Computer Graphics

Chapter 1
Introduction to Interactive
Computer Graphics
 Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to Interactive Computer Graphics
1.1. Brief History of Computer Graphics
1.2. 3D Graphics Techniques and Terminology
1.3. Common Uses of Computer Graphics
1.4. Application Area
 Brief History of Computer Graphics
Computer graphics is a sub-field of computer
science which studies methods for digitally synthesizing
and manipulating visual content . It deals with generating
.

images with the aid of computers.

The first computers consisted of rows and rows of
switches and lights.Technicians and engineers worked
for hours, days, or even weeks to program these
machines and read the results of their calculations. The
programmers in the 1970s took delight in creating artistic
patterns and images made up of nothing more than
asterisks (*).
The cathode ray tube (CRT) was a tremendously useful
addition to the computer. The original computer monitors,
CRTs were initially just video terminals that displayed
ASCII text. Soon, other symbols and graphics began to
supplement the character terminal. Programmers used
computers and their monitors to create graphics that
supplemented textual or tabular output. The first
algorithms for creating lines and curves were developed
and published. The first computer graphics displayed on
these terminals were two-dimensional, or 2D.
Now computers have become a powerful tool for the
rapid and economical production of pictures.Although
early applications in engineering and science had to rely
on expensive and cumbersome equipment, advances in
computer technology have made interactive computer
graphics a practical tool.
Today, we find computer graphics used in science,
engineering, medicine, business,industry, government,
art, entertainment, advertising, education, and training.
 3D Graphics Techniques and Terminology

The process by which mathematical and image data is

transformed into a 3D dimensional image is called
rendering. When used as a verb, it is the process that
your computer goes through to create the three
dimensional image. Rendering is also used as a noun,
simply to refer to the final image produced.

Transformations and Projections

Below figure shows the initial output of the BLOCK
example program, which shows a line drawing of a cube
on a table or platform. By transforming, or moving the
points around, and drawing lines between them we can
produce the illusion of a 3D world on a flat 2D screen.
The earliest flight simulators employed technology no
more sophisticated than this.

Figure: A simple wireframe cube and table.

The points themselves are called vertices (or vertex in

the singular), and they are moved around in space with
a convenient mathematical construct called a
transformation matrix. Another matrix, a projection
matrix takes care of the mathematics necessary to
turn our 3D coordinates into two-dimensional screen
coordinates, where the final line drawing actually takes
place.

Rasterization
The actual drawing, or filling in of the pixels between
each vertex to make the lines is called rasterization. We
can further clarify our 3D intent with transformed and
rasterized lines by employing hidden surface removal.
Figure shows the output of our BLOCK. Although still
using just points and lines, the illusion of a block on a
table becomes quite a bit more convincing.

Figure: Hiding the back sides of solid geometry enhances the

3D illusion.

Although drawing with lines, or wireframe rendering as

it is often called, has its uses, most of the time we
render not with lines, but with solid triangles. Triangles
and polygons are also rasterized, or filled in just like
lines are. The earliest graphics hardware could fill in
triangles using a solid color, but as shown in below
figure, this does not enhance the 3D illusion. Early
games and simulation technology would make adjoining
polygons different solid colors, which would help, but
fell short of a convincing simulation of reality.
Figure: Filling in geometry with solid colors is hardly effective.

Shading
In figure below we show the effects of shading. By
varying the color values across the surface (between
vertices), we can easily create the effect of a light
shining on a red cube.

Figure: Shading the surface creates the illusion of light.

Lighting and shading are very large areas of specialty in
the field of 3D graphics. Shaders are individual programs
that execute on the graphics hardware to process
vertices and perform rasterization tasks.

Texture Mapping
A texture is simply a picture that we map to the surface
of a triangle or polygon. As you can see in below figure,
textures add a whole new level of realism to our
rendering.

Figure: A single texture is worth a thousand triangles!

Textures are fast and efficient on modern hardware,

and a single texture can reproduce a surface that might
take thousands or even millions of triangles to
represent.
Blending
Finally, in figure below we show the effects of blending.
Blending allows us to mix different colors together. This
reflection effect is done simply by drawing the cube
upside down first. Then we draw the floor blended over
the top of it, followed by the right side up cube. You
really are seeing “through” the floor to the inverted
cube below. Blending is also how we make things look
transparent. In fact, what you are really seeing in Figure
below is through the wooden floor.

Figure: Using blending to create a reflection effect.

Connecting the Dots

Solid 3D geometry is nothing more than connecting the
dots between vertices and then rasterizing the triangles
to make objects solid. Transformations, shading, texture,
and blending: Any computer rendered scene you see in
a movie, video game, or scientific simulation is made up
of nothing more than various applications of these four
things.
 Common Uses of Computer Graphics

Three-dimensional graphics have many uses in modern

computer applications. Applications for real-time 3D
graphics range from interactive games and simulations to
data visualization for scientific, medical, or business uses.
Higher-end 3D graphics find their way into movies and
technical and educational publications as well.

Real-Time 3D
Real-time 3D graphics are animated and interactive
with the user. One of the earliest uses for real-time 3D
graphics was in military flight simulators. Even today,
flight simulators are a popular diversion for the home
enthusiast.

Figure: An OpenGL-based flight simulator, courtesy of

x-plane.com.

The most common use today is for computer gaming.

Although 3D has always been popular for scientific
visualization and engineering applications, the explosion
of cheap 3D hardware has empowered these
applications like never before. Business applications are
also taking advantage of the new availability of
hardware to incorporate more and more complex
business graphics and database mining visualization
techniques. Even the modern GUI is being affected and
has evolved to take advantage of 3D hardware
capabilities.
Below figures show some of the myriad applications of
real-time 3D graphics on the modern personal computer.
All but one of these images were rendered real-time
using OpenGL.

Figure: 3D graphics used for computer-aided design (CAD)

(image courtesy of Software Bisque).
Figure: 3D graphics used for architectural or civil planning
(image courtesy of Real 3D, Inc.).

Figure: 3D graphics used for medical imaging applications

(VolView by Kitware).
 Figure: 3D graphics used for scientific visualization (image
courtesy of Software Bisque, Inc.).

Figure: 3D graphics used for entertainment (Descent 3 from

Outrage Entertainment, Inc.).

Application Area

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Presentation Graphics
Computer Art
Entertainment (animation, games, …)
Education & Training
Visualization (scientific & business)
Image Processing
Graphical User Interfaces

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Used in design of buildings, automobiles, aircraft,
watercraft, spacecraft, computers, textiles & many other
products
Objects are displayed in wire frame outline form
Software packages provide multi-window environment.
Presentation Graphics
Used to produce illustrations for reports or generate
slides for use with projectors.
Commonly used to summarize financial, statistical,
mathematical, scientific, economic data for research
reports, managerial reports & customer information
bulletins
Examples : Bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, surface
graphs, time chart
Computer Art
Used in artist’s paintbrush programs, paint packages,
CAD packages and animation packages.
These packages provides facilities for designing object
shapes & specifying object motions.
Examples: Cartoon drawing, paintings, product
advertisements, logo design.

Entertainment (animation, games, …)

Movie Industry: Used in motion pictures, music videos,
and television shows. Used in making of cartoon
animation films.
Education & Training
Computer generated models of physical, financial and
economic systems are used as educational aids.
Models of physical systems, physiological systems,
population trends, or equipment such as color-coded
diagram help trainees understand the operation of the
system

Visualization (scientific & business)

Scientific Visualization: Producing graphical
representations for scientific, engineering, and medical
data sets.
Business Visualization is used in connection with data
sets related to commerce, industry and other
non-scientific areas.

Image Processing
CG- Computer is used to create a picture.
Image Processing – applies techniques to modify or
interpret existing pictures such as photographs and TV
scans.

Graphical User Interfaces

Major component – Window manager (multiple-window
areas).
To make a particular window active, click in that
window (using an interactive pointing device).
Interfaces display – menus & icons.
Icons – graphical symbol designed to look like the
processing option it represents. Advantages of icons –
less screen space, easily understood.
Menus contain lists of textual descriptions & icon.