing can be made faster in two ways: by using a graphic co-processor and a graphic accelerator. The graphic co-processor boosts video performance by assuming tasks normally handled by the CPU. An accelerator takes control of graphic task, which are otherwise performed by the CPU. However, an accelerator is not programmable. It is a functioned processor, which caries out specific tasks hard-coded into the chip. 5. What is graphics processor? Why it is needed? Ans.Graphics processor helps in managing the screen faster with an equivalent software algorithm executed on the CPU. Through the use of these processors certain amount of parallelism can be achieved for executing graphic commands. Several manufacturers of personal computers use a proprietary graphics processor. 6. Name some graphics processors. Ans. Some graphics processors are: n Intel 82786 n Texas Instruments 43010 7. Justify the statement Windows OS is so popular?

Ans. The Windows OS is popular because it supports a graphical user interface (GUI), in which users can perform operations with the help of graphical objects such as windows and buttons. Apart from an intuitive GUI, it supports various other features such as support for integrated application environment, multitasking, multimedia, and networking. 8. What are the strengths of UNIX operating system? Ans. The Unix operating system has been known and popular as a simple, small, portable, powerful, time-sharing operating system. However, now it has also gained commercial strength. It is still the most portable and configurable of all operating systems. Unix has adopted to the new hardware architecture and application requirements by incorporating new functionalities such as distributed file system, X11 base GUIs, Multi threading, distributability and so on. Unix became quite popular within Bell Labs. 9. What is a pixel? Ans. Pixel may be defined as the smallest size object or color spot that can be displayed and addressed on a monitor. 10. Give the different applications of Computer Graphics. Ans. Computer graphics is used in every field. Some of the major application areas are: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. Building design and construction Electronic Design Mechanical Design Entertainment and Animation Aerospace industry Medical Technology Cartography Art and Commerce.

11. Name the Computer languages that support Computer Graphics. Ans.

Some languages that support computer graphics are: a. b. c. d. FORTRAN BASIC PASCAL C

12. Why C language is popular for graphics programming? Ans. C has become a choice for todays professionals, developers for graphics programming. C is a structured language and is rich in expressive power and applicable to a wide variety of users. Because of the rich set of graphical functions available, this language helps in designing for graphical applications. The C code is small, fast, portable, and flexible